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Three endangered lynxes killed in 5 days on Andalusian roads
Animal rights groups are demanding more action from the Andalucía government to protect these vulnerable cats
In the last five days, three Iberian lynxes, which are now classed as a vulnerable species in Spain, have died on Andalucían roads.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday October 2, when a lynx was run over on the A-6106 road in the Jaén municipality of La Carolina. And last Sunday September 29, two more animals were run over, one close to the Doñana National Park in Sevilla and the other in the Sierra Morena, in the province of Jaén.
This brings the total number of lynx deaths on Andalucían roads to 41 since February, according to Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action), a local NGO that has been sounding the alarm on this issue for months.
“Half of the Iberian lynxes that die from being run over do so on Andalucían roads,” explained Juan Romero, spokesperson for the activist group. They have reiterated a warning about the dangers of speeding cars and inadequate signage on the region's roads, and are demanding that the government implement effective measures to reduce the number of accidents.
The Andalucían Government has taken some steps, including the installation of a pioneering system to prevent animal-vehicle collisions.
Despite this tragic week for the Iberian lynx, the number of road traffic accidents involving the big cats has actually gone down compared to last year. In 2023, between January 1 and September 30, a horrifying 50 lynxes were run over and killed; this number was reduced to 34 during the same period of 2024.
However, it’s worth noting that Ecologistas en Acción dispute this data released by the Junta de Andalucía and insist that the “real” figures are much higher.
In September alone, eight animals were run over in the province of Jaén. In these first eight months of the year, another three lynxes were killed by poachers.
The Iberian lynx’s status has recently been downgraded from ‘endangered’ but this promising change is more attributable to conservation efforts, such as the ongoing repopulation programme in the Lorca highlands, than anything else.
On the other hand, Mr Romero is adamant that, in Andalucía at least, “deaths due to infrastructure and human activity” are on the rise.
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Image: Ecologistas en Acción
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