The Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) announced that the Iberian Lynx Ex Situ Conservation Program achieved in 2025 one of the most significant results in its history: the birth of 62 cubs in the breeding centers of El Acebuche, La Olivilla, CNRLI, Zarza de Granadilla and Jardim Zoológico de Jerez, of which 48 have survived to date. This is, according to the organization, “the highest value recorded in recent seasons”, consolidating the program as an essential pillar in the recovery of the species.
The 2025 breeding season saw the formation of 32 couples, which resulted in 25 complete pregnancies. Between February and May, 62 cubs were born, recording an initial survival rate of 77%. Nine will be kept in captivity to replace future breeding stock — five males and four females — in addition to the female Vidar, “a blind specimen from the wild population of Doñana”. If the remaining 39 juveniles confirm clinical and behavioral fitness, they should be released at the beginning of 2026, reinforcing wild populations.
These results clearly surpass previous years. In 2023, 26 couples produced 46 offspring, with 39 survivors, of which 31 were released in 2024, in addition to five orphans recovered in the field. In 2024, 30 couples gave birth to 43 offspring, with 31 survivors and 21 released in 2025, in addition to three recovered orphans. In total from 2023 to 2025, lynxes born in captivity were reintroduced in regions such as Murcia, Castile and León, Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura, significantly expanding the species’ distribution area.
The 2025 season also marks 20 years since the birth of the first calves in captivity, which occurred on March 28, 2005 in the center of El Acebuche. Since then, 835 births have been recorded, with 640 surviving offspring, of which 424 have already been released in Portugal and Spain. The ICNF emphasizes that the release of these 424 specimens was decisive in improving the conservation status of the Iberian lynx on the IUCN Red List, going from “Critically Endangered” to “Vulnerable”.
The most recent balance was analyzed on October 7, at the meeting of the Iberian Lynx Captive Breeding Committee (CCCLI), responsible for strategically guiding the program. In this session, priorities were defined to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Ex Situ Program, “always in coordination with the needs of wild populations and with the objective of achieving the Favorable Conservation Status defined by the Habitats Directive”.
According to , the program will continue to reproduce at the usual pace, taking into account the needs of future reintroduction and genetic renewal projects for breeders. By 2026, the breeding centers plan to form 30 breeding pairs, following the genetic recommendations considered essential to meet conservation objectives in the coming years.
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