Iberian lynx as a deer hunter: trophic ecology and social impacts of a reintroduced large carnivore

• Main Author: Severino, Pedro Rafael Pinto
• Other Authors: Ferreira, Eduardo Manuel Silva Loureiro Alves, Sarmento, Pedro Bernardo Marques da Silva Rodrigues
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Diet; Lynx pardinus; Fallow deer; Livestock predation; Attitudes; Livestock owners; Hunting managers; Knowledge; Human-Human conflict; Lince; Lynx
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/36568

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) represents a success case on the recovery of an endangered large carnivore through reintroduction. However, since the first releases in 2014 in the Vale do Guadiana region, Portugal, there have been frequent attacks on wild ungulates, something unexpected from a rabbit specialist, and which has raised concerns by residents regarding damages on livestock breeding and hunting. The present work aimed to understand the importance of wild ungulates for lynx’s diet in Portugal and if this feeding behaviour had any repercussions on local resident’s attitudes towards lynxes. The first study consisted in the diet analysis of three population nucleus of Iberian lynx in areas differentiated by their different wild ungulate density. The results demonstrated that European rabbit was lynxes’ main prey (Frequency of occurrence, FO: 75.9% – 88.9%; Consumed biomass, BIOc: 59.1% - 98.4%). It was observed significant differences between the three sampled areas due to the high consumption of wild ungulates particular to the Romeiras area (FO: 27.6%; BIOc: 24.2%), of which fallow deer was predominant (FO: 19.0%; BIOc: 20.0%). Three possible factors were identified that would explain said differences: ungulate relative abundancy, vulnerability and the exposition to high densities of ungulate during acclimatization period of soft-released individuals, used only in Romeiras area. It’s also highlighted the first record of domestic ungulate consumption by Iberian lynx in Portugal. This analysis reveals the importance of monitoring the trophic ecology of Iberian lynx to help the adaptive management of this reintroduced population. Through the second study, it was aimed to understand the attitudes towards Iberian lynx of the social sectors most affected by this predator presence: livestock owners (LO) and hunting managers (HM). The variables of Perceived Predator Impact, Knowledge about the Lynx and Perception on Local Conservation Agency were measured to test their correlation with interviewee’s attitudes. ...