Minairó, the name of the lynx born at MónNatura Pirineus

The lynx cub born a little over six months ago at the MónNatura Pirineus Wildlife Centre now has a name. He's called Minairó, a name proposed by the students at Àngel Serafí i Casanovas School (Sort).

The winning name of the eight proposed earned 77 votes on the survey out of a total of 270  in the open vote held on the Nature Instagram account of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation.

In November, students from the ZER Alt Pallars Sobirà schools (Escola d’Alins, Escola de Llavorsí, Escola Montsent de Pallars, Escola Els Minairons and Escola de Tírvia), along with La Closa School and Àngel Serafí i Casanovas School visited the MónNatura Pirineus Wildlife Centre to meet the lynx cub and suggest a name.

The other names proposed were Pirineus, Espurlent, Cacahuet, Sucarrim, Taquetes, Rys and Neo.

Minairó, the lynx born at MónNatura Pirineus

This male, which currently weighs 10 kilos and is in perfect health, was born on 28 May of this year at the MónNatura Pirineus wildlife recovery centre and is from the European or Northern Lynx species (Lynx lynx), which had been extinct in this region.

This lynx will help reinforce the environmental education efforts undertaken at this centre, which is also the home to other animal species such as bearded vultures, eagle-owls, roe deer, martens, beech martens and foxes, allowing the centre to explain their ecological function in the Pyrenees.

They also include the lynx’s parents, two lynxes who were born in captivity in a zoo in Galicia in May 2008 and moved to the MónNatura Pirineus centre in August of the same year. This is their first cub, and they had her without any human interference.

Over these 11 years, more than 100,000 people have visited the MónNatura Pirineus Wildlife Centre, where they were able to meet these animals and learn the ecological function they play in the Pyrenees.