Staff at the Lynx breeding centre in Silves have moved all the animals to safety in Spain.
Due to the impending and very real threat that the centre will be hit by the current fire, the Institute of Conservation of Nature and Forests ordered the removal of the 29 lynxes held at the National Centre for Reproduction of the Iberian Lynx at Herdade das Santinhas, Silves.
"The animals will be moved to the facilities of our Spanish partners, who already have made space and will offer all the necessary support," the Environment Ministry said today.
This action was part of an emergency measure in the event of fire, one of the few fire-related measures the government has put in place that has been effective.
In 2017, the ICNF cleared the scrub around the breeding centre in order to reduce the risk of fire and the removal of the animals was part of the plan should the threat become imminent.
