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Date Published: 11/02/2020

ARCHIVED - Rare Iberian lynx adapting to life at Terra Natura wildlife park

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The two specimens are expected to be ready for their debut in public within a couple of months

The Terra Natura wildlife park in the outskirts of the city of Murcia has welcomed two very special new arrivals recently in the form of a male and female Iberian lynx, a species which is still listed as endangered although the population in the wild is slowly growing as the result of a long-lasting program to breed the animals in captivity with a view to releasing them into their natural habitat.

Brisa and Magreb, the two lynx currently adapting to life in Terra Natura (and to each other’s company), were born and reared at two such breeding centres, one in El Acebuche in the Doñana National Park in the south-west of Spain and the other in Portugal. However, they were deemed too domesticated to be released into the wild and are no longer part of the breeding program, and have been gifted to Terra Natura Murcia, where some sources report that they are more highly prized even than the bears and lions.

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Rare Iberian lynx adapting to life at Terra Natura wildlife park Brisa, the female, is something of an emblematic figure in the “Iberlince” project: now 14 years old, she was one of the first litter of youngsters born in the El Acebuche centre, and various of her kittens have been released into the wild in Andalucía, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and southern Portugal. This means that her DNA partially defines the current Lynx pardinus species in the wild, with a population which reached 686 in 2018 (the 2019 data are not yet available).

For Brisa Murcia is akin to retirement home, although her companion, Magreb, is much younger at under 5 years old and his removal from the breeding program is due to his having been found to be sterile.

The two lynx arrived in Murcia in late December and are still adapting to their new surroundings. This is no easy process, as until now they have lived in conditions very similar to the wild and have never met each other. Each is currently in its own pen and they are within sight of each other, and it may be another couple of months before they are ready to be released into their enclosure in Terra Natura.

In the meantime, they are hardly leaving the roofed area of their pens, venturing into the open air only to feed on the rabbits supplied to them – some of them live, so that the animals do not lose their hunting instincts.

Only three other zoological establishments in the whole of Spain have been awarded specimens of the Iberian lynx by the Iberlince project, in Madrid, Málaga and Jerez, and now that they have arrived Brisa and Magreb are being watched on video camera footage 24 hours a day.

By 2002 the number of Liberian lynx in the wild had fallen below 100, and that is when the Iberlince project started. 70 million euros have already been spent and it is hoped that this May the European Commission will approve a further investment of 19 million euros over the next four years.

Looking to the future, there are still hopes that the lynx could be re-inserted into the wild in parts of the Region of Murcia, particularly in the mountains of the north-west. If the 19-million-euro funding proposal is accepted in Brussels – a first proposal for 27 million euros was rejected - then plans would be revised to re-introduce the lynx into the Region of Murcia for the first time in 2022 and 2023, the locations chosen being in the municipalities of Lorca (Sierra del Gigante, Sierra Pericay, Lomas del Buitre-Río Luchena and Sierra de la Torrecilla) and Caravaca de la Cruz (Casa Alta-Salinas).

The lynx is known to have died out in these remote areas of Murcia at some point in the second half of the 20th century, but the hope still remains that it can begin to prosper again as it has done in other parts of southern Spain. In fact, last year a specimen was captured on video footage not far away from the north of the Region in Villena (Alicante), to where it may have roamed from Toledo.

The images are of Brisa and were kindly supplied to Murcia Today by Terra Natura Murcia.

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Terra Natura Murcia wildlife and water park

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C/Regidor Cayetano Gago S/N 30100 Espinardo Murcia ESPANA

Tel: (+34)968 368 200

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Terra Natura Murcia, wildlife and adventure water park in the outskirts of the city of Murcia

Terra Natura Murcia is one of the most important and spectacular animal and nature parks in western Spain, and is one of a new generation of wildlife parks in which visitors can discover the concept of what's called "Zooinmersión."

The aim of this is recreate a habitat which gives an experience of being at one with the wildlife viewed in the park, so to this end more than 500 examples of 50 species of vegetation have been interplanted among the animal habitats, spread across an area occupying more than 165,000 square metres.

The planting has matured to create a comfortable and interesting environment which enhances the interaction between visitors and animals.

The planting not only softens the landscape, but also enables visitors to be closer to the animals and have direct human contact rather than the traditional forms of wildlife park where the animals are at a distance behind physical barriers.

The park contains over 500 animals belonging to 50 different species (some of which are in grave danger of extinction), alongside giraffes, lions, hippopotamus, lemurs, brown bears, Iberian lynx, Oryx, Iberian wolves and a White African Rhinoceros.

Throughout the year, Terra Natura Murcia offers different educational talks during visits to their facilities: giraffes, brown bears and otters.

One of the most popular areas is the falconry zone, where the displays enable visitors to discover the beauty of a great variety of birds such as the majestic flight of the peregrine falcon, which reaches diving speeds of over 300 km an hour, the eagle owl, various types of hawk, the griffon vulture and the buzzard eagle. One of the main aims of the park is to encourage contact and engage in interaction between animals and humans, and the falconry is a popular means of achieving this goal.

Among the mammals are Iberian and European Lynx, Mouflon and Coatis.

Aqua Natura Water park

Terra Natura Murcia wildlife and water park

During the summer Terra Natura opens Aqua Natura, the only water park in the Region of Murcia.

This is a refreshing and enjoyable way to cool down in the heat of summer, with swimming pools for adults and children, slides and shoots, kamikazes, lazy river, entertainment and games for youngsters, all within just a short distance of the centre of the city of Murcia.

Opening hours 2024

Terra Natura Murcia is open every day of the year except 1^st January and 25^th December.

The wildlife park opens at 10.00 in the morning, and during the summer (June 23rd to September 8th) it opens at 11.00.

The water park opens from May 25th to September 8th, at 11.00

Closing times are as follows:

January 2nd – March 15th: 17.00, except weekends in February and March (18.00).

March 16th – May 24th: 18.00, except weekends in April and May (19.00).

May 25th – June 16th: 19.00.

June 17th – September 8th: 20.00.

NB: During the summer special nocturnal tours and meals are available. See what's on section for latest promotions.

September 9th – September 15th: 19.00.

September 16th – October 25th: 18.00, except weekends in September and October (19.00).

October 28th – December 31st: 17.00, except weekends in November (18.00).

Details of daily activities can be found here: extra activities and special offers are regularly updated on Murcia Today.

Click here for online bookings

Terra Natura Murcia wildlife and water park

How to get there

Terra Natura is located in the northern outskirts of the city of Murcia in Espinardo, accessed via the A-7 motorway.

Address: Calle Regidor Cayetano Gago, 30100, Espinardo, Murcia

From the A-7 Murcia to Alicante, exit 136, Universidad de Murcia

From the Autovia A-7 Alicante to Murcia, exit 762b, Murcia centro

Terra Natura Murcia wildlife and water park

By Bus

From central Murcia. Bus line number 31 leaves from Plaza Cruz Roja via Gran Via and passes by the park, from Monday to Saturday every half hour and on Sunday every hour.

Line 39A, leaves from the railway station from Monday to Friday every 15 minutes

Line 39C leaves from Infante Juan Manuel (Pio Baroja) from Monday to Friday every 30 minutes.