VILCHES, Spain — The Iberian lynx is a picky eater. Despite its agility and speed, it almost only chases rabbits.

This narrow choice of prey helps explain why this feline came close to extinction less than two decades ago, after disease wiped out large numbers of rabbits from the Iberian Peninsula. But a vast breeding and relocation program has now turned the lynx into a flagship example of Europe’s efforts to maintain its biodiversity.

The program, mostly financed by the European Union, was begun after the Iberian lynx became the world’s most endangered feline, based on a 2002 census that showed fewer than 100 individuals remained in the wild. Now, the lynx population has rebounded to almost 550 animals, living in nine different parts of southern Spain and Portugal, compared with only two areas when the lynx came close to extinction.