Paul Ames, GlobalPost1:06 p.m. EDT June 2, 2015
SILVES, Portugal — The world's most endangered cat? If you're guessing tiger or snow leopard, think again. The Iberian lynx is officially the feline at greatest risk of extinction.
Decades of habitat destruction, hunting and rabbit epidemics that wiped out food supplies mean there are barely 350 still alive in the shrinking wildernesses of Spain and Portugal.
The World Wildlife Fund has long warned these elegant, bobcat-sized creatures could become the first cat species to disappear in at least 2,000 years.
Help, however, is at hand.
In a high-security compound, hidden deep in the hills above this medieval town in southern Portugal, a dedicated band of humans is helping the lynx make a comeback.
"We've had 11 cubs this year," animal behavior specialist Andreia Grancho said. "They are at the stage where they play a lot and are learning to hunt."
On cue, a tufty-eared bundle of cuteness appears on one of six computer screens monitored 24-7 by Grancho and her team of colleagues at Portugal's Iberian Lynx Breeding Center.
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