© Laura Albiac Vilas
Vilas had seen many of Spain’s wild animals, but never the elusive Iberian lynx, an endangered cat found only in two small populations in southern Spain. Unlike the larger European lynx, the Iberian lynx feeds almost entirely on rabbits. So a disease that wipes out the rabbit population can be catastrophic. Vilas’ family traveled to the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park in search of the lynx, and got lucky on their second day, as a pair were relaxing not far from the road. There were many photographers there but an atmosphere of respect. Vilas watched for an hour and a half, the only sound being the whir of cameras if a cat glanced in their direction. “The animals’ attitude surprised me. They weren’t scared of people, they simply ignored us,” said Vilas. “I felt so emotional to be so close to them.”
