I’m not a one to normally rant in my articles and wildlife news briefs but this one provokes me to make a few harsh points. This is the second lynx in a week dead after being hit by a car on a road in Doñana in the Aljarafe-Doñana region.
Is this really the “grande” plan and what they release the lynx for? Where are the wildlife crossings on busy roads? Why are some of the roads even there? Doñana is effectively a prison. It is impermeably surrounded by roads, fences, ignorance, and a local population insensitivity even with the hundreds of millions of EU funding it has received over the years.
Doñana would be better served as a breeding area for the lynx that could be translocated to areas more suitable to its survival. where a “motorway” doesn’t run through its territory. Without any projects that ensure connectivity in the peripheral area of Doñana for example to the Sierra Morena, Iberian lynx in Doñana are just going to keep getting killed by cars.
Ecologistas en acción believe that “it is essential to raise awareness among the population with environmental education campaigns” But, what on earth have the more than 200 employees at the Doñana national park been doing then for the last few decades! Nobody takes the blame, nobody resigns and nobody ever gets sacked. It’s disgraceful!
How did the second lynx die?
“Kadir”, the lynx that died was the adult male territorial lynx of the area and was ten years old. “Kadir” was born in 2013 in La Puebla del Río (Seville) and during these ten years he has occupied different territories.
The animal died on the A-481 road, which connects the towns of Hinojos and Villamanrique, the same road where another lynx died last Monday.
Ecologistas en Acción have been calling for speed bumps and speed controls for a very long time commenting that “Breeding lynx in captivity and releasing them is simply not enough“. The Andalusian government has installed screens warning of the danger of accidents and speed limit signs, but “they are not being complied with“.
As in the previous accident, the animal hit was an adult male, according to Ecologistas en Acción. The animal’s body has been taken to the Center for Analysis and Diagnosis of Wildlife (CAD) of the Andalusian Regional Government, for a necropsy.
The environmental organization reports that “many lynx have died on this road, which is considered a black spot in the area.” Ecologistas en Acción believes that “all black spots” must be addressed, stating that “breeding lynx in captivity and releasing them is not enough. They are being sent, literally, to a slaughterhouse,” says the organization.
Ecologistas en Acción believes that Europe must take action in this situation: “A lot of money has been spent on the respective Life Programs for the Iberian lynx, and if there is no capacity to correct the black spots, we consider it a waste of public money.”
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