White Iberian Lynx (leucistic) spotted in southern Spain

A wildlife photographer in Spain captured the world’s first recorded instance of a white-leucistic Iberian lynx, in the province of Jaén in October 2025.

The rare appearance is due to leucism—a genetic condition causing partial loss of pigmentation, distinct from albinism—and the animal was spotted in the wild with no tracking collar, confirming it is not part of a reintroduction programme.

Conservationists say the finding underscores progress in efforts to restore the vulnerable Iberian lynx population, which has recovered to over 2,000 individuals across the Iberian Peninsula.

Source and more images: EuroNews - Spanish photographer captures world's first ever white Iberian Lynx on camera

Cheetah Tracking in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

In Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) conservationists have fitted two cheetahs with collars combining satellite and VHF tracking technology to monitor their movements and health more closely.

The real-time data will help detect threats early (e.g. injury or snares), assess breeding success, and guide decisions about relocating individuals to support genetic diversity.

The park’s cheetah population is one of the stronger ones in KwaZulu-Natal and plays a key role in the broader national metapopulation strategy to preserve the species.

Source and more images: The Good Things Guy - Two Cheetahs Get Fitted With Collars in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

New PBS Nature documentary on Mountain Lions (Pumas / Cougars) USA

WILLOW: Diary of a Mountain Lion | About | Nature | PBS

"A unique, decade-long mountain lion study uses a vast network of over 200 trail cameras scattered throughout Montana’s Sapphire Mountains to piece together the story of a female mountain lion named Willow and her kittens. The film weaves together footage of mountain lions and their complex interactions with each other. Witness an epic saga about life and death that contains never-before-captured events and behaviors at every turn."

News articles:

New PBS/”Nature” documentary, “Willow,” the product of a 10-year study of Montana mountain lions, is often revelatory about the big cats - WMNF 88.5 FM

NATURE: Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion | KPBS Public Media

See also this Podcast about Mountain Lions in Califormia: AASHTO Journal - Podcast: Mountain Lion Preservation in California

Snow Leopard rescued in Himalayan linkage zone

A snow leopard got trapped in the filter inlet channel of the Sanjay Hydroelectric Project in Kinnaur, prompting a swift multi-agency rescue operation by forest, fire, and local teams.

Officials prioritized letting the animal climb out on its own (reserving tranquilization as a last resort), and after initial hesitation the snow leopard eventually emerged and slipped back into nearby forest.

Its presence in the Bhaba Valley—a mid-wet zone—suggests possible habitat connectivity and adaptation beyond its usual high-altitude range.

Source and more images: Himachal Scape - Snow Leopard’s miraculous escape: Forest department pulls off rare rescue in Kinnaur

More Felines in the News

• Revealed at Last - How the Leopard got its Spots
• Return of the lynx: Wildwood Trust builds home for Britain’s missing predator
• Workshop on Updating Arabian Leopard Conservation Strategy Begins in Salalah

• Cheetah Trafficking Networks Threaten Survival of the Species - A-Z Animals (not for sensitive readers)
• Nauradehi sanctuary (India) cleared for cheetah reintroduction – GKToday

Feline Research

Journal Articles

• Lions ( Panthera leo leo ) Movement Patterns in a Sudanian Wooded Savannah in Central Africa
• Predator-Prey Dynamics and Anthropogenic Pressures - Evaluating Conservation Success for Markhor and Snow Leopard in the Himalayas and Karakoram
• Impact of sika deer (Cervus nippon) overpopulation on the distribution of the critically endangered Tsushima leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) Japan

• Attitudes of ranchers to the management of two mesopredators in the Eastern Cape, South Africa (Jackals and Caracals)
• Apex predators exploit advantageous snow conditions across hunting modes (Cougars and Wolves)

• A revision of carnivore specimens from the Upper Miocene of Cimișlia (Republic of Moldova) housed at the University of Bucharest (incl felids)
• Tigers on the Move: The Impact of Climate Change on Tiger Distribution in Nepal

Other Research

• Academic Book Chapter: Conservation Biogeography of Big Cats in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas
• Masters Thesis: Analysis of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) behaviour in Gorce National Park using recordings from camera traps
• Preprint: Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) density and activity pattern in a biological corridor, northeastern Mexico