View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital.CSIC The Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus Conservation Breeding Program A. VARGAS1, I. SA´ NCHEZ2, F. MARTI´NEZ1, A. RIVAS1, J. A. GODOY3, E. ROLDA´ N4, M. A. SIMO´ N5, R. SERRA6, MaJ. PE´ REZ7, C. ENSEN˜ AT8, M. DELIBES3, M. AYMERICH9, 10 11 A. SLIWA & U. BREITENMOSER 1Centro de Cr´ıa de Lince Ibe´rico El Acebuche, Parque Nacional de Don˜ ana, Huelva, Spain, 2Zoobota´ nico de Jerez, Ca´ diz, Spain, 3Don˜ ana Biological Station, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain, 4National Museum of Natural Science, CSIC, Madrid, Spain, 5Environmental Council, Andalusian Government, Jae´ n, Spain, 6Investigac¸a˜ o Veterina´ ria Independente, Lisbon, Portugal, 7Centro de Cr´ıa en Cautividad de Lince Ibe´rico La Olivilla, Jaen, Spain, 8Parc Zoolo´ gic, Barcelona, Spain, 9Direccio´ n General para la Biodiversidad, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Madrid, Spain, 10Cologne Zoo, Cologne 50735, Germany, and 11IUCN Cat Specialist Group, Institute of Veterinary Virology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected] The Iberian Lynx Conservation Breeding Program fol- INTRODUCTION lows a multidisciplinary approach, integrated within the National Strategy for the Conservation of the Iberian lynx, which is carried out in cooperation with national, Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus wild populations regional and international institutions. The main goals of have undergone a constant regression through- the ex situ conservation programme are to: (1) maintain a out the last century. The decline has been genetically and demographically managed captive popu- especially abrupt in the last 20 years, with more lation; (2) create new Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus free- ranging populations through re-introduction. To achieve than an 80% reduction, mostly owing to the the first goal, the Conservation Breeding Program aims to dramatic decline of wild rabbit Oryctolagus maintain 85% of the genetic diversity presently found in cuniculus populations, the lynx’s prey base. the wild for the next 30 years. This requires developing According to the last census (Guzma´n et al., and maintaining 60–70 Iberian lynx as breeding stock. 2002), o200 Iberian lynx (only half of them Growth projections indicate that the ex situ programme should achieve such a population target by the year 2010. considered to be adults with reproductive po- Once this goal is reached, re-introduction efforts could tential) survive in nature. The last two remnant begin. Thus, current ex situ efforts focus on producing populations, Don˜ ana and Sierra Morena, are psychologically and physically sound captive-born indi- located in Andalusia, southern Spain. This viduals. To achieve this goal, we use management and research techniques that rely on multidisciplinary input dramatic population decline has brought the and knowledge generated on species’ life history, beha- species to what is known as an ‘extinction viour, nutrition, veterinary and health aspects, genetics, vortex’. The small size of both populations reproductive physiology, endocrinology and ecology. makes them highly vulnerable to stochastic Particularly important is adapting our husbandry schemes events, such as natural disasters (e.g. forest based on research data to promote natural behaviours in captivity (hunting, territoriality, social interactions) and a fires, flooding), disease outbreaks, genetic and stress-free environment that is conducive to natural demographic problems, etc., that could com- reproduction. pletely wipe out a remnant population within a very short period of time (Delibes et al., 2000). Key-words: adaptive management; applied research; conservation breeding; ex situ; genetics; husbandry; The species is listed as Critically Endangered Iberian lynx; outreach; re-introduction; reproductive by The World Conservation Union (IUCN, physiology; veterinary science. 2006). Owing to the precarious situation of the make pairing recommendations based on Iberian lynx in the wild, conservation mea- genetic distance between breeders, etc. One sures need to be implemented effectively and of our goals is to minimize the use of efficiently, integrating efforts and working potentially invasive methods while simulta- tools (Heredia et al., 1999; MIMAM, 1999). neously enhancing the trust between the Iberian lynx conservation could be conceived lynxes and their keepers to assist in securing as a puzzle whose pieces should fit together information on animal body mass and gesta- adequately. Primary efforts should be direc- tional status. Over the past 3 years, eight ted towards in situ conservation, which in- pregnancies have resulted in the birth of 19 cludes (1) maintaining and expanding offspring, of which 11 survive to date (Vargas remnant populations, monitoring, managing et al., 2007). While describing various orga- prey (wild Rabbit) populations, protecting nizational aspects of the Iberian lynx Con- and restoring habitat, promoting agreements servation Breeding Program, this paper will with land owners, minimizing non-natural also emphasize how results from multidisci- causes of mortality and connecting, from a plinary life-science research can be integrated genetic standpoint, the two remnant popula- into an adaptive management approach to tions, and (2) preparing habitat for creating help recover the world’s most threatened felid new free-ranging populations. Another piece species. of the puzzle is ex situ conservation, which includes, among other activities, captive THE IBERIAN LYNX EX SITU breeding, preparing animals for release, re- CONSERVATION PROGRAM search in different areas, management of a Biological Resource Bank (BRB), genetic The Iberian Lynx Ex Situ Conservation Breed- management of all lynx populations (wild ing Program follows a multidisciplinary ap- and captive) as a single metapopulation, as proach, integrated within the National well as training staff, education and outreach Strategy for the Conservation of the Iberian efforts (Vargas, Sa´nchez et al., 2005). lynx, officially endorsed by the Spanish Current Iberian lynx conservation-breed- National Commission for the Protection of ing efforts focus on producing psychologi- Nature. National, regional and international cally and physically sound captive-born institutions collaborate with the Program, individuals. For this purpose, we use manage- which is currently implemented through a ment and research techniques that rely on ‘multilateral commission’ that involves the multidisciplinary input and knowledge, gen- central governments of Spain and Portugal, erated on the life history of the species, together with the autonomous governments of behaviour, nutrition, veterinary and health Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Man- aspects, genetics, reproductive physiology, cha, Spain. Portugal, where no Iberian lynx endocrinology and ecology. Particularly im- populations were detected during the last portant is adapting our husbandry schemes 2002–2003 census, has developed its own ex based on research data to promote natural situ conservation action plan, prepared in behaviours in captivity (hunting, territoriality, coordination with the Iberian lynx captive social interactions) and a stress-free environ- breeding committee (Serra et al., 2005; see ment that is conducive to natural reproduc- also Vargas, 2006). tion. Some relevant research areas include: The main goals of the Iberian Lynx Con- determining faecal hormone profiles for adult servation Breeding Program are twofold: (1) and subadult lynxes, studying reproductive to maintain a genetically and demographi- behaviour and cub development, determining cally managed captive population that serves the reproductive health of < and , breeders, as a ‘safety net’ for the species and (2) to help developing a non-invasive pregnancy test, establish new Iberian lynx free-ranging po- establishing sound biosecurity and biomedi- pulations through re-introduction pro- cal protocols, genotyping all founders and grammes. Because the extraction of large number of lynxes from the last two remnant populations could compromise their viability, the most viable way to create new popula- tions is through the re-introduction of indivi- duals born in captivity. To achieve the latter goal, the Conservation Breeding Program must be integrated with in situ measures, such as the conservation and restoration of poten- tial Iberian lynx habitat in areas of historical presence of the species (Andalusia, Castilla- La Mancha, Extremadura and Portugal) The Iberian Lynx Program encompasses management and applied research strategies in the following six areas. 1. Genetic and demographic management of the captive population The best genetic man- agement of threatened captive populations is achieved through rapid population growth until the established number of individuals required to maintain genetic variability for the species in question is reached (Lacy, 1994). Afterwards, population size should be stabilized. In order to implement this ap- proach, the production of new individuals must be planned properly to meet both re- introduction and breeding programme needs, because the latter will gradually require the Plate 1. Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus , and cub which replacement of older individuals past their are part of the Iberian Lynx Conservation Breeding reproductive prime. Genetic and population Program in Spain. Iberian Lynx Ex Situ Conservation management must be accompanied by proper Program, Ministry of the Environment, Madrid, and Environmental Counsel