Aura: The Iberian lynx that saved its own species from extinction, is no more 

Have you ever heard about the lynx? Well, if you haven’t, here’s a glimpse for you. Lynx refers to a medium-sized wild cat belonging to the genus Lynx. Now that being settled, let us tell you about the most famous kind of lynx, the Iberian lynx. It is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe and is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its distinguishing features include glowing green eyes and excellent ability to see in the dark. Interestingly, the species has recently been featured on world news, as one of its most important members succumbed. Here’s everything you need to know.  

As it turns out, Iberian lynxes were almost at the brink of extinction (with only 94 of them remaining) when Aura, this species’ strongest-willed member (aggressive, competitive yet nourishing) was born in 2002 at Donana National Park in Andalucia, Spain. And now, two decades later, the animal that had helped save her own species from extinction has died at the record age of 20. Sources suggest that its genes will continue to live on in over 900 of this spotted and tufty-eared felines.  

Okay, so what had led to the almost eradication of the species? Well, that would be two main factors: Haemorrhagic disease such as myxomatosis and the other and the more dangerous one is, human encroachment through overhunting, poaching, and destruction of habitats. Today however, all thanks to Aura, alongside global awareness, sustained conservation and breeding efforts, the population of Iberian lynx stands at 1365.  

Coming back to Aura, when the Iberian lynx was just three weeks old and only weighed 702 grams, she was rescued from the wild and placed into the then Ex-situ Iberian lynx conservation programme (run by El Acebuche breeding centre at Huelva, Andalucia), a pioneering initiative that was key in reversing the decline in its population. Thanks to this effort, over the course of its life, Aura bore 14 kittens, and through them almost ended up creating a legacy of its own. In fact, Iberian lynx usually has a lifespan of 15 years and Aura’s death at 20 years, 6 months also makes her the longest-lived member of the species.  

And now, 20 years down the line, there are not 1 but 14 breeding centres across Spain and Portugal. Experts posit that usually removing animals from the wild and keeping them in captivity is looked down upon, but it had proved immensely fruitful in case of Iberian lynx.   

Unfortunately, despite so many conservation campaigns, Iberian lynx continues to face threats, especially in the wild, due to climate change (leads to droughts and floods, both equally harmful), illegal farming, mining, pollution and marsh drainage.  

For those who are more curious about Iberian lynx, here’s a sneak peek. The animal may have emerged 1.98 to 0.7 million years ago and is bright yellow in colour with tawny shaded spotted fur. It has a tiny head with tufted ears, as well as a ruff. It also has long legs and short tail. Iberian lynx prefers to live in heterogenous environments, comprising of open grasslands, wetlands and mountainous shrubs. It primarily feeds on European rabbits and other small animals and likes to mark its territory by scratching on tree barks and urinating. Strange, isn’t it?