A FEMALE Iberian lynx has been spotted in Murcia with four cubs, marking another boost for the recovery of Spain’s rarest big cat.
The new litter was discovered in the Tierras Altas de Lorca, where a female lynx named Urtsu has been observed with her four cubs, who are estimated to be two months old.
Urtsu was released in February 2024 after being bred in captivity at a breeding centre in Caceres.
Since then, she has already successfully reproduced in the wild twice, making this her third known litter in the region.
The births mark further progress in the species’ return to the wild under the EU-backed LIFE Lynxconnect project, which has led efforts to reintroduce the lynx.
Experts say Murcia is becoming a key stronghold for the species, offering the habitat and prey needed for the lynx to thrive.
Officials continue to monitor the animals closely, but say both mother and cubs appear to be in good health.
The sighting is being hailed as another sign of the remarkable comeback of the Iberian lynx, once the world’s most endangered cat species.
The species, native to Spain and Portugal, has returned from the brink of extinction.
At its lowest point in 2002, there were just 94 lynx left in the wild, with only 25 females at reproductive age, and now thanks to intensive conversation efforts there is a healthy population of over 2,000.
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