Overview
- Spanish photographer Ángel Hidalgo captured the pale Iberian lynx on October 22 in the Jaén range after weeks of tracking triggered by camera-trap footage.
- Specialists who reviewed the images say the cat shows leucism, a partial loss of pigmentation distinct from albinism because the eyes remain normally colored.
- Officials and those reporting the find are withholding the exact location to minimize disturbance and reduce risks such as illegal hunting.
- Conservationists caution that the white coat likely undermines camouflage and may hinder hunting or safety in the wild.
- The sighting follows two decades of recovery work that raised the species from fewer than 100 individuals in 2002 to over 2,000 by 2025, leading the IUCN to reclassify it as vulnerable in 2024.