ARCHIVED - Endangered Iberian lynx will move to their new home in Lorca in March
ARCHIVED ARTICLE -
A total of eight lynxes will be settled in the Murcia municipality by the middle of the summer
Four Iberian lynxes, two females and two males, will be the first to walk through the highlands of Lorca on March 3, beginning the project to reintroduce this protected and endangered animal in the Region of Murcia. A total of eight animals will be moved to the park eventually, and their journey will start with a ‘soft release’ into two enclosures to allow them time to get used to their new environment.
The animals will set up home in the upper districts of Lorca, in the Sierras del Gigante-Pericay, Lomas del Buitre-Río Luchena and Sierra de la Torrecilla.
The regional government, together with the Life LynxConnect project, chose the Lorca area specifically because it has a low population density and covers around 225 square kilometres where the lynxes can roam and hunt freely.
Their initial home though will be made up of two large enclosures measuring a hectare each. Both spaces are fully decked out with a wooded area and clearing, hollow logs for shelter and rabbit burrows for feeding. The first stay will last between a month and a month and a half, according to the Ministry of the Environment, after which time the two breeding pairs will be set free, leaving the enclosures open for the next couples, which will arrive in May or June.
The fenced-in areas will be monitored by camera 24 hours a day and special hidden booths have been set up at strategic intervals to allow researchers tp study the animals without disturbing them in any way.
The ultimate goal of the project is to settle five breeding females in the area, who will join nine other groups within the Natura 2000 Network: Zarcilla de Ramos, La Paca, Zarzadilla de Totana, Torrealvilla, El Río, La Tova, Ortillo, Parrilla and Jarales.
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