Kai, a specimen female Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) was released this Tuesday in the Cordoban town of Adamuz. It thus returns to the natural environment after completing a complex process of recovery and rehabilitation at the Los Villares Endangered Species Recovery Center (CREA). The Minister of Sustainable Development and Environment of the Government of Andalusia, Catalina García, participated in the process.
The release took place in the Valderragos region, in the Guadalmellato reintroduction zone, a territory that played a key role in the consolidation of the species in the Sierra Morena and which has once again become scene of hope for a species that has been the protagonist of one of the greatest conservation successes on the European continent. Kai arrived at the drop point equipped with a tracking collar which will allow us to follow their movements, study their behavior and certify that they are adapting again to their territory.
García emphasized that this version has added value because “it represented a second chance for a specimen that suffered a serious injury and, thanks to veterinary and technical work, regained its ability to live in freedom. ” On this aspect, he emphasized that Kai’s story symbolizes “the strength of the species and the importance of the public resources that Andalusia has placed at the service of its conservation.
The advisor explained that the specimen was born in the wild in 2013 and belongs to a valuable genetic line. She is the daughter of ‘Eclipse’, one of the founding females of the Guadalmellato nucleus and one of the first to contribute to the expansion of the lynx in this municipality. In July 2025, it was detected with a serious injury to the hind limb right which forced its immediate extraction from the natural environment. The veterinary intervention led to limb amputation.
Later, Kai transferred to CREA Los Villares, where she began a rehabilitation process oriented to assess their mobility, predatory capacity and general behavior. The technical team has confirmed that, despite the amputation, it maintains adequate physical condition and is ready to operate freely in its historical territory.
an important step
During the event, García said that “the release showed that by working with technical rigor and sensitivity towards wildlife, it is possible to return animals that have undergone complex surgical processes to the wild.” Likewise, he emphasized that it is the first release in Guadalmellato of a recovered specimen after an intervention of this type, which makes this day an important step for the lynx conservation program in Andalusia.
The event took place in the presence of the Mayor of Adamuz, Rafael Ángel Moreno; the territorial delegate of Sustainability and Environment of Córdoba, Rafael Martínez; the general coordinator of the LIFE LynxConnect project, Javier Salcedo; the coordinator of the Amaya Agency in the province, Marcial Prieto; the owner of the property, Ignacio Zarco, technicians from CREA de Los Villares and environmental agents who regularly accompany surveillance work in the area. Likewise, they were present around 50 students from IES Luna de la Sierra de Adamuz, with its director, Raquel León.
Expansion of the Iberian lynx
In her speech, the councilor recalled that this release comes a few days after Andalusia confirmed a new advance in the natural expansion of the Iberian lynx, thanks to the identification and marking of an adult female in Cabra, in the Sierras Subbéticas, a discovery that helped confirm the arrival of the feline in areas where there had not been a stable presence for decades. This action was possible thanks to the work of the technical staff of the Iberian Lynx Recovery Plan and environmental agents, who developed the device according to established veterinary and animal welfare protocols.
He also indicated that “the discovery of Cabra showed that the lynx continues to expand towards new mountain ranges and the countryside, which confirms that the Andalusian metapopulation has reached an unprecedented level of stability and dynamism.” In addition, he considered that the marking of ‘Igabrum’, the adult female identified in this place, will allow obtaining very valuable data on connectivity ecological, circulation between territories and use of the landscape.
He stressed that these recordings will be used to strengthen future conservation actions, habitat restoration and corridor planning natural resources that facilitate exchanges between populations. He emphasized, at the same time, that this release coincides with the impetus given by the recent International Congress of the Iberian Lynx held in Seville, a meeting that brought together more than 300 experts. During this forum it was recalled that the lynx has officially passed from “endangered” to “vulnerable”a recognition from the International Union for Conservation of Nature which shows the consolidated improvement of the species.
In this sense, García recalled that Andalusia reached it in 2024. the figure of 836 copies within the peninsular population, which totals 2,401 lynx. Thus, he emphasized that “this growth has been possible thanks to continuous work, applied science and collaboration between administrations and society”, emphasizing that the autonomous community is one of the territories with the greatest number of specimens in the peninsula and it is there that the majority of the nuclei that currently make up the distribution of the species were born.
“Just 20 years ago, the lynx survived thanks to so much only 94 copies, most in Andalusiawhich puts into perspective the progress made thanks to the commitment of institutions, owners, conservation organizations and natural environment professionals,” he added.
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