Is the Iberian lynx further endangered by the devastating Algarve wildfires of 2023?

Iberian lynx in the wild. Highly endangered. Image: Pinterest.

No one has mentioned this but it seems to me that the highly endangered Iberian lynx - perhaps the world's most endangered cat species - is now under further threat to its survival in the wild: the massive wildfires in the Algarve region of Portugal which is exactly were the Iberian lynx lives!

RELATED: Climate change and illegal water extraction add to threats against Iberian lynx

Even without the fires, the temperatures have been so high in the Algarve and other parts of Portugal and Spain that they present a threat alone it would seem to me. What about water courses drying up and the lynx failing to get enough water or its prey animals such as hares and rabbits dying because of the temperatures and drought? The temperatures have been hitting the mid-to-high 40 degrees Celsius in parts.

RELATED: Iberian lynx – comprehensive treatise focusing on conservation 2022

I have two maps: one of the area of distribution of the Iberian lynx and one of the area of extreme temperature and danger to wildfires as published on Phys.org. The lynx distribution map is by me.

The Iberian lynx distribution

Marked Area	What It Means
Green Line	This encloses the wider area that contains fragmented habitat where this wild cat is believed to be extinct. You can zoom back to see the big picture
Red Line	This contains the wider area around the Parque Nacional de Doñana. The park is a place where the Iberian lynx is known to be found and the wider area where they are also found.
Blue Areas (2)	These are the areas where this wild cat is known to live. The population in the park is estimated at 24-33 and in the eastern Sierra Morena (the “stronghold”) 60-110 (2009). Please note that the effective population size (breeding adults) is much less at about 50 in the Sierra Morena.

Where the wildfires are

As you can see the distribution of the Iberian lynx very much overlaps with the fire zone. And the high temperatures are much wider.

Surely this of concern to the wildlife conservationists?

British couple on Rhodes drove through Dante's Inferno with five cats and three dogs

NEWS AND COMMENT: The video tells the harrowing story. They were all terrified. He says his fear was 11 out of 10. They'd been feeding deer before the wild fires. When they returned home after their terrifying escape, they discovered that the fire had killed the deer. She had fawns. I presume they are dead too. Lots of wildlife has been killed by the Greek fires which have forced thousands of holiday-makers to abandon their vacation sometimes at great expense.

Euronews reports that many Greeks abandoned their pets when under extreme pressure to leave their homes resulting in many animal deaths. Was this necessary? Couldn't they have prepared earlier knowing the fires were approaching? 

Personally, I am critical of pet owners who abandon their animals when a wild fire approaches as there is always plenty of forewarning.

Although I don't know the exact circumstances, it could be argued that the British couple featured in the video left their home too late. They were forced to take great risks to escape, driving into flames around the road. 

I just don't see it like others. I feel that a lot of home owners are very reluctant to leave their homes when there is a wildfire in the area. They hope that the fire will move away from them. They wait and wait until forced to flee. But in doing that they jeopardise their lives and the lives of their pets.

Of course, it is easy for me to be a little critical but I think I am right. Leaving at the last minute is understandable as they want to protect their home and contents. They could lose it all. The lady in the video lost her car which was uninsured as it was a classic.

As often happens, it is the companion animals who can be the innocent victims if people leave it too late to get out. There is an added responsibility on cat and dog caregivers under these emergency situations. Playing safe is the better option in discharging that responsibility I'd say.

Greece forest fires: 'miracle dog' saved himself by hiding in an outside oven for 3 days

This is the story of a 'miracle dog' found alive hiding in an oven after one of the many devastating Greek wildfires that have torn through the country. In another article I have written about homeowners and occupiers evacuating their homes without taking their pets with them. I have questioned why. Were they given short notice? If so, why were they given short notice to evacuate? Did they have time to take their pets with them? Is there a culture problem here? So many questions. 

 Greece forest fires: 'miracle dog' saved himself by hiding in an outside oven. Photo: The Times.

But they are valid because something is wrong because the volunteers who rescued these animals; cats, dogs, horses and donkeys have said that typically the owners evacuated without their animal companions. What is going on? Surely there was time to take their pets and even horses with them?

It's all about preparation but they must have known the fires were coming or there was a possibility of the fires arriving at least a day or two in advance. I am disappointed with what I read.

The Times reports that rescuers were less than hopeful about finding survivors to the Greek wildfires causing death and destruction around and in the town of Mati. No less than 10 days after the fire broke out a white poodle-cross was found hiding in an outside oven. They have called the poodle the "Miracle Dog".

The dog's name is Loukoumakis. He was discovered traumatised and unable to move with singed fur. Why was he left behind? I would like answers to that question and I don't mind if I'm being rude in asking it.

The news media have simply avoided the central questions - the important animal welfare backstory. The questions I'm asking relate to proactive measures to prevent harm to companion animals. Everything that I am reading is about reactive actions by volunteer rescuers, which is far less efficient and sensible.

When you look at Loukoumakis' fur and his general appearance he looks neglected. His appearance would not have happened over three days living in an oven. It indicates to me that this dog was neglected and that neglect extended to leaving him behind when the fires approached the house.

I suspect that the problem is that there is a general sense of chaos and panic in dealing with these forest fires. I don't think it would have happened in Japan for instance where they have a more organised culture. Look at the Olympic Games which appear to have been highly organised. There is this rather laissez-faire attitude in the Mediterranean European countries which I believe perpetuates poor animal welfare. I would like to see change in the southern European states. Are they complying with EU animal welfare standards? I doubt it.

I know that in Greece their reputation with respect to the welfare of the street cats is poor. I have written about this many years ago. Greece is a member of the European Union. They should set the same animal welfare standards as other states in the EU. I sense that they do not.

Emaciated bobcat with burnt paws rescued from Dixie Fire, California

AUBURN, Calif. (KTXL) – An emaciated adult male bobcat with burns to the bottoms of all four paws is now in the care of Gold Country Wildlife Rescue in Auburn, the organization reported Sunday. The bobcat arrived from Plumas County, where the Dixie Fire has burned. Caregivers are “cautiously optimistic” about the bobcat’s prognosis....

Emaciated bobcat with burnt feet rescued from Dixie Fire, California. Photo: Fox40 FB page.

I don't have more because it is still the case that some American news media websites do not allow Europeans to read their articles. They could easily resolve this problem by complying with European Union regulations but they would rather bar Europeans from their website than do a bit of work.

And what is surprising to me is that this is the only story about cat rescue that I have found on the Internet coming out of the huge California wildfires this year. They happened last year too and they seem to be a perennial occurrence and they also appear to be getting worse. Global warming?

However, the news media appears to be disinterested in reporting on animal welfare. I would like to see some heroic stories of domestic cats being rescued or saved from the fire by their owners. But nothing is available to me on the Internet. This story about the bobcat is unsurprising and I would expect many other wild animals to have suffered in the same way. Obviously, the cat was without food because their prey animals had been killed by the fire. And equally obviously this cat must've been walking through hot undergrowth and burnt ground which is why their paws were burnt.

There are no videos about this rescue either. I am very good at searching for stuff on the Internet and if something was there, I would find it, I feel. Perhaps the biggest problem for the wild cats of California affected by these wildfires is the loss of prey animals. They will feed on a lot of relatively small animals living in the undergrowth and they have probably perished. The bobcat feeds on small prey animals such as snakes, lizards, birds, rodents, rats, the white-footed mouse, the pocket mouse and so on. I foresee a lot of death in these species of small animals due to the devastating wildfires.