Bringing the Iberian lynx back from the brink of extinction

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In 2002 the lynx population on the Iberian Peninsula was put on the red list as an endangered species with less than 100 individuals left. Fast forward 25 years and the population has risen to more than 2,000. Newsday speaks to Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the red list unit at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to find out more about the process of keeping these “stunning animals” off the red list. He says, “It’s been a really successful collaborative effort where we’ve been able to bring together a range of actors across the whole of society… to convince them that this species was on the brink of extinction. It’s worth saving - it has a vital role to play in the system.” (Photo: An Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) pictured in its enclosure at Madrid Zoo. Credit: Marcos del Mazo / Getty Images Contributor)