Helena GeraldesSílvia Daniel, 31, from Spain, is a keeper at CNRLI since November 2015.
Sílvia always had a lot of interest for nature conservation and working with animals is something she really likes. That’s why, for six months, she was a volunteer at CNRLI. “That’s how I knew CNRLI. And I was marvelled at the work being done here. Last year, finally, I had the great opportunity to start working with this feline.”
The Iberian-lynx was never indifferent to Sílvia. “I always saw it as an icon of the Iberian fauna, an enigmatic being with a very important role in our ecosystem. Unfortunately, it also represented an example of an animal on the brink of extinction, little understood by people in general.”
The animals living in Silves (“amazing animals”, this keeper says) surprise her almost every day because of their behaviours. “Each individual has a different personality. Some are very curious while others are more reserved. But all have a great capacity for learning.”
And what’s the best part of this work? Sílvia has no doubt. “The best part is to release a lynx. Each release is the reward of the work done. And I feel very proud to be part of a program that is working to recover the populations of Iberian-lynx in the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, it’s very rewarding to know each lynx and that each animal knows me, establishing a relationship of mutual trust. The hardest part is when we receive bad news from released lynx in nature.”
[divider type=”thick”]The Birth of an Iberian-Lynx
A team from Wilder has been at CNRLI for two days on March 2015. In this series we show you how is it to work at this centre and all the people who take care of this endangered species.
