A farmer in Menasalbas, in the municipality of Toledo, found three newborn lynxes in his hay shed. The little cubs were alone and sleeping peacefully. Initially, the livestock farmer thought they were cats, but later he discovered they were different animals.
The farmer in Toledo must have been surprised when he found a litter of lynxes in his shed. After the discovery, he called 112, which alerted the environmental agents of Castilla-La Mancha. The lynx female found a refuge for the newborn lynxes in a little-used shed where the farmer stored reserve hay.
Lynx female was not microchipped
Agents from environmental protection services installed cameras to monitor the cubs. The mother nursed the cubs for a day and a half. However, she later decided to relocate them to another location. The female comes from the wild and is not microchipped, so it was not possible to track the lynx pair further.
Lynxes are increasingly coming to inhabited areas
It is becoming more common for lynxes to seek refuge near inhabited areas, though they tend to choose sparsely populated areas. In 2015, the felines were still threatened with extinction. There are now three lynx reintroduction areas in Castilla-La Mancha: the Montes de Toledo, eastern Sierra Morena, and western Sierra Morena. Currently, a group is also forming in the province of Albacete. In that area, four lynxes were released in February, and now there are already seven roaming. The lynx population in Castilla-La Mancha now totals almost 700 individuals, with 300 cubs and 400 young adults.
Also read: Lynx cubs born in Doñana National Park
Discovery of lynxes in Toledo not unique
The farmer in Toledo is not the first to find lynx cubs on his property. Earlier, litters were found in a shed in Badajoz, in a box on a farm, and on a shelf in a cluttered shed. Environmental agents advise that in such findings, it is always best to contact the authorities and not disturb the cubs.
