Overview
- Spanish nature photographer Angel Hidalgo recorded the pale-coated lynx in the Jaén mountains of Andalusia.
- Experts who reviewed the images concluded the cat is leucistic—showing partial loss of pigmentation—rather than albino.
- With the video widely shared online, reporters kept the exact site confidential to reduce the risk of disturbance or targeting.
- Coordinated efforts by Spanish authorities, NGOs and EU-funded Life Projects are credited with the lynx’s two-decade recovery.
- Conservationists warn the white coat may reduce camouflage in the wild, and regional moves to block reintroductions threaten future progress.