Is release in the wild of an old female that has lived her life in captivity possible? Observations from a lynx breeding centre
(2025) BION03 20242Degree Projects in Biology
- Abstract
- The Iberian lynx was once recognized as the world’s most threatened felid, but due to the implementation of a conservation programme and the creation of captive breeding centres, its numbers have considerably increased. With the annual production of new individuals in these reproduction centres, as well as the inevitable aging of past breeders, a different problem emerged: the hoarding of non-reproductive animals in breeding centres. These animals are deemed as surplus since although they do not aid in the production of new individuals for the breeding programme, they are still consuming resources that could instead be used by viable breeders. A possible solution for this issue that is being considered is the release in the wild of these... (More)
- The Iberian lynx was once recognized as the world’s most threatened felid, but due to the implementation of a conservation programme and the creation of captive breeding centres, its numbers have considerably increased. With the annual production of new individuals in these reproduction centres, as well as the inevitable aging of past breeders, a different problem emerged: the hoarding of non-reproductive animals in breeding centres. These animals are deemed as surplus since although they do not aid in the production of new individuals for the breeding programme, they are still consuming resources that could instead be used by viable breeders. A possible solution for this issue that is being considered is the release in the wild of these surplus animals. To assess the viability of this idea, this study was conducted where one old female lynx went through the same reintroduction training aimed for young lynxes before their release in the wild, and her behaviour was compared with ten of these individuals. Overall, her behaviour did not differ considerably from the young lynxes, as she behaved similarly to them. As such, this could mean that despite her old age, she seems to be as suitable for a wild release as the younger ones. An old lynx being reintroduced in the wild could open doors as a new alternative to address the issue of surplus animals in breeding centres. Reducing the number of surplus individuals can lead to an optimization of the resources available that can be used by the young viable breeders. This project could potentially increase the feasibility of reintroducing surplus animals that are considered capable of surviving in the wild, in order to make more room for other successful breeders. (Less)
- Popular Abstract
- Preparing an old Iberian Lynx for her release in the wild: how similar is her behaviour when compared to young lynxes?
The Iberian lynx is a cat species that was on the brink of extinction 20 years ago. However, due to conservation efforts and the implementation of breeding programs, its numbers were able to increase drastically, with around two thousand individuals currently existing in the wild which can be compared to 94 in 2002.
However, the reproduction centres that have been used for breeding have started to run into the issue of having surplus animals in them. These animals are considered surplus due to not being able to breed for a variety of reasons such as genetic factors, physiological problems, old age, etc. Yet they are... (More) - Preparing an old Iberian Lynx for her release in the wild: how similar is her behaviour when compared to young lynxes?
The Iberian lynx is a cat species that was on the brink of extinction 20 years ago. However, due to conservation efforts and the implementation of breeding programs, its numbers were able to increase drastically, with around two thousand individuals currently existing in the wild which can be compared to 94 in 2002.
However, the reproduction centres that have been used for breeding have started to run into the issue of having surplus animals in them. These animals are considered surplus due to not being able to breed for a variety of reasons such as genetic factors, physiological problems, old age, etc. Yet they are still living in the centres and using resources that could instead be used by younger and more viable breeders. In order to solve this problem, the reproduction centre where I worked decided to test whether reintroduction in the wild would be possible with an old lynx, Flora. She went through the same reintroduction training aimed for young lynxes, and her behaviour was compared with theirs when it came to hunting, competing for prey, and showing evasion behaviour towards humans when a keeper approached her enclosure.
The results showed that Flora behaved similarly to the young lynxes in most of the categories except when it came to evading humans. Not only did she not show anticipatory behaviour when the keeper approached with prey, compared to lynxes in other enclosures, but she was the only lynx that seemed to approach humans when they entered her enclosure. This may at first glance appear as if she was tame to humans, but Flora’s approaches may be considered not as her anticipating the keeper’s arrival with food (unlike other lynxes), but on the contrary she was confrontational, appearing to protect her territory and her offspring, as her approaches towards humans seemed to be hostile. Flora also showed similar competitive behaviour towards other lynxes as they did, and she seemed to use similar hunting techniques and obtained the same hunting success as the young lynxes.
Overall, Flora’s behaviour seemed to make her fit for reintroduction in the wild. Not only was it in most cases mostly similar to the behaviour in the younger trained lynxes’, but in the cases where it wasn’t, she seemed to be hostile towards humans, instead of anticipating them. As such, it seems rather safe to assume that she follows the same criteria that younger lynxes that will be reintroduced do. It seems reasonable to assume that Flora, despite being an old female, seems prepared to be reintroduced into the wild.
Master’s Degree Project in Conservation Biology, 60 credits 2025
Department of Biology, Lund University
Supervisor: Anders Brodin (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9215090
- author
- Anselmo Fernandes, Carolina
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BION03 20242
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9215090
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-07 13:05:32
- date last changed
- 2025-11-07 13:05:32
@misc{9215090,
abstract = {{The Iberian lynx was once recognized as the world’s most threatened felid, but due to the implementation of a conservation programme and the creation of captive breeding centres, its numbers have considerably increased. With the annual production of new individuals in these reproduction centres, as well as the inevitable aging of past breeders, a different problem emerged: the hoarding of non-reproductive animals in breeding centres. These animals are deemed as surplus since although they do not aid in the production of new individuals for the breeding programme, they are still consuming resources that could instead be used by viable breeders. A possible solution for this issue that is being considered is the release in the wild of these surplus animals. To assess the viability of this idea, this study was conducted where one old female lynx went through the same reintroduction training aimed for young lynxes before their release in the wild, and her behaviour was compared with ten of these individuals. Overall, her behaviour did not differ considerably from the young lynxes, as she behaved similarly to them. As such, this could mean that despite her old age, she seems to be as suitable for a wild release as the younger ones. An old lynx being reintroduced in the wild could open doors as a new alternative to address the issue of surplus animals in breeding centres. Reducing the number of surplus individuals can lead to an optimization of the resources available that can be used by the young viable breeders. This project could potentially increase the feasibility of reintroducing surplus animals that are considered capable of surviving in the wild, in order to make more room for other successful breeders.}},
author = {{Anselmo Fernandes, Carolina}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Is release in the wild of an old female that has lived her life in captivity possible? Observations from a lynx breeding centre}},
year = {{2025}},
}