The endangered Iberian lynx will return to the Spanish region of Murcia

TWO pairs of endangered Iberian lynxes will begin to roam the remote highlands of Lorca on March 3 to kick off the animal’s reintroduction project in the Murcia region.

The ultimate goal is to settle five breeding females in the region.

The first two males and females will get a ‘soft release’ in an enclosed area so they can get used to the local environment.

The project has a cost of 1 million euros, with the Government of Murcia providing 40% and the rest provided by the European Commission.

The goal is to establish a new breeding population to not only increase lynx numbers, but also to modify genetic diversity.

Loss of natural habitat, trapping, illegal hunting, and being hit by cars have all contributed to an extremely difficult environment for them to live in.

Only 94 Iberian lynxes lived in the wild in Spain in 2002, but two decades later, that number is well over a thousand.

The lynx of Lorca will be in the Sierras del Gigante-Pericay, Lomas del Buitre-Rio Luchena and Sierra de la Torrecilla.

The area covers about 225 square kilometers and has a low human population density.

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