The Iberian lynx was the world's most endangered cat species in the early 2000s. Conservation efforts have brought it back, but welfare threats from road traffic and disease persist.
Despite remarkable conservation success, wild Iberian lynx continue to experience significant welfare harms. Road collisions cause acute traumatic injuries and deaths — animals struck by vehicles that survive without immediate veterinary intervention suffer prolonged pain. Disease outbreaks, particularly FeLV, cause systemic illness before death. Rabbit decline from myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease means some lynx experience prolonged food stress, particularly during breeding season when energy demands are highest. The captive breeding component of the recovery programme requires careful management of social stress — lynx are highly territorial and poorly adapted to proximity with conspecifics. Welfare monitoring during reintroductions, including satellite tracking and health surveillance, is an integral part of responsible lynx recovery programmes.