The declining Lynx

Having just watched Craig Murray on BBC2 Newsnight patiently explain the legal miasma that exists in determining national boundaries in the Shatt al Arab, attention returned to Mystery of The Missing Lynx, it's pilot and crew and the sleepy radar operators.

Googling "Lynx" brought a more interesting and heart rending story of the dwindling band of only 800 Iberian Lynx in 10-12 locations (Lynx pardinus - or maybe Felis pardina - the taxonomy (like maritime boundaries) is disputed) in the Iberian Peninsula. This means it is the most threatened mammalian species in Spain. Worlwide it is categorised as Category 1 on a scale of 1-5 for endangered species.

On Friday the good news was that mummy Lynx at the El Acebuche Centre, in Spain's stunning Doñana Nature Park had given birth to 5 kittens - which is large , normally they would have 2-3 kittens.

Today the news is that mum ate a cub , which may have been still born, of the others 1 survived 36 hours and another 70 hours after mummy abandoned them.

In the post war period the Lynx were hit by myxymatosis which destryed their prey the reabbits and hares of Spain, increasingly habitat destruction , hunting and becoming roadkill has eroded the wild Spanish population which is the reason for the breeding program at the El Acebuche centre.

The "lobo-cerval", "liberne" or "gato-cravo" s are totally protected in both Portugal and Spain, where the penalty for intentionally killing a Lynx - from March 1998, was raised to a maximum of 26 million pesetas (US$ 140,000). It doesn't stop the hunters however.

Let's hope the remaining kittens survive to spend some 18 months in their natal territory before they set of one their solo life of hunting. We will update as more information becomes available.