Coquineros en las playas de Doñana

Three Iberian lynx have been run over in the last month in Doñana, one of the worst figures for years. The latest animal was a male found dead on the road connecting Matalascañas with El Rocíos. He is thought to have been dispersing in search of new territories. Almost three lynxes a year (26 in total) have been killed since 2000…And three in a single month is an utter disater. Clearly the traffic signs aren’t sufficient.  Crónica Verde

Caribú, the lynx from the Sierra Morena which was released in Doñana in November 2008 with the aim of increasing the genetic variability there, has travelled almost 200km in three months. There is no evidence that it has mated yet as it is a sub-adult.
El Mundo

Dan Ward has sent me his latest Lynx Brief, the essential periodic review in English of the state of the Iberian Lynx.

This issue looks at, among other topics, the international Iberian lynx seminar, current Iberian lynx numbers, plans for Iberian lynx reintroductions, inappropriate predator control, declines in wild rabbits and transparency of information in Castilla -La Mancha.

Some highlights which I have cropped from the original:

• On lynx numbers As reported at the III International Seminar, Iberian Lynx recovery has continued well in the Sierra Morena area just north of Andújar, Andalucía, with 40 breeding females, 55 cubs born in 2008 and 150 individuals overall. This compares with 18 females, 22 cubs and 60 individuals in 2002….As a result of this increase, the lynx area in Andújar-Cardeña has probably reached its carrying capacity and thus could provide animals for future reintroductions elsewhere. This is an unexpected, welcome and important achievement, not least because it is generally preferable to reintroduce felines bred in the wild rather than those bred in captivity (if possible) because they are more likely to be fully adapted to living in the wild.
• In addition to these in situ achievements in the Sierra Morena, the ex situ captive breeding programme has also progressed well, with 52 individuals, 24 of which were bred in captivity.
  Moreover, the ex situ population will also be able to provide 20 to 40 individuals per year for  reintroductions, from 2010. Finally, in Doñana, the lynx population seems to have remained steady in recent years, with around 50 individuals reported in total each year between 2002 and 2008. This is despite the loss of at least 9 individuals to Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) in 2007, thanks partly to the successful translocation of a breeding male lynx from Andújar-Cardeña to Doñana in December 2007
  (see LynxBrief no. 10 and 11). Moreover, a second lynx was successfully translocated into Doñana in November 2008.
• On predator control Much of Spain and Portugal is used extensively for hunting, and this is especially true of current and potential lynx areas; e.g. 70% of Spain is covered by hunting estates (used by over 1 million registered hunters), and the majority of lynx living in the wild are situated in such estates. Moreover, techniques used by gamekeepers and landowners to kill, especially, rabbit and partridge predators have been strongly implicated in the past decline of the Iberian Lynx, and the on-going decline of many other species. For example, it is suspected that the 1990s extinction of the lynx population in Montes de Toledo, central Spain (where good habitat and rabbit populations remain) was due to the widespread use of leg traps and snares in the area.
• On rabbits and lynx One of the key obstacles to reversing rabbit decline has been that rabbits, and rabbit conservation, in Spain and Portugal have not been given the profile and attention they deserve….Fortunately, this situation has recently changed. In Portugal in 2006, national authorities re-classified the European Rabbit as “Near Threatened”, and in Spain in 2007, the species was re-classified by national authorities as “Vulnerable”. Moreover, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has also, just this year, re-classified the European Rabbit globally in its native range (Spain, Portugal and parts of north Africa) from “Least Concern” to “Near Threatened”.
• Castilla – La Mancha and transparency a lack of transparency of information has also been a key obstacle to Iberian Lynx conservation in recent years. A very current example, discussed at the International Seminar, was the presence of lynx in Castilla – La Mancha….The Castilla – La Mancha authorities have argued that they cannot release the location of their lynx because they fear attracting too many nature watchers to these areas. However, the precise location of lynx in Andalucía has been widely publicised for many years without a detrimental impact from the public….It has been alleged that the real reason that the Castilla – La Mancha government do not want to publicise the location of their lynx is actually because they are reluctant to share knowledge (and thus power), or because of a fear on the part of landowners that public knowledge of lynx presence will increase pressure for restrictions on the current use of predator  control methods. Moreover, it has also been alleged that at least one of the locations of lynx in Castilla – La Mancha is a large estate bordering Andalucía, owned by a British Lord, who allegedly has considerable influence over local authorities.

Read the Lynx Brief 12

Photo from the Iberian lynx recovery programme.

Doñana has managed to halt the mortality of the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberto). The annual number of chicks has tripled in the last three years from 3.5 to 10.5 chicks a year according to an article by scientists from CSIC in the ‘Journal of Applied Ecology’, thanks to a reduction in the use of poison in the areas surrounding Doñana. Between 1992 and 2004 there was a dramatic increase in annual adult mortality due to an increase in poisoning in hunting areas surrounding the park. “The use of poison against generalist predators accounted for more than 54% of the total number of breeding eagles found dead since 1990, increasing annual adult mortality from 6·07 to 12·01%.”

• El Mundo
• Journal of Applied Ecology

La Crónica Verde has posted the latest figures for Iberian lynx in Doñana for 2008 complete with maps. A more positive breeding season than the disastrous recent years. 10 females had 23 cubs of which as far as is known 18 have survived. Total numbers of lynxes: 18 territorial females, 4-5 territorial males, 9 sub-adults, 18 cubs. 50-53 known lynxes in Doñana.

• Read in La Crónica Verde

The Ex-situ Conservation Programme for the Iberian lynx has released a new set of ridiculously cute pictures of Iberian lynxes. this time from the lynx born in the captive breeding programme in 2008. In the picture: Endrino, Eón and Adelfa. Lots more images here.

• Summary here of the lynxes in captivity
• Latest figures for lynx in wild

Dan Ward has just sent me the latest and as usual excellent Lynx Brief (pdf). This issue looks at:

• The serious situation for the lynx in Doñana whose population seems to be going from bad to worse. He calls for an action plan to combat:

- High traffic speeds and volumes
- Habitat loss to intensive agriculture
- Apparent mismanagement of protected areas
- The population’s small size and low diversity
- Conflicting attitudes amongst local people

This is all undoubtedly true but I personally feel the greatest threat to the lynx in Doñana is the extremely low rabbit population across the park which is forcing young lynx to disperse into conflictive areas. Despite being increasingly hemmed in by infrastructure, Doñana is still big and wild enough to support a far larger and almost sustainable lynx population than now, as indeed it did until myxamatosis arrived.

• The Iberian Lynx captive breeding programme is advancing well, both in terms of more captive breeding success, and in terms of actions and plans made for: further captive breeding centres, and; the planned reintroduction of captively bred animals in the future.
• Lynx presence in Cuidad Real, Castilla-La Mancha with a population of 15 individuals, including 3 reproductive females, 2 adult males, 4 sub-adults and 6 cubs

Cuidad Real province borders the area of northern Andalucía with current lynx presence (Andújar – Cardeña). This, combined with the fact that extensive surveys conducted over previous years failed to confirm lynx presence, suggests that the lynx in Castilla-La Mancha are individuals dispersed from northern Andalucía rather than a separate remnant population. Unofficial suggestions have been made that the photographed lynx come from a specific private hunting estate bordering Andalucía in southern Cuidad Real province, which, if true, would confirm the hypothesis that these animals dispersed from Andalucía. Unfortunately, however, the regional government has
refused to confirm the precise location of these lynx. The Castilla-La Mancha government has justified withholding this information so as to protect the lynxes’ habitat. However, the reverse would seem to be true. The precise location of lynxes in Andalucía has been widely publicised for several years without apparent detrimental impact upon their habitat. Moreover, it would seem that accurate and openly-available information about lynx presence has been key to allowing effective lynx conservation in Andalucía through co-ordination, lobbying, conservation projects, research and outreach.

Also check out Dan’s recommendation for the new soslynx.org website with some beautiful photos and videos.

The Iberian lynx breeding programme is expecting five more female lynxes to give birth this week in El Acebuche, Doñana and two at the new La Olivilla centre in Santa Elena, Jaén. The mother’s names are Esperanza, Aura and Aliaga (El Acebuche) and Castañuela and Barraca – (La Olivilla). Last weekend Adelfa and Boj also gave birth to litters in El Acebuche. Terra

Video here of Boj and her cubs

On the negative side three lynx cubs have been found dead in the Coto del Rey, apparently from malnutricion. The litter of four were micro-chipped at the end of March when, according to WWF/Adena, two of them should have been taken from their mother due to the unlikelyhood of them all surviving naturally. According to their sources, the cubs weren’t in the best of health then. Follow this on the forum

Photos from Programa de Conservación Ex-Situ del Lince ibérico

Good news for this last 2007. Not a single Iberian lynx were killed this year on Doñana’s roads, in contrast to the five killed last year. This is no doubt much due to the 27 km of special fencing to prevent the lynx from crossing the road (El Mundo). Also the first lynx (a male) taken from Sierra Morena has been released in Doñana to improve the population genetic viability. (Terra)

There are also now 37 individuals in the captive breeding centres which is to be increased to 60 breeding animals by 2010-, guaranteeing 85% of the genetic variability which existed in the wild in 2004. Some of these animals are to be sent to Portugal, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha for their own breeding programmes. The Portuguese government has begun to build a centre in Algarve and hopes to release lynx into the wild in the Algarve by 2019.

Note: there is considerable skepticism, to say the least in the Spanish natural history community about the CLM lynxes because of the way the news was released, the weird videos and the lack of coordination. Here’s what some people on the linceforo are saying.

Photo from Lynx Recovery Programme

Photo of Iberian lynxes from lynxexsitu

Plans to translocate lynx into Doñana
As noted above, it is currently proposed by the Andalucían Regional Government to translocate up to three lynx from Andújar-Cardeña into the Doñana lynx population in November or December 2007. A breeding pair of lynx might be translocated into an area previously inhabited by lynx lost to FeLV and a female lynx might be translocated into an area of Doñana inhabited by several male lynx but no females.
Studies have suggested that translocating just a few lynx could significantly raise the genetic variability in Doñana, provided that translocated lynx successfully inter-breed with local lynx. Similarly, it has been argued that removing up to three lynx from Andújar-Cardeña will not adversely affect this population. However, despite support from some individuals and groups, the translocation proposal is controversial. WWF Spain and Ecologistas en Acción, in particular, have voiced opposition to the proposal on the grounds that threats to wild lynx in Doñana – particularly from road traffic – need to be more reduced before lynx should be translocated there from Andújar-Doñana, so as to avoid the risk of any translocated lynx being killed and also to address the root causes of lynx decline in Doñana.

The Andalucían Regional Government has implemented a lot of work in recent years aimed at reducing threats from road traffic, including more fences, underpasses, signals and rumble strips, and no lynx are known to have been killed this year in and around Doñana. However, road traffic continues to travel at speeds considerably in excess of 60km/h and 90km/h limits, particularly between Mazagón and Matalascañas, between Matalascañas and El Rocio, and between El Rocio and Villamanrique. Similarly, it may just be luck and/or the numbers of lynx being significantly reduced by FeLV in 2007 that has led to no lynx being killed by vehicles this year.

Photo from Lynx Recovery Programme

from which I have snatched:

“Dr Astrid Vargas, famous for her work to save the lynx in Spain, shows me the control centre where they are monitored.

The lynx is like a domestic cat… with the hint of a tiger

To my disappointment, I am not allowed to see the animals in the flesh: there is the risk of them catching diseases and becoming unsettled if there’s a stream of visitors.

But it’s entrancing enough watching them on the monitors, as Astrid tries to find the cubs by panning cameras and switching between angles.

Two cubs are out for a morning walk but eventually join their brother in their den. They cuff each other, bite and play.

A three-year-old is about the size of a cocker spaniel, and they have wonderful faces, a little like a domestic cat, but then the hint of tiger flashes through. There is something both fey and ancient about their faces, it’s probably the tufted ears and pointed beard that does it.

They are at risk partly because disease has killed their main prey, rabbits. But environmentalists say what really threatens them is that the wetlands of this national park are drying out.

“Encroachment by humans has been brutal. If we do not protect the lynx’s habitat, there’s no point in having them in captivity – the purpose of this programme is to re-introduce them into the wild,” Astrid says.

“The reason the lynx is going extinct is because of our pressure. The Mediterranean maquis is shrinking fast, the natural vegetation is slowly but surely being changed.”

From Lynxsitu

Photo from Lynx Recovery Programme

Full article on the Iberian lynx here on Iberianature

  First images of cubs

Video here from Canal Sur:

El Pais

 UPDATE Another lynx, Artemisa, unfortunately miscarried Here (El Mundo)Â

 In 2005 and 2006, nine cubs were born of which six survived. More are expected this year. See also http://www.iberianature.com/material/iberianlynxnews.htm