"I claim having proposed Astrid Vargas as the person who should lead the Iberian lynx conservation breeding program. Previously, I knew about her work with the black-footed ferret and about her gift for dealing with people, but once she started working with the Iberian lynx, I was impressed by her empathy and by her ability to establish and lead teams. In a very short time she got us all wanting to work along with her, experiencing as our very own all the great successes and the small misfortunes that the program naturally went through. I had never known such kind of leadership."