-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email Viral illnesses don't just hurt their hosts, but sometimes can indirectly devastate other animals. Take for example the the endangered European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ), which is paradoxically invasive in some parts of the world, but is on the verge of extinction in its native Iberian Pennisula. One of the primary drivers killing it is rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, which can trigger a deadly fever that kills within 36 hours .
This is bad news for the rabbits, obviously, but also not great for the animals that depend on it as a food source, such as the Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ), which is also endangered. Or it was. A recent report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) noted a surge in the number of Iberian lynxes.
As a result, the organization has reclassified the Iberian lynx, one of the four living species from the genus of medium-sized wild cats known as lynxes, from being "endangered" to the less perilous status of "vulnerable." That means it's a lot less likely to become extinct like the dodo or passenger pigeon. Related Bird flu has killed dozens of cats across the world.
Is your kitty at risk? According to the IUCN, Iberian lynx reintroductions to the wilds of Portugal and Spain have been successful. The lynx population has exploded from a mere 62 mature individuals in 2001 to a whopping 648 mature individuals by 2022. The combined population of young and mature lynx is now more than .
