CUTE ALERT: First look at newborn endangered Iberian Lynx cubs in Andalucia

NEWBORN Iberian Lynx cubs have passed their first health check with flying colours in Cadiz.

The cute cubs, which are the world’s most endangered feline species, were born just under two months ago at Jerez Zoo.

This will be the fourth time the cub’s parents have welcomed a litter at the zoo, with their previous offspring now living in the wild.

It is expected these cubs will also be released once they are old enough.

It comes as a great relief as the Iberian Lynx was facing extinction at the beginning of the 2000s, with only 100 adult cats and 25 breeding females in the world, living in southern Spain.

The birth of the cubs is part of a reproduction project, LIFE Iberlince, set up by the Spanish government, the European Union and various global conservation NGOs.

Thanks to the conservation scheme, the species has been recovered from the brink of extinction, with its status downgrading to ‘endangered’.

Now, just over 400 cats live in the Mediterranean forests on the Iberian Peninsula, with the vast majority in Andalucia.