Ecologists call for ban on box traps after released lynx is found dead in La Mancha

Grazalema, an Iberian lynx that was born in captivity and released into the wild last year, was found dead last week inside a box trap meant for foxes at an estate in Castellar de Santiago, Ciudad Real. The 17-month female died of exposure, said regional authorities in Castilla-La Mancha.

The death is especially significant because it occurred within a territory defined as a Critical Area for the survival of this endangered species. Investigators found that Grazalema was wearing a GPS collar that had ceased to work some time ago, and that technicians of the Life program - in charge of breeding lynxes - had been trying to locate her through other means.

The box trap is forbidden in the region of Andalusia, where Grazalema was born and released, but it is tolerated in Castilla-La Mancha, where she died, as long as the traps do not catch protected species. Regional authorities will take legal action against the owner of the estate.

Meanwhile, three environmental groups are asking for a freeze on all permits for purposes of predator control. Ecologists in Action, SEO/BirdLife and WWF said that Grazalema's death endangers the entire lynx recovery program, which the EU has just invested a large amount of money on.

According to these groups, predator control is effective in the reduction of fox populations, but it is dangerous to the preservation of biodiversity. The main techniques, box traps and snares, are not selective and end up killing other species that are protected by law. All three organizations say that box traps are the least selective method for hunting foxes, and that other species like lynxes, wildcats and even birds of prey are common victims.

"It makes no sense to invest large amounts of European and national funds on the recovery of the Iberian lynx, if at the same time we do not correct one of the main causes of its disappearance," said Ecologists in Action, SEO/BirdLife and WWF in a joint statement.