A rancher in the province of Toledo was surprised when he found three baby Iberian lynx among the bales of his haystack. Like every day, this neighbor from the Toledo town of Menasalbas went to the place to feed his animals. Upon encountering this protected species, the neighbor immediately contacted the nature protection service of the Civil Guard (Seprona), which has taken charge of the situation together with the environmental agents of Castilla-La Mancha.
At first, the rancher thought he had found baby cats, but he soon realized that they were three baby Iberian lynxes, a species that is in danger of extinction. It was then that this neighbor decided to call 112, which mobilized a Seprona patrol from the Civil Guard and environmental agents from the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha.
Following the notice from this rancher, Seprona and environmental agents have agreed to leave the cubs in the haystack where they were found and install cameras to analyze the mother’s movements and keep these Iberian lynxes under surveillance 24 hours a day. With the cameras, experts have observed that the mother left them there and that she goes to the place regularly to feed them. For this reason, they believe that the mother intended to protect the cubs while she hunted.
It has been decided not to move these puppies and to let them remain in place until the mother decides to move them, in order to prevent her from being scared or rejecting her babies. It is advisable in these cases not to handle the animals and leave them where they are and then call 112 to report the discovery. Experts insist on the importance of not touching the babies, since the simple smell that permeates them when a person touches them can cause the mother not to recognize them and reject them. For this reason, the farmer has been asked to continue with his normal daily activity and not interact with the calves.
The location of these Iberian lynx cubs is kept secret to prevent curious people from approaching the place and interacting with the cubs. The Government of Castilla-La Mancha is working to achieve the repopulation of this endemic mammal of the Iberian Peninsula, which is currently in danger of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This organization reclassified the Iberian lynx in 2015, going from the category of “critically endangered” to “endangered”, which indicates a recovery of free populations that must continue.
It is not the first time that a litter of Iberian lynx cubs has been found in a haystack: in 2022, two female Iberian lynx also chose a haystack to give birth to six cubs. The place chosen was the Peñalajo farm in La Mancha, where the World Wildlife Fund, WWF, works. Little by little, this species is increasing its number thanks to the different repopulation programs carried out in recent years throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
