Endangered lynx spotted in Catalonia safely captured

The endangered Iberian lynx spotted in Catalonia last week has been captured – found in a cherry tree grove south of Barcelona, reportedly in perfect health.

The four-year-old male, named Lítio (or ‘Lythium’ in English) is the first of its species to be seen in Catalonia in over a century. Listed as ‘endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, he was born in captivity in 2014, released in Portugal in 2015, last seen a year later and now found in Santa Coloma de Cervelló.

This would entail a journey of around 1,000 kilometers from the other side of the peninsula, the details of which remain unclear, however, as the battery on his tracking collar ran out. This is also why the animal could not be localized.

While the feline made its way to Catalonia by itself, the Catalan government does not foresee reintroducing the animal into the country. The lynx’s main prey is the European rabbit; indeed, his good health is thought to be due to the large amount of them in the area where he was found. Still, officials specify there’s still a long way to go until there are enough rabbits to sustain a larger population of lynxes.

Lítio has now been moved to a center for endangered species in Granada, in the south of Spain, where he will remain in quarantine until it’s decided whether to release him back into Portugal or Andalusia.