Saliega was an
Iberian lynx
The Iberian lynx (''Lynx pardinus'') is a wild cat species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. In the 20th century, the Iberian lynx population had declined because of overhun ...
who in 2005 became the first of her species to give birth in captivity.
Saliega was born in the wild in March 2002 in
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...
(Spain).
[ As a one-month-old with little chance of survival in the wild, she was taken by the Andalusian authority and arrived at the ]Jerez
Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the c ...
zoo on 17 April 2002.[ There she was raised together with Aura, a female of the same age born in Doñana, until both were transferred to El Acebuche Breeding Center, in the Doñana Nature Park in ]Huelva
Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The ria ...
, on 21 February 2003.[
On 28 March 2005, Saliega became the first Iberian lynx to breed in captivity, giving birth to three healthy kittens. Prior attempts at captive breeding had failed because the mothers ate their kittens immediately after birth. The father was Garfio, a three-year-old male from Sierra Morena, who was taken to El Acebuche in February 2004 for the breeding program. Two of the cubs—Brezo and Brisa—survived while the third, Brezina, died as a consequence of a fight with Brezo.][
On 22 March 2008, Saliega gave birth to three more kittens at the El Acebuche captive breeding centre in the Doñana Nature Park. They were born at 64 days gestation. One of the young was rejected by the mother, and the Junta de Andalucía's Environment Department reported on 24 March 2008 that the rejected kitten had died.
The IUCN has classified the Iberian lynx as ]Endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
, and it is considered the world's most threatened feline species. Studies conducted in March 2005 estimated the number of surviving Iberian lynx to be as few as 100, which is down from about 400 in 2000[ and down from 4,000 in 1960.]Smilodon
''Smilodon'' is a genus of the extinct machairodont subfamily of the felids. It is one of the most famous prehistoric mammals and the best known saber-toothed cat. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely rela ...
'' became extinct 10,000 years ago.
Saliega produced a total of 16 offspring.[ In February 2013, she was sterilized following discovery of a mammary tumor, and her unfertilized eggs were collected and frozen.][ In January 2014, she retired at Zoobotánico de Jerez.][ She died there of natural causes in 2019.][
]
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{Cite news , url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/21/highereducation.biologicalscience , title = Captured cubs hold future of Europe's tiger , work = The Guardian , date = April 2002 , accessdate = 1 July 2011 , location=London , first=Eduardo , last=Gonçalves ]
[{{cite news , url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4336071.stm , title = Iberian lynx in 'gravest danger' , work = ]BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, accessdate = 10 April 2007 , date = 10 March 2005
[{{cite news , url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4539603.stm , title = Rare Spain lynx cub dies in fight , work = BBC News , date = 12 May 2005]
[{{cite news , url = http://phys.org/news/2013-03-iberian-lynx-embryos.html , title = For the first time Iberian lynx embryos are collected and preserved , work = Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB) , publisher = phys.org , date = 23 March 2013]
[{{cite news , url = http://noticias.lainformacion.com/medio-ambiente/especies-en-peligro/la-lince-iberico-saliega-regresa-al-zoobotanico-al-finalizar-su-etapa-como-reproductor-del-programa-de-cria_NYEOaBNa10rVf3xUVLsmj2/ , title = La lince ibérico Saliega regresa al Zoobotánico al finalizar su etapa como reproductor del programa de cría , language = Spanish , trans-title=Iberian lynx Saliega retires at Jerez zoo , work = Europa Press , publisher = lainformacion.com , date = 24 January 2014]
[{{cite news , url=https://www.diariosur.es/andalucia/muere-saliega-primera-20190609000123-ntvo.html , access-date=19 January 2021 , title=Muere Saliega, la primera hembra de lince en dar a luz linces en cautividad , language = Spanish , agency=DiarioSur , date= 9 June 2019]
External links
Programa de Conservación Ex-Situ
Official page Spanish government.
Individual felines
2002 animal births
Individual animals in Spain