In an extraordinary wildlife discovery, a young photographer from southern Spain has captured the first ever footage of the Iberian lynx, a genetic rarity that has never been recorded before. The breathtaking video was captured on October 22 in the mountains of Jaén province in Andalusia by 29-year-old Ángel Hidalgo, who works in a construction materials factory and spends his free time tracking wildlife across Spain’s remote hills.
A once-in-a-lifetime sighting
Hidalgo had set a camera trap in the countryside a month earlier. While reviewing the footage, he noticed something unusual – a glowing white figure moving across the frame.
“I thought it was a camera effect,” Hidalgo told National Geographic España. “And I’ve been on the hunt for the lynx ever since. I’m still in shock.”
After several failed attempts, he finally saw the animal in person. “One ugly morning, after a night’s rain, I was walking like so many other times when I suddenly saw a white shape in the distance that seemed to emit its own light,” he wrote on Instagram.
His footage shows a lynx perched peacefully among rocks, its pale fur softly glowing in the morning light.
A rare genetic phenomenon
Experts believe the lynx has leucism, a rare genetic disease that causes partial or complete loss of pigmentation – as opposed to albinism, which also affects the eyes and skin.
Despite its beauty, scientists warn that the white coat can make the lynx more visible to predators and poachers. To protect the animal, the exact location of the sighting is being kept secret, as illegal hunting remains one of the biggest threats to the species.
From near extinction to revival
Once the world’s most endangered feline, the Iberian lynx was on the brink of extinction just two decades ago, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in 2002.
Thanks to major conservation efforts by the Spanish government, the European Union and organizations such as WWF, the population has now rebounded.
As of 2025, more than 2,400 lynx live in the Iberian Peninsula, including about 470 breeding females, according to PetaPixel. The species was reclassified from endangered to vulnerable last year – a major conservation achievement.
A message of hope
But problems still persist, including habitat loss, declining rabbit populations, and now the risks facing this unusually visible white lynx.
For Hidalgo, the experience was deeply moving. “Meeting this cat made me think about the importance of conservation,” he said. “I hope this story inspires others to appreciate the beauty around us.”
