The Iberian lynx has become one of the most endangered big cats in the world, second only to the Far Eastern leopard ( Panthera pardus orientalis ), and is likely to be the first cat family to become extinct in 12,000 years after the disappearance of the sword-foot tiger.
However, the survival of the Iberian company banner design lynx, whose population was once so precarious, has turned from rock bottom after the intervention of conservation measures. The Spanish government, scientists and environmental groups have successfully released captive individuals back into their natural habitat, working with conservation units and organizations in Portugal. In 2016, the first Iberian lynx born in captivity was released into the Alentejo region, southeast of Portugal, close to the Spanish border.
So far, 47 Iberian lynx have been released into the wild. to Portugal. There are currently an estimated 1,000 lynx populations on the Iberian Peninsula, of which about 154 live in the Guadiana Valley in Portugal. This remarkable restoration has allowed the Iberian lynx to progress from the Critically Endangered (CR) to Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.