Overview
- The same breeding pair produced five pups, confirmed by the Departament d'Interior, bringing the pack to nine animals and marking a second straight year of reproduction in the Alt Empordà–Alta Garrotxa area on Wednesday.
- Officials say the group now includes two adults, two subadults born in 2025 and five new pups, while one of last year’s three cubs has not been detected and may have dispersed or disappeared.
- The Generalitat is scaling up capacity for large‑carnivore work by building a specialized 40‑agent monitoring unit, expanding canine and capture teams, and finishing a recovery plan that will enter public consultation.
- Conservation groups praised the births as a positive sign for ecosystems and urged concrete coexistence measures such as electric fencing, guardian dogs, training, and quicker compensation to protect livestock and support shepherds.
- Experts link the return to natural recolonization from French source populations and rising wild ungulate numbers, which could help restore ecological balance but also increase demand for prevention and indemnity programs for farmers.