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The Iberian Lynx in Portugal and Where to See One

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How many Iberian lynx live in Portugal, where they are, the new Serra da Malcata release area, safe driving in lynx country, and what to do if you see one.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

The Iberian Lynx in Portugal and Where to See One

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You love wildlife and want to know where the Iberian lynx lives in Portugal and how to visit.
  • You live or drive in the Baixo Alentejo, the eastern Algarve hills, or near the Serra da Malcata.
  • You found a lynx, alive or dead, and want to know who to call.

Not for you if: you are dealing with an animal or plant that harms your land or garden. Read Dealing with Invasive Plants and Animals in Portugal instead.

The Iberian lynx is a wild cat found only in Portugal and Spain. In 2025 the government counted 394 lynx in Portugal and 2,663 across the Iberian Peninsula, up from fewer than 100 in 2002. In Portugal the wild population lives in the Guadiana valley, around Mértola. A new release area is planned in the Serra da Malcata. Seeing one in the wild takes patience and luck.

If you see a lynx, report it to ICNF, the nature agency, on 213 507 900. If you find a dead one, do not touch it and call the GNR on 808 200 520.

What the Iberian lynx is

The Iberian lynx (lince-ibérico, Lynx pardinus) has a reddish-brown coat with black spots that range from small dots to stripes. Like all lynx, it has a short tail, tufts on the tips of its ears, and a beard of longer fur on its cheeks. An adult male weighs about 12 kg. A female weighs about 9 kg.

What it eats. Wild rabbit makes up 80% to 100% of its diet. It also takes rodents, hares, partridges, and other birds, but far less often. ICNF says a female with two cubs needs about three rabbits a day. That is why the lynx's future depends on healthy rabbit numbers.

Its year. Mating runs from January to July, peaking in January and February. Cubs are born in March and April, usually two or three to a litter. They become independent at 7 to 10 months. A lynx can live up to 16 years.

Its habitat. The lynx prefers a patchwork of Mediterranean scrub and open pasture. Dense plantations, such as eucalyptus, hold too few rabbits for it.

How rare it is now

In Portugal, the lynx was once found in places such as the Serra da Estrela, the Serra da Malcata, Évora, Barrancos, and Odemira. By the 1980s only small, isolated groups were left in Portugal and Spain. By around 2010, ICNF estimates that 90% to 95% of all lynx lived in one or two groups in Andalusia.

A joint breeding and release programme turned this around. The government's June 2026 figures for 2025 show:

PortugalIberian Peninsula
Total lynx3942,663
Adults and young adults265Not published in the summary
Cubs born in 2025129952

The Iberian population grew by 95% between 2021 and 2025. Lynx now live in 26 separate areas of the peninsula, with confirmed breeding in 18.

Its status. ICNF gives the lynx's IUCN status as Vulnerable in Spain and Endangered in Portugal. Portugal's 2023 Red Book of mammals classes it as Endangered.

Where lynx live in Portugal

The Guadiana valley, around Mértola. Releases began here in 2015, in the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park in the Mértola municipality. Between 2015 and 2017, 27 lynx were released. They have bred in the wild every year since 2016, and most hold stable territories. Lynx also move across the border with Spain.

In autumn 2025, ICNF teams caught and checked 35 lynx in the Guadiana valley, a record. Their field work ran across eight areas, from Odeleite in the Algarve hills to Serpa. That gives a rough idea of the lynx's range in Portugal today.

The Serra da Malcata. The Malcata Nature Reserve, in the Penamacor and Sabugal municipalities, has been named as a new reintroduction area. This sits within the action plan for the Iberian lynx in Portugal for 2026 to 2030. The government plans a fenced area there to support the first releases. No opening date or visitor access has been announced.

The national breeding centre in Silves. The National Iberian Lynx Breeding Centre (Centro Nacional de Reprodução do Lince-Ibérico, or CNRLI) is in the Algarve hills near Silves. It opened as part of the programme that built new breeding centres from 2009. It breeds lynx for release in Portugal and Spain. It is a working breeding centre, not a zoo. Contact ICNF before you plan any visit.

The 2026 to 2030 action plan

Portugal's action plan for the conservation of the Iberian lynx for 2026 to 2030 (PACLIP) has 10 strategic areas. They include:

  • legal protection of the species;
  • joint monitoring with Spain;
  • protecting and restoring habitat;
  • joint genetic management and links between populations;
  • releasing animals and breeding in captivity.

The plan supports a shared Iberian goal of creating eight new lynx populations. In Portugal, it includes naming a new reintroduction area by 2030, which is the Serra da Malcata. ICNF coordinates the work in Portugal.

Driving in lynx country

Being hit by a car is the main cause of death for the Iberian lynx that is not natural. In the last decade, 67 lynx were killed on roads up to November 2025.

To reduce this, the authorities have added more warning signs. ICNF has also fitted 22 lynx with tracking collars that link to the Waze navigation app. The app can warn drivers when a collared lynx is near a dangerous stretch of road.

If you drive in the Baixo Alentejo or the eastern Algarve hills:

  1. Slow down where you see lynx warning signs.
  2. Take extra care at night, dawn, and dusk, when lynx are most active.
  3. Watch the verges. Lynx are curious and may stand by the road.
  4. If you hit a lynx, stop safely, do not touch the animal, and call the GNR on 808 200 520.

For general road rules, see Driving in Portugal.

Where to try to see one

Lynx are shy and avoid people. Most visitors never see one. These are your best options.

The Lynx Interpretation and Observation Centre, Mértola. The Centro de Interpretação e Observação do Lince Ibérico is at Largo da Igreja, São João dos Caldeireiros, in the Mértola municipality. Turismo do Alentejo lists it with the phone number 286 610 000. Call ahead for opening times.

The Vale do Guadiana Natural Park. You can walk the park's marked trails around Mértola. ICNF has also published an app of nature sound trails around Mértola and in the park, in lynx territory. Stay on marked paths and keep your distance from wildlife.

Spain. Most of the world's lynx live in Spain. ICNF names Doñana and the Sierra Morena, both in Andalusia, as the two main breeding populations. Many people combine a trip there with Mértola.

The best season. ICNF gives January and February as the peak of the mating season. Winter days are also cooler for long hours outdoors.

The rules in lynx areas

The Iberian lynx is strictly protected under EU and Portuguese nature law. You may not:

  • capture, kill, or keep a lynx;
  • disturb lynx, especially while they breed or raise cubs;
  • damage the places where they breed or rest;
  • sell, buy, or keep any lynx, or any part of one, taken from the wild.

ICNF also asks you to help remove snares, poison, and other illegal traps from the countryside. Poison and illegal killing still threaten the species. If you see a snare or suspect poisoning, call the GNR on 808 200 520.

ICNF says lynx pose no danger to people. If you see one, enjoy the moment, note the place and time, and tell ICNF.

If you see a lynx

  1. Keep still and keep your distance. Do not follow it or try to get closer.
  2. Note the place, date, and time, and what the animal did.
  3. Take a photo if you can without disturbing it.
  4. Report it to ICNF on 213 507 900.

If you find a dead lynx, do not touch it. Photograph it if you can and call the GNR's SOS Environment and Territory line on 808 200 520, open 24 hours a day.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check ICNF's lynx pages for the latest news before you plan a trip.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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