Life after death — for successful genes

Dido, the African elephant, and Aura, the Iberian lynx, both have impressive lineages

Iberian lynx, Aura who died at the age of 20 but leaves more than 900 descendants (direct and indirect). Picture: O.A. Parques Nacionales @oapngob

Quia pulvis es et in pulverem reverteris

Obituaries celebrate the lives of the great and the good. Some wild creatures, surely, deserve similar adulation. In recent weeks we have witnessed the passing of two animals which have made significant contributions to conservation.