In 2002, only 94 Iberian lynx remained alive. The latest census, for 2025, counted 2,662 in Portugal and Spain, one of the most remarkable recoveries of any wildcat.
The Most Endangered Wildcat on Earth
In 2002, the Iberian lynx was on the edge of oblivion. With only 94 individuals confirmed alive, it was one of the most endangered wildcats in the world, surviving only in two small populations, Doñana-Aljarafe and Andújar-Cardeña.
The causes were familiar: habitat loss, road deaths, collapse of rabbit populations (their primary prey), and illegal hunting. The future looked bleak.
A Species Brought Back
What followed was one of the most intensive species recovery programmes in history. Captive breeding centres in Spain and Portugal produced cubs for reintroduction. Habitat for rabbits, their main prey, was improved. Reintroductions began in 2009.
By 2020, the population had reached about 1,100. The 2024 census counted 2,401 Iberian lynx across the Iberian Peninsula, and the 2025 census counted 2,662, including 543 breeding females. The IUCN moved the species from Critically Endangered to Endangered, then to Vulnerable in 2024.
It is one of the most remarkable recoveries of any wildcat.
What Comes Next
The lynx still faces threats. Road collisions and illegal hunting remain major threats. Habitat connectivity is fragile. But the trajectory has reversed.
Ongoing work, including the EU-funded LIFE LynxConnect project, aims to improve habitat for the lynx and its prey and to connect populations across the peninsula.
_Sources: LIFE LynxConnect, Iberian lynx census results 2024 and 2025. LIFE LynxConnect, "Iberian lynx ecology". Graham Keeley, "How Spain is saving the Iberian lynx", Al Jazeera, 28 February 2022. Rodríguez, A., "Lynx pardinus", IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2024._