Animals Pardell lynxes saved from extinction

The population of the endangered bobcat (Lynx pardinus) has grown. Experts from the World Conservation Union (IUCN), based in Gland VD, have downgraded it from "critically endangered" to "endangered" in an update of the Red List of Threatened Species.

This is now level three on the seven-level scale of endangered or already extinct species. "Thanks to conservation efforts, this species has been saved from extinction", the IUCN announced on Thursday in Gland near Geneva. The population has risen from 62 adult animals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. Experts now estimate that there are a total of 2,000 young and adult lynx of this species.

The bobcat is a carnivore from the cat family. It is found in Spain and Portugal and is also known as the Iberian lynx. It has pronounced whiskers and tufts of hair on its ears, which are important for hearing. It can grow to a length of around 80 centimetres when fully grown. The bobcat feeds on wild rabbits, whose numbers have dwindled significantly at times due to disease, poaching and shrinking habitats. The climate crisis is also causing stress for both animals, according to the report.