Four Iberian lynx cubs and their adoptive mother are new residents of Monfragüe.

Malpartida de Plasencia (Cáceres), Aug 6 (EFE).- Monfragüe National Park, in the province of Cáceres, has five new residents since Wednesday: four Iberian lynx cubs and their adoptive mother, who have been housed in a custom-made fence and will be released in a few months as part of a pioneering adoption project.

In a moving event, the Regional Government of Extremadura announced the first release of four Iberian lynx cubs rescued after their mothers were run over in the areas of Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres) and the Matachel Valley (Badajoz).

The Director General of Sustainability, Germán Puebla, explained the details of this operation, which he described as "a truly beautiful and unparalleled experience."

"When we learned that a female lynx had been hit by a car near Navalmoral and that she had three cubs, we immediately acted. We knew her life was in danger," Puebla explained.

Thanks to the radiofrequency collar worn by the mother, the team was able to narrow down the search area, and after several attempts, including the use of drones, the cubs were located and transferred to the Zarza de Granadilla Captive Breeding Center.

Introduced to an adoptive mother

There, the young lynxes received specialized care and were gradually introduced to a foster mother named Flora.

"It was truly amazing to see how Flora took them in, taught them how to hunt, and cared for them as if they were her own," the director general said.

These three cubs were joined by a fourth female rescued in the Matachel Valley, who was also the victim of a hit-and-run accident.

The Iberian lynx is established in Extremadura after a decade of reintroduction.

"There, unfortunately, not only was the mother run over, but a littermate was also run over, but we were able to recover this puppy. We had her with them, with the three from the Navalmoral de la Mata accident, and they were together in Granadilla," he explained.

Now, the four were released this Wednesday along with Flora in an adaptation area within Monfragüe National Park, where two lynxes are already roaming, and where they will be monitored using radio frequency collars.

The project, supported by European LIFE Plus funds, seeks not only to recover the species but also to return it to the Extremadura countryside as a wild animal. "We don't want lynxes in zoos; we want lynxes free, as they have always been," Germán Puebla argued.