19 Jul
2006 - Huelva, Spain – An endangered Iberian lynx
injured in a car accident has become the latest
casualty of an illegal road passing through the
Doñana National Park in southern Spain,
prompting WWF to call on the Andalusian government
to implement a road-building moratorium through
the lynx's habitat.
After mixed reports that the
four-year-old lynx may have had two kittens this
season, authorities are now searching for the
offspring. The injured lynx is thought to be one
of the five to ten breeding females left in the
region. It is not certain that the kittens exist,
but the search continues because if they do they
would die without their mother.
WWF-Spain has been working for
the closure of the road between Villamanrique
de la Condesa and El Rocio, which cuts through
the breeding territory of the Iberian lynx and
carries traffic travelling at up to 120km/h. Traffic
on the road is increasing, mainly because residents
of Sevilla use it to avoid traffic on main roads
as they travel to the beaches of Matalascanas
and Mazagon.
“It is unthinkable that lynx
continue dying on the roads in Doñana,”
said Luis Suárez, Head of the Species Programme
at WWF-Spain.
“It’s unacceptable to see the
increasing mortality every year due to habitat
fragmentation, and ineffective management and
the authorities' inability to protect breeding
adults.”
The latest lynx was injured
just as WWF-Spain, together with local environmental
group Ecologists in Action, received word from
the European Commission that its complaint about
the illegal road passing through the national
park will be heard by the European Court of Justice
if Spain cannot provide a satisfactory solution
to the problem. The EC has previously ruled that
the road contravened its Environmental Impact
Directive and its Habitat Directive.
WWF-Spain believes the road
is having a devastating effect on the area’s dwindling
Iberian lynx population. Since 2000, 16 lynx have
died on the roads in Doñana, close to one-third
of the total number of lynx there. Only 20–25
lynx are believed to live in Doñana.
The Iberian lynx (Lynx Pardinus)
is the world’s most endangered feline species
with fewer than 100 believed to exist in the wild.
During the last year, eight
lynx in Doñana died, three of them on the
roads. From 1982–89, vehicles were responsible
for 19.2 per cent of lynx deaths in the area,
but from 11000–99 this rose to 41.7 per cent.
Since 2000 has risen to 55.5 per cent.
The recently injured lynx is
currently being held in the Captivity Breeding
Centre of El Acebuche, suffering broken bones
but no internal injuries. It was found after the
driver of the car that hit it notified the police.
Luis Suarez
