Silves lynx come back home from Spain

The remaining lynx, of the 29 taken to Spain as the Monchique fire advanced on the reproduction centre in Silves, are returning to the Algarve.

Rodrigo Serra, director of the National Centre for Reproduction of the Iberian Lynx, located near the Arade Dam, said he expects to receive the remaining lynx by the end of this week as the repair work to fire damaged areas has been completed.

The lynx centre was damaged by the August fire but the animals were taken away to the safety of centres in Andalucía, Extremadura and Castilla la Mancha, where they have been for the past four months.

The Secretary of State for Nature Conservation, Célia Ramos, this week visited the Silves centre to inspect the repaired enclosures and the new water sprinkler system.

Of the 29 Iberian lynxes sent to Spain, only 26 will be coming back as one old lynx died and two others will be released into the wild from their Spanish foster home.

The first 14 lynx returned on December 5, as work to their accommodation was complete.

Serra said this operation is delicate as the animals naturally suffer a degree of stress when being moved around.

“It’s always complex, but the first animals have settled in much better than we expected under the circumstances, we’ll wait and see what the next few months show us about their adaptation and well-being,” said Rodrigo Serra.

The repair and improvement work was carried out with funding from the Institute of Nature Conservation and the Environmental Fund. Célia Ramos said, “It is important to demonstrate that, with the on-going work and commitment of the people who work here every day, it is possible to carry out these projects.”

The Monchique wildfire, that was declared over on August 10th after a week, swept into the neighbouring county of Silves, having affected areas of Portimão and Odemira.