Olmo, a young male Iberian lynx, was found wounded on the EN 122 road that connects Beja to Mertola, on 2 May.
The animal was caught and operated on that same day, but succumbed to his injuries on the operating table.
Born in the Granadilla Iberian Lynx reproduction centre in March 2017, Olmo was released near Mértola just a few months ago, on 15 February 2018, as part of a project to boost the Iberian reintroduction process.
The injured animal was found on the roadside by local Mértola resident Pedro Simões, who immediately contacted the GNR police’s SEPNA branch, and stayed near the lynx, which had managed to move into a nearby area of scrubland.
A team belonging to the Nature and Forest Conservation Institute (ICNF) rushed to the site and managed to catch Olmo with the help of SEPNA officers.
He was taken to a veterinary clinic specialising in orthopaedic procedures to be operated on, but died during the intervention.
The spot on the EN 122 where the animal was run over, near Alcaria Ruiva, is known for having a high wild animal mortality rate.
Olmo was the third lynx to have been run over after being released in the Guadiana region, and the second in as many months.
Last month a two-year old Iberian Lynx was found dead on the A22 motorway near Olhão.
The survival rate of lynxes released in Portugal is estimated at around 70 percent.