Attitudes of hunters and the public towards the reintroduction of the Iberian lynx before and after releases

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered large carnivore in Europe. It dramatically declined during the second half of the 20th century, mainly as a consequence of habitat loss, illegal killing by hunters, and... [ view full abstract ]

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered large carnivore in Europe. It dramatically declined during the second half of the 20^th century, mainly as a consequence of habitat loss, illegal killing by hunters, and the decline in its main prey, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In this context, a reintroduction program was launched with the first captive-bred lynx released in 2009. The social context is critical to the success of any reintroduction program, and particularly in the case of predators like the lynx, since these may have a detrimental impact on human livelihood. In this study, our main aim was to evaluate the attitudes towards the reintroduction of lynx in two areas in southern Spain. We assessed differences in attitudes of >750 hunters and >1500 of the general public before (2007-2008) and after (2015-2016) the release of the cats. Interviews were conducted by phone. Both groups showed a high level of support for lynx reintroductions before the release of the cats (>90% and >80%, respectively). At this time the general public associated lynx reintroduction with intrinsic and ecological value. It was also thought that lynx reintroduction would attract tourists and help reduce poaching. In contrast, hunters mostly focused on aspects related to hunting activity like for example a decrease in the number of other predator species, an improvement in the quality of game animals or a reduction in poaching. In general, interviewees’ expectations were not met after lynx releases; only a higher control of poaching was noticed by hunters. Before the release of the lynxes, ~40% hunters linked the reintroduction program to at least one potential problem for their collective, like a decrease in rabbit numbers and constraints for practicing hunting. After lynx releases, hunters confirmed their fear that rabbit abundance declined, although they attributed this mostly to the incidence of diseases rather than lynx. After the releases, most participants thought that the reintroduction program had been relatively successful. In opinion of general public and hunters, road-kills were the main lynx mortality cause, although the former also cited often illegal practices associated with hunting like snaring or poisoning. Hunters but not general public viewed rabbit scarcity as a serious threat for lynxes. Interestingly, this concern of hunters decreased after lynx reintroduction. In summary, our findings suggest a favourable social context for the reintroduction program, which was considered mostly successful after the release of the animals. There was some variation in the benefits and costs associated with the reintroduction by general public and hunters. However, neither most of the expected benefits nor most of their fears were confirmed after lynx releases.