A wildlife comeback becomes easier to understand when we look beyond a single encouraging number. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) offers a case study in Spain and Portugal: its population has grown, its conservation category has improved, and serious threats remain. Following those threads together gives students a fuller picture of what recovery means.
A Cat Built Around Rabbits
Rabbits make up 90% of the Iberian lynx's diet, according to The Guardian's June 20, 2024 account. That close dependence helps explain why the story of this predator cannot be separated from the story of its prey. The article identifies disease-driven collapses in rabbit populations among the causes of the lynx's decline.
For a classroom discussion, start with the connection between the two animals. Protecting a predator requires attention to the food it depends on, as well as the predator itself. The rabbit figure gives that connection a concrete shape: a change in this food supply matters to a cat whose meals depend so heavily on it.
The Brink of Extinction
In 2002, only 94 Iberian lynxes remained. Life Lynxconnect identifies Doñana-Aljarafe and Andújar-Cardeña as the two populations that survived at that time. The small total describes how close the species came to disappearing; the two place names add a picture of where its remaining footholds were.
Several pressures lay behind the decline during the twentieth century. Thousands of lynxes were killed under laws that treated them as vermin. Habitat destruction and the loss of rabbits also contributed. These causes show why recovery cannot be understood simply as a matter of deciding to protect an attractive cat: its surroundings and food supply belong in the explanation too.
From Endangered to Vulnerable
In June 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) moved the Iberian lynx from endangered to vulnerable on its global Red List. The population had risen from 94 in 2002 to 2,021 in 2023. The improvement followed two decades of work involving the European Union, regional and national governments in Spain and Portugal, wildlife groups and local people.
The change in category marked progress while keeping the species within a threatened category. It is encouraging evidence, rather than a reason to stop examining the pressures on the animal. When discussing the announcement, keep its date beside it: the 2024 decision and the 2023 population figure describe related but different moments.
Reading the 2025 Census
The Life Lynxconnect census page reports 2,662 lynxes on the Iberian Peninsula in 2025, including 543 breeding females and 952 cubs. It describes continued growth in both population numbers and the stable area occupied by the species.
The table is in Spanish. Hembras reproductoras means breeding females, cachorros means cubs, and total ejemplares gives the total number of animals. Its total is written as 2.662, using a period to separate thousands: in English number formatting, that is 2,662 lynxes.
Look at the columns separately. Breeding females and cubs are included within the overall total, so adding those columns to 2,662 would count animals again. Each column answers its own question about the population. The table lists 527 animals in Montes de Toledo and 394 in Portugal's Vale do Guadiana, offering examples of how the peninsula-wide total is broken down by place.
The 2024 account also described a goal of 750 females of reproductive age by 2040. Keep that goal distinct from the census total: the 543 breeding females reported in 2025 and the 2,662 animals overall measure different things.
Threats That Remain
Roads continue to matter even during a recovery. The Guardian reported that 144 lynxes were killed on Spanish and Portuguese roads in 2023. It also recorded 45 deaths from disease or other causes that year. Those losses belong alongside the population gains when considering the animal's situation.
Rabbit declines and habitat destruction likewise remain central to understanding how the species reached its low point. A useful conservation question is how to sustain the gains while addressing the pressures described in the evidence. Compare the lynx with the Florida panther for another cat whose conservation story includes roads, small populations and continuing research.