Historic: first Iberian lynx photographed in the Pyrenees confirmed

A monitoring camera placed in the Pyrenees has captured for the first time the image of an Iberian lynx in the mountain range. The confirmation of the sighting represents a historic milestone for the species and opens the door to thinking about a natural connection between populations.

Until now, the Iberian lynx was mainly associated with Sierra Morena and different nuclei in the center and south of the peninsula. However, in recent years the population has been expanding thanks to reintroduction projects and habitat improvement.

The specimen detected in the Pyrenees has been identified thanks to the spots on its fur and the analysis of the images obtained. Monitoring teams are now working to find out if it is an isolated individual or if there could be more lynxes exploring the area.

The presence of the Iberian lynx in the Pyrenees poses new challenges and opportunities: from the design of ecological corridors to coordination with France, as well as the need to strengthen information and coexistence with rural mountain communities.

For the conservation of the species, these spontaneous movements are a good sign: they indicate that the lynx is recovering dispersal capacity and that protection efforts are beginning to bear fruit at the landscape scale.