February 17 marked an important milestone in the history of Castilla y León: the return to these lands, after almost half a century, of the Iberian lynx. Species in danger of extinction, once considered and persecuted as vermin, for which the efforts of experts have succeeded in finding an ideal habitat for the expansion of a species … which is on the verge of extinction in the Iberian Peninsula and which, although it has regained its numbers, is still in danger, with just over 2,000 animals.
Contributing to this progress is the objective set by the Council through the Iberian lynx reintroduction program, not without difficulties, some planned in advance and which became a reality over the months. Abuse, one of them. And one of the specimens that arrived in recent months through different phases died this Monday on the asphalt of the P-405 highway, near Villajimena.
Venadillo, a male, is the fourth lynx to perish after arriving in Castile and León. The Turnstones have already done it, the first female to jump onto the lands of Cerrato Palentino on February 17, emerging from a cage in the company of the Virgin. Vouga, another male died too. Crushed and drowned in an irrigation canal.
Four victims out of the nine arrivals, first by a gentle slope to acclimatize to the terrain in a limited and guarded area of one hectare in the mountains of the municipality of Astudillo, before going out into the open field, where they encounter these risks.
Meanwhile, from the El Acebuche breeding center, in Doñana (Huelva) or Castilla-La Mancha, where the lynx is gaining ground, nine specimens have arrived in Castilla y León, four of which have perished, so there are currently five in the Cerrato Palentino region, chosen as the ideal place to release them given the strong presence of rabbits, the feline’s favorite delicacy.
Despite the setbacks and “the problems of risk of death of certain specimens”, the Minister of Environment, Housing and Land Planning, Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones, clarified that the losses will be compensated by “new reintroductions”.
And the fact is that the lynx reintroduction program is a “historic” step, since it has been almost half a century since the lynx was no longer seen in Castile and León, hence the commitment is to maintain the program for which we have fought for so long to include in the community fauna this “amazing feline, very attractive and which only produces goods for the territory, for farmers and hunters, in addition to the wealth of biodiversity that it represents”, defended Suárez-Quiñones.
Indeed, to try to minimize the risks, actions are carried out such as the installation of fiber optic or photonic sensors in order to monitor the specimens. In addition, the main black spots in the area where they move have been identified and a perimeter fence will be installed – with an investment of almost a million euros – on the P-405 highway, precisely where Venadillo, the last crushed male, also died.
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