There is great news, as the Iberian Lynx population has increased!
The Iberian Lynx is found in Portugal and Spain. Today, Iberian Lynxes are an endangered species. Therefore, it is great that their population is increasing.
The Iberian Lynx is starting to make a comeback.
These beautiful animals were near extinction around 20 years ago. In 2002, there were only 94 Iberian Lynxes left. At that time, Iberian Lynxes were also the world's most endangered cat at that time. But today, things have turned around for these beautiful cats - they are starting to make a good comeback.
The Iberian Lynx population has increased considerably since 2002.
Last year, an incredible 414 Iberian Lynx cubs were born. Today, because of the birth last year of new Iberian Lynx cubs, the Iberian Lynx population has increased to 1,000 Iberian Lynxes. Therefore, the Iberian Lynx population has increased from just 94 cats in 2002 to 1,000 cats in 2021.
The increase of the Iberian Lynx population offers hope to other species which are critically endangered and endangered today. For example, it is estimated that there are as few as between 30-35 Scottish Wildcats in the wild of Scotland today.
Sadly in the same time frame as the Iberian Lynx, the Scottish Wildcat population has been declining. In 2004, it was estimated that the Scottish Wildcat was around 400 cats. And, it was estimated that there were around 40 of them in 2012.
Since then, as nine years have now passed since 2012, haven't improved for Scottish Wildcats, instead, they have got worse - with, as said, just 30 to 35 Scottish Wildcats estimated to exist in the highlands of Scotland. It feels like the Scottish Wildcat has been abandoned and forgotten by the Scottish Government.
If we compare the Scottish Wildcat to the Iberian Lynx over the past 20 years, that while the Iberian Lynx has been pulled back from the brink of extinction even, there's been little effort given to do the same for the Scottish Wildcat in Scotland. This is terribly sad, as it feels like the Scottish Wildcat is being allowed to go extinct.
Another cat that has been brought back from the brink, is, the Amur Leopard.
Within the last 20 years, the Amur Leopard has also seen their population recover a bit. Just 20 years ago, the Amur Leopard was on the brink of extinction with just 40 Amur Leopards existing. Today, there are just over 84 Amur Leopards.
Both the Amur Leopard and the Iberian Lynx show that species of animals can come back from the brink of extinction if time and conservation work helps them.
How Has The Iberian Lynx Population Increased?
The Iberian Lynx population has increased because of a breeding programme that has been set up to save these endangered animals.
The breeding programme looks as if it is helping these beautiful animals bounce back from the brink of extinction. Hopefully, in the future, we can see more good news about the Iberian Lynx population growing.
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