A hunter is being investigated after an Iberian lynx that had recently been released into the wild was found shot dead in Spain. Authorities discovered the animal, named Woodstock, in Tordehumos near Valladolid in the autonomous community of Castilla y Leon, months after it was reintroduced as part of a national scheme.
Investigation and discovery
According to the Guardia Civil, the same huntsman is also being probed for killing a domestic cat. Specialists from the National Heritage Foundation were alerted to Woodstock after his GPS tracking device stopped registering movements on September 21.
Police released a picture showing the animal within the target of a gun visor scope at night. The corpse was later discovered on a hunting reserve in the area of Medina de Rioseco.
Reintroduction and conservation context
Woodstock was one of several Iberian lynxes reintroduced to nature near Palencia in central Spain last spring. Endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, the species declined for much of the 20th century primarily due to overhunting, poaching, and destruction of natural habitats, but has since made a revival thanks to conservation measures.
Laws passed during Francisco Franco's dictatorship encouraged people to hunt and eat lynxes, classifying them as 'vermin'. The cats were also prized by hunters for their valuable fur coats.
Current status
The species is currently 'vulnerable' according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but was on the verge of becoming extinct at the turn of the century. Since then, an estimated population of just 93 individuals has swelled to more than 2,000.
