The Iberian Lynx – Lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus), Almuradiel, Ciudad Real, España. Photo Credit: Diego Delso CCA-SA 4.0
MADRID- The Iberian lynx, one of the world’s rarest wild cats, is no longer classified as endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). On Thursday, the IUCN, which assesses species’ risk levels in its “red list,” reclassified the Iberian lynx from “endangered” to “vulnerable” following a notable population increase. As the name implies, this wild cat species inhabits the Iberian Peninsula, encompassing Spain and Portugal.
The population of mature Iberian lynxes grew from 62 individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. Including both young and mature lynxes, the estimated population now exceeds 2,000.
Recent census data indicate there are 14 stable and reproducing lynx clusters, with 13 in Spain and one in Portugal. Historically, the lynx was widespread across the Iberian Peninsula, but its numbers plummeted since the 1960s due to habitat loss, poaching, and road accidents, nearly driving the species to extinction.
“It’s truly a huge success, an exponential increase in population size,” Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, told The Associated Press. The Red List tracks information on animals and plants at risk of extinction.
Adult Iberian Lynx [Photo Credit: Program Ex-situ Conservation CCA 3.0 es]
Additionally, programs for releasing captive lynxes and restoring scrublands and forests have been crucial in the lynx’s comeback.
Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, a coordinator leading the conservation efforts, called it the “greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation.” Despite the progress, Ortiz emphasized that much work remains to ensure the species’ continued survival and recovery, with plans to reintroduce the lynx to new areas in central and northern Spain.
The Wild Hunt is grateful for the community’s continued support.
The Wild Hunt is very grateful to our readers for your recent financial support and amazing words of encouragement. We remain one of the most widely-read news sources within modern Paganism, and our reporters and columnists remain dedicated to a vision of journalism for and about our family of faiths.
As a reminder, this is the type of story you only see here. This is how to help:
Tax Deductible Donation | PayPal Donations | Join our Patreon
You can also help us by sharing this message on your social media.
As always, thank you for your support of The Wild Hunt!
Cherry Hill Seminary announces two Summer courses!
Successful Pagan Groups– The Long Haul
Class Meetings: July, Tuesdays 6 pm ET
Instructor: Sandy Costa
Treibh na Tintean was born when an existing Pagan circle (formed in the early 1990s) shifted. People were coming, going, moving and changing—I somehow found myself in a leadership position. Along with some trusted friends, we re-established ourselves circa 2003 and have been growing steadily ever since. We follow a traditional Wheel of the Year, and our rituals are conventionally structured—except when they are not. We hold sabbats, full moons, workshops, and social events. We expect our members to ask and help design their own rites of passage. We expect members who really care to help plan and execute rituals. We expect our Treibh to support the costs of providing a forum for spiritual growth. We clearly have a lot of expectations… so, how does that work? Ah, that’s the mystery! Come and learn how we nurture the mundane and magickal in Treibh na Tintean.
Slow Stitching as a Spiritual Practice (A Magical Fiber Arts Course)
Class Meetings: August, Saturdays 4:00 PM ET
Instructor: Liz Watkin
Hand stitching is a soothing, contemplative practice, making it perfect for spiritual work. In this course, we will delve into this practice as a way of accessing our connection with the divine. Each session will be a mix of ritual and hand sewing, culminating in a personal spell book or book of shadows by the end of the four weeks.
Please visit Cherry Hill Seminary for more information about these courses and their other programs.
Crossings of the Veil
Lady Pythia
Lady Marybeth “Pythia” Witt danced her way into the Goddess’s arms on June 22, 2024, at 3:00 AM. As her sister said, “Trust her to wait for the brightest light to see her off on her journey”.
In 1975, she co-founded the Coven of the Floating Spiral with Peregrine and Thaelia as a “Witchmage” tradition that follows an eclectic path. In 1985, Lady Pythia co-founded the Ohio Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess. In 1989, she took over as 2nd officer and organized the 1989 Grand Council and Merry Meet held in Circle Pines, Michigan. Other Goddess work she did includes organizing with the Coven of the Floating Spiral Goddess chants and a Spiral Dance during the Harmonic Convergence in 1987 on the Great Serpent Mound in Adamsville, OH.
She said of herself “Eldest Cousin of a host of incredible, beautiful, kind, and truly lovely folk! Niece of a Matriarchal Triumvirate of powerful Witt women! I was born and immediately lifted up my head, spent the next few years asking more questions than there were answers to, so I’m still asking, and hope to keep learning from everyone! Who are we and how can we serve the greater good? What are we doing? And if we’re not doing, the principle of Slack in the Multiverse must be honored sacredly! Where are we going…with our minds, our words, our actions? Hoping to achieve ultimate Compassion for all Beings. Can we help the Mother? Each other? One person? A smile can be the greatest act of compassion to another many days, for the world is full of suffering and we cannot heal it all. Hardest to heal: our own Souls and hearts. We MUST learn and remember that all the children of Mother Earth are our Family! May I serve the Great Goddess with all of my words and deeds. Blessed Be all with what they need!”
She is remembered as a poet, a jeweler, an excellent astrologer, and psychic. May her spirit continue to dance around the fire.
Closer to Samhain a ritual will be held in Kent, OH to celebrate her life.
What is remembered, Lives!
Happening this Weekend!
The Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival will be offered June 30th, 2024 rain or shine at the Dover, DE outdoor Legislative Mall. This incredible day of classes, music, ritual, and shopping is offered to the community at no cost but we do encourage bringing a canned good donation for the local food bank which can be dropped off at the information desk. Please see our Facebook page for guest announcements and schedule releases. All are welcome, hope to see you there!
Announcements
The sixth annual Mystic South Conference will take place July 26-28, 2024! Mystic South is filled with workshops, educational abstract presentations, rituals, community building, and much more. With the backdrop of the grand city of Atlanta, be a part of our celebration of the diversity of the peoples and religious practices, both past and present, that make up the Southern US region.
The conference also announced that their tickets are on sale. Get your tickets now and, get some for your friends, your neighbors, or just some random person you met on the street!
Monthly EBSAT meeting: Monday, July 8th at 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Let us explore the botanical expressions of ecological grief in modern Western paganism. For many modern Western pagans, the Earth, and all its inhabitants, are sacred. As witnesses to environmental challenges, ecological grief is also seen as sacred pain. The combination of animistic belief and spiritual use of plants during a time of environmental loss produced a powerful array of practices that expressed ecological grief and hope through the green world. This study and examples of these sacred botanical practices will be discussed. The need for more rituals to honor our collective and individual ecological grief, and hope, will also be discussed.
Meetings are virtual, free, and open to anyone who sees the Earth as sacred. Join us via Zoom, Meeting ID (890 3027 2698) and Passcode: CCL
For Fun!
Who knew there was a National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum? Well, there is. It is in located located at 170 S. 1st. St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. They can be found online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
They also sent us a press release to share.
On the June Solstice, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a limited-edition Cicada Bobblehead (They are taking pre-orders, we understand). They wrote “Due to an unusual overlap of the lifecycles of two broods of cicadas, trillions of the insects are expected to emerge in the United States by the end of June, especially in the Midwest as well as parts of the southern and eastern portions of the United States. The 13-year and 17-year cicadas only emerge in these regions of the U.S. in the same year every 221 years, with 2024 being the first such year since 1803.”
The periodical cicada spends most of its life underground, emerging after 13 or 17 years depending on the species to transform, reproduce, and ultimately die over the space of just a few days. Huge populations of the insects have synced up to emerge within the same window of time to give them the best chance of successfully finding a mate and producing young before they are eaten by predators or expire naturally. These populations are called broods, and for the first time since 1803, two of them the 17-year Brook XIII, concentrated in northern Illinois, and the 13-year Brood XIX found in southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and throughout the Southeast – are emerging together.Soil temperature is what tells the cicadas when it’s time to emerge. Once the soil reaches a temperature of about 64 degrees at a depth of 12-18 inches, the great emergence is triggered. In ideal habitat conditions, as many as 1.5 million cicadas can appear on any given acre.
However, that number is lower in many areas depending on the number of trees, local chemical use, human development, and the number of impervious surfaces. The mating call of male cicadas has been known to be extremely loud. To humans, it might sound obnoxious or unpleasant, but it’s an important way for cicadas to find each other to reproduce in a short amount of time. The calls can reach 80-100 decibels – equal to the sound of a garbage disposal, lawn mower, or a jackhammer. Cicadas are largely harmless to humans, but their appearance is welcome in places where people routinely snack on them as a low-cost source of calories and protein. Up to two billion people regularly eat insects, especially in South and Central America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Cicadas, when available, are among the most popular.
“We’re excited to create this bobblehead celebrating the triumphant return of the cicada,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “The sounds of summer have taken on a new meaning in 2024 with the arrival of the popular insects. This bobblehead is a must-have for cicada lovers everywhere!”
Do you have news to share with our community?
Announcements? Elevations? Events?
Let us know at pcn@wildhunt.org.
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: The Mind’s Eye Tarot, by Olivia Rose, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Major arcana VIII (8) – Strength
The incoming week is likely to place the emphasis on how inner strength manifests when it comes to overcoming obstacles and the ability to advance a cause or project. Quiet determination, confidence, and the willpower to continue and persevere will likely be key components this week.
Conversely, there is the possibility of self-confidence being shaken by recent events, and feelings of doubt and vulnerability creeping in. It may be imperative to take a step back, re-evaluate and recharge in order to avoid taking actions that are not well thought out.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.