TIGER TEMPLE -SANGTEWAN – THIS MAY DISTURB SOME, THIS IS REALITY – BRUTAL

Behind the Cloak of Buddha – Cee4life

 

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SANGTEWAN – THIS MAY DISTURB SOME, THIS IS REALITY – BRUTAL – This is a close up look at the face of Sangtewan, a female breeding machine from the Tiger Temple, Thailand. Look at what they did to her. As a cub, she was fiesty. To control her, they cut out a piece of her nose, so when she misbehaved, it would only take a flick to send her reeling. Thats the true story. But TT bend that story alot. Bullet wounds, barbed wire… all false. This lovely girl lived hidded in a cell, no grass, no sunlight, for the last 10 years of her life. She had approximately 46 litters of cubs by the end of her life – meaning 128 -146 cubs. Another female Tiger, Saireung has had about 80 cubs, and there’s more females in there who’ve had cubs, alot more.. Lets do the maths. Inside the temple now, there are about 107 tigers. Just between Sang and Saireung, there should be approx 218 Tigers. But there isnt. From DNA samples about 40 tigers are related to Sang & Saireung. Where are the other 178 tigers of Sang & Saireung? There are another 18 breeding females in there? Ask yourself this – Has the Tiger Temple stopped dealing in the wildlife trade of Tigers? And Tourist supporters of this place – Look at this girl and understand her existence was purely for you to get ‘cuddle photo’s”… But you never even knew her name, her life, or that she existed. You know now… so do something about it. Educate everyone you know of this atrocity to prevent it. This is one story, there are millions of stories like this. Make a choice, be ethical and get educated, in the name of humanity.

Corbett. Now, On sale

http://tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Ne120512CORBETT.asp

INVESTIGATION

Corbett. Now, On sale

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 9, Issue 19, Dated 12 May 2012

Blocked wildlife corridors across the Kosi river. Now a rash of private properties inside the tiger reserve itself. Jay Mazoomdaar exposes a scandal that could ruin one of the country’s most precious forests

Click to zoom 1. The Rush For Green Gold Every bit of inhabitable land along the 17-km stretch of the Ramganga river from Dumunda to Marchula is up for sale. The mafia demands Rs 20-80 lakh/acre and buyers include India’s who’s who 2. Burnt Forests, Private Rivers A 5-km road has been created inside the tiger reserve without any statutory clearance only to provide access to a private resort that is using a stretch of the Ramganga river as its private property 3. New Homes With Stolen Stones Mushrooming resorts mine the adjacent riverbed for stone and sand for construction activities. The Kosi river has been long ravaged. Now it is the turn of Ramganga river inside the reserve 4. No Gate Pass For Thirsty Animals 17 km of the Ramganga river will no longer be available to animals. Walled resorts on Corbett’s eastern boundary have cut off animals’ access to the Kosi river and Ramnagar forests. Now fenced properties are coming up inside the reserve 5. The Park For Black Money To potential buyers inside Corbett, the mafia is guaranteeing unregulated access to land through reserve forests, free natural resources, collusive forest staff and all-weather political backing. The whole offer runs on ready cash

WITH ABUNDANCE come consequences. Corbett tiger reserve (CTR) has the world’s highest density of tigers. The last all-India census in 2010 estimated 18 tigers per 100 sq km here. It also has the highest concentration of tourist resorts found anywhere around a forest.

Nobody keeps a count but there are at least 100 properties in business and new ones are coming up every season. Over the past decade, encroachment of peripheral forestland and blocking of wild animals’ access to water bodies and adjoining forests has become routine along the Ranikhet road on CTR’s eastern boundary. Now, the land mafia is buying vast tracts right inside the reserve. Almost every piece of land along the 17 km stretch of the Ramganga river — from Dumunda to Nagtaley near Marchula — in CTR’s Durgadevi zone has either been bought or is up for sale.

Emboldened by a lax and corrupt administration, the mafia, in collusion with a section of the state’s power elite, is forcing the villagers who long abandoned these islands of revenue villages inside the tiger reserve, to sell their land. While the land deals are legal on paper, every other rule is being bent to allow construction and bring business far inside CTR. New forest roads are cut inside the reserve without the Supreme Court’s permission. Stone and sand are quarried from the Ramganga river. Even long stretches of the river and forests are being used as private property to entertain tourists.

Villagers keen to set up their own ecotourism units in the same area are harassed and kept out, lest the monopoly of the big resorts gets compromised. While frustrated locals are selling off their land dirt cheap under pressure, the mafia is “cutting plots” with atrocious mark-ups of 400-1,600 percent for outsiders.

Multiple local sources claim that the buyers include India’s who’s who, among them a young royalty who is the son of a former BJP chief minister, a young turk in Parliament who lost his illustrious father in an accident, and a former husband of one of the country’s most controversial corporate lobbyists.

THE INVITATION
It was the Uttarakhand forest department that opened up the CTR’s Durgadevi zone for tourism in the name of conservation. In 2004, the forest department came up with the idea of allowing angling in the Ramganga river to generate revenue for the villagers and dissuade them from blast fishing, a destructive harvesting practice that threatened aquatic life.

The same year, Mukund Prasad, the Pilibhit-based owner of Leisure Hotels and an old Corbett hand, acquired land in Jamun village on the Ramganga river, 8 km inside the reserve. CTR records of 2004-05 show that then director DS Khati, in violation of the standing SC order, created a 4-km road between Jamun and the existing road to CTR’s Durgadevi gate. Prasad added another kilometre to that road across the river to complete access to his plot and to ferry construction material for the property that has since been marketed as Hideaway River Lodge where rooms go for Rs 15-Rs 20,000 per night.

To allow tourists access and overnight stay at Prasad’s property, the forest department worked quickly on its plan to issue angling permits. Since Prasad had no angling credentials, GIG Mann of Dehradunbased Sporting Ambition was roped in as a proxy. No bids were called for but three other parties were also offered fishing rights to democratise the process.

In November 2004, tripartite MoUs were signed among the forest department, Van Vikas Nigam and respective private parties, giving them free rights to conduct angling in 2-km stretches each along the Ramganga river for 30 years. Prasad got himself the river stretch farthest inside the reserve.

THE COLLUSION
Prasad’s agreement, however, referred to Leisure Hotels, a commercial entity, as Angler’s Association but the signature on behalf of Leisure Hotels was that of Mann. Between 2005 and 2008, Khati’s successor, former CTR director Rajiv Bhartari, raised several objections to the flawed agreement and its misuse by Prasad. He pointed out how Leisure Hotels was using a part of the tiger reserve as its private property with free access to the riverbed and the forest roads even during the night.

“I noticed the irregularities in the agreement only in 2006. The new road to Jamun was also not in order either. But I could not have altered decisions taken by my predecessor (Khati). Anyway, the chief wildlife warden (SK Chandola) was in charge of the angling project. Then, I was transferred,” Bhartari told TEHELKA.

But Prasad was the chosen one of the forest department. In July 2006, then forest minister Nav Prabhat, then director of Rajaji national park GS Pande, Bhartari’s predecessor Khati, successor Vinod Singhal and local MLA SM Singhal visited South Africa on an official study tour. Khati handpicked Leisure Hotels as the tour manager without calling for tenders and Prasad accompanied the team.

Spot The Difference Dhikuli Then And Now 2002 The Dhikuli stretch of the Ranikhet road looked congested even a decade ago. With quite a few resorts with swimming pools (blue dots) on this corridor, animal movement was already restricted between Corbett and Ramnagar forests 2010 With new properties coming up and old ones expanding, farms and orchards all but disappeared by 2010. Two years on, there is virtually no space for animal movement across the Kosi. Many resorts have encroached on the riverbed

“Khati took Rs 20 lakh from the government for the tour. Out of which Rs 10 lakh was given to Leisure Hotels, which subsequently submitted bills for around Rs 7 lakh only. Khati and Prasad have always been close,” claims RD Pathak, a forest officer who approached the Lokayukta against Khati this March with a bunch of charges.

“Not all forest roads are in management plans. We spent only Rs 22,000 to repair an existing road because I had to provide access to anglers. The (angling) agreement was cleared by the state government. I only signed it as the Corbett director,” Khati says in his defence.

Then chief wildlife warden Chandola, however, accepted that the road was not legal. “We closed down the road when the issue was brought to my notice. I can comment on the agreement only after having a look at it,” he told TEHELKA.

DOUBLE STANDARDS
In the name of closing down the illegal road, the forest department dug it up only yards before it reached the Ramganga river across Jamun. Leisure Hotels keeps elephants at its Hideaway River Lodge and routinely ferries tourists from the riverbed to the resort. But the dug-up road cut villagers’ access to Jamun.

“We cannot go to our plots on jeeps anymore and we do not have the permission or the money to keep elephants. The department has been harassing me for five years because I want to set up tourist camps in my land that is adjacent to Mukund Prasad’s resort. If he can do it as an outsider, why not me, a local,” asks Ajay Bhadula, a small-time safari operator at Ramnagar who belongs to a family that owned most of the revenue land inside CTR.

Recently, the forest department barred Maheshanand Ghansela of Paand village from building a hutment on his land at Lohachaur, 4 km downstream from Jamun. “The government neither allows us to develop our land nor offers us compensation. So we are forced to sell our land for Rs 10-Rs 15,000 per nali (20 nalis make an acre) and the mafia, in turn, makes huge profits by selling it to outsiders who have the clout to twist the law,” rues Bhadula.

Sensing the danger of big private players entering the tiger reserve, Bhartari wrote to the collectors of Pauri and Almora in 2007, requesting them not to allow registry of land sales inside CTR as there was a proposal before the Centre to acquire these islands of revenue land by compensating the absentee villagers.

Current CTR director Ranjan Mishra sent the same proposal to Dehradun three months ago: “I have also asked for a review of the angling rights and requested the district officials not to register land sale in that area. Though in buffer, the quality of the forest and density of wildlife in Durgadevi is as rich as that of the national park. No resort is in the interest of Corbett. But there is only so much within my powers.”

The priority of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), however, is to relocate villages from core tiger habitats. “We do not have the money to compensate villagers in the buffer,” says member-secretary Dr Rajesh Gopal, admitting that the Durgadevi forests are among the finest tiger and elephant forests in the CTR. Yet, he would rather the state government took the initiative to secure it.

While everybody was busy passing the buck, UP politician Akbar Ahmad Dumpy emerged as the game changer.

LOSING THE PLOT
Upstream of Dumunda, the edge of the core area, villagers of Paand, Teria and Jharangu own land till Kalakhand. Barely a kilometre from Kalakhand is Jamun. Then there are land holdings along the river by villagers of Barasi, Barghat, Baluli, Jhamaria, Sankar, Marchula, Bandran and Nagtaley inside CTR.

While opportunistic brokers were auctioning any plot they could grab in this virgin stretch, Dumpy, who owns Riverside Resort, one of the earliest hotels in Ramnagar, decided to strike it big in 2009. In the name of Bhatia Developers and two proxies — aide Daroga Singh and local broker Shambhu Singh — Dumpy bought almost the entire village of Kalakhand by 2011. TEHELKA has land documents of Kalakhand showing holdings by both Daroga and Shambhu. In an inspection report on 18 October 2011, Dhumakot SDM Anil Singh also noted that Daroga was building a resort in Kalakhand with Dumpy and ex-MLA Ranjit Singh Rawat.

This reporter approached Dumpy, Daroga and Shambhu as a prospective buyer. Near Baluli village, the price was Rs 18 lakh an acre. It was a package deal: “You will get to use a chunk of community land with your revenue land. That’s a bonus. Then we will run a JCB to make an access road. For construction, just pick up sand and stone with a tractor from the riverbed.” What if the forest staff objected? “A few bottles (of whiskey) and a few (currency) notes will take care of them. If there is any hassle, ex-MLA Rawat will sort that out.”

At Jamun, land price climbed to Rs 21 lakh per acre. “I also have land in Kalakhand but I cannot sell any. Only Dumpy sir can decide,” explained Shambhu.

“You should talk to my person there,” said Dumpy, directing me to Daroga.

“Come over this Thursday, we all will be there,” Daroga summoned me to Kalakhand. “But it will be Rs 80 lakh an acre.”

The buyers include a young royalty, a young turk in Parliament and the former husband of a corporate lobbyist

The price dropped again downstream towards Dumunda. So what is special about Kalakhand? It is the VIP factor, explained Dumpy’s men. “Big people with black money can shell out any amount. They have enough clout to push for a road. Or maybe they will build a helipad.”

The confidence is not misplaced. In May 2011, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari used his party letterhead (copy with TEHELKA) to write to then CM Ramesh Pokhriyal to allow Daroga Singh access through forest roads for agricultural work in Kalakhand.

Contacted by TEHELKA, Dumpy initially did not respond and got Daroga to call up and claim that there was “nothing illegal about the land-holding”. Soon after, Dumpy decided to defend himself: “Daroga is capable of buying his own land like many others have purchased there. My land in Kalakhand is in the name of Bhatia Developers. We friends help one other while developing such properties. But I’m not selling any land. The forest department denied us road access so we use the riverbed to reach our plots on horseback.”

Earlier, Shambhu and Daroga told this reporter that Dumpy controlled at least 100 acres in Kalakhand: “We have not registered all the land in our name. Villagers have been paid advance money and we register plots directly in the buyers’ names as and when they come along. So far we sold more than 20 plots, 5-10 acres each.”

But no property is safe so far inside this forest without fortification. Already a few fenced plots have come up. Very soon, the reserve may end for its animals at the bank of Ramganga, hemmed in by high-tension wires and fences of luxury properties.

Prasad is not worried. “I have my PPP agreement with the government for angling. But nobody else can buy land here because there is no legal access. Dumpy is using his bull force but I doubt how many buyers will take the risk. Anyway, I am purchasing as much land at Jamun as possible to protect the area,” he assures.

He should know. So should Dumpy. Their Corbett Hideaway and Riverside Resort are two neighbouring mega properties on the Ranikhet road. The road few wild animals dare cross.

TOURISM MESS
Along Corbett’s eastern boundary and across the Kosi river, the lush forests of Ramnagar division have richer plant diversity than the CTR and a tiger density (15 per 100 sq km) almost as high. It is vital that the CTR’s animals have access to Kosi and the forests beyond for water security, regular dispersal and genetic health.

But in the 21 km eastern boundary of CTR between Ramnagar and Mohan, only two narrow passages are available to wildlife for approaching the Kosi river, thanks to a timber depot at Ringora, proliferation of walled resorts in Dhikuli and two large settlements at Sunderkhal and Chukam. As a result, man-animal conflict is on the rise with a spate of human and tiger deaths reported in the past few years.

The Durgadevi Mess Power Hub Of Kalakhand Thanks to Akbar Ahmad Dumpy’s aggressive and selective sales pitches, the land price at Kalakhand village is at least four times that of the nearest village Jamun. For commercial activities, there is no legal access to Kalakhand deep inside Corbett’s Durgadevi range. Yet, Dumpy’s men have already sold at least 20 plots here Loot Inside The Reserve Quarrying of rivers in the night for construction material has been a tradition around the Corbett. Emboldened and with nobody to watch over, now labourers collect bolder during daytime from the Ramganga river adjacent to Jamun village for construction of private properties in Durgadevi range deep inside the tiger reserve Burning Down Forests Land mafia is not only buying abandoned revenue land dirt cheap from absentee villagers inside the tiger reserve but also encroaching on surrounding village panchayat land by clearing and burning down forests. For each legal acre purchased inside forest, say local brokers, an extra acre comes free in most land deals here Private Monopoly Exploiting a dubious pact with the forest department for angling rights, Mukund Prasad’s Leisure Hotel has taken total control over a few kilometres of the Ramganga and the surrounding forests for entertaining tourists. The management protects his monopoly by barring local villagers from setting up even tents to host tourists

Outside the forest department’s jurisdiction, the district administration has allowed this mindless construction boom in the 1-km-wide strip between two prime forest blocs and Kosi, the lifeline of both CTR and Ramnagar, is being ravaged for its stone and sand.

The mushrooming resorts have little to do with wildlife tourism, though. In peak seasons, CTR offers 1,028 safari seats a day. If even 30 percent of tourists go on both morning and evening safaris, 685 unique tourists can enter the reserve daily. If 20 percent of these tourists are day visitors, CTR’s resorts can expect around 550 safari tourists as guests.

At an average of 25 double-bed rooms per property, about 100 small and big hotels around CTR can accommodate 5,000 tourists daily. Average high-season occupancy of 30 percent translates to 1,500 tourists a day — almost three times the number that can enter the reserve.

Clearly, lakhs of tourists, who do not even bother to visit the reserve, occupy CTR’s resorts. Some come for corporate sessions, others for rowdy weddings. They raise levels of sound and light pollution, drain resources such as water and leave behind mounds of garbage.

The same model now threatens to ruin the Ramganga and Durgadevi forests. “Corbett is too precious to be frittered away. We did whatever possible to control the damage. Strict action is required to rein in the land mafia,” says Anil Baluni, who resigned as the vice-chairman of the state Forest and Environment Advisory Committee earlier this year.

By purchasing village lands in the buffer area, the outsiders can demand right to access and water. But the Centre and the state willing, there are enough legal provisions to restrict land use and unsustainable commercial activities that pollute the forest and water systems inside the reserve.

Otherwise, consider this report a call for investment. If the authorities have willingly surrendered Corbett’s future to private hands, the remaining 450-odd sq km reserve forest of the CTR buffer should also be up for sale soon.

Jay Mazoomdaar is an Independent Journalist.
jaymazoomdaar@gmail.com

The WFFT rescue team is currently in Dhaka, Bangladesh to assist with the medical check up and care for three confiscated tiger cubs.

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

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The WFFT rescue team is currently in Dhaka, Bangladesh to assist with the medical check up and care for three confiscated tiger cubs. We will post a small report later today, but as we have received so many questions on how things are with the 3 tigers cubs we can now only say that the tiger cubs have now moved to a better and clean place with 24/7 care. In meetings with high government officials yesterday it was made clear that everything will be done to save the lives of these fragile and very highly endangered Sundarban tigers. WFFT has committed for now to assist with health and daily care issues. More later today…

Lioness operated for tissue infection, fit to move in wild

Roar for the Asiatic Lion

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Lioness operated for tissue infection, fit to move in wild ~ A young lioness, who lost her tail to gangrene, is now fit to be released into the Gir national park at Sasan in Junagadh, forest officials said. “The lioness was operated at the rescue centre located at Jasadhar for gangrene in the tail last month,” said Anshuman Sharma, the deputy conservator of forest, Gir.

The veterinarians had no option but to remove the tail in order to save life of the big cat otherwise the infection could have spread over the entire body, Sharma added.

Gangrene had infected her tail after she was injured in a territorial infighting, he said, adding the wild cat is now fit to be released in its natural habitat.

Gangrene is a potentially life-threatening condition in which a considerable mass of body tissue dies (necrosis) after an injury or infection, primarily caused by reduced blood supply to the affected tissues, resulting in cell death. (Asiatic lion, India courtesy Bhushan Pandya)

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lioness-operated-for-tissue-infection-fit-to-move-in-wild/962314/

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lioness-operated-for-tissue-infection-fit-to-move-in-wild/962314/” width=”403″ height=”403″ />

Please sign and share this important Petition

Please sign and share this important Petition xo

Her Excellency Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand: Stop the Mae Wong dam from destroyin

http://www.change.org/petitions/her-excellency-yingluck-shinawatra-prime-minister-of-thailand-stop-the-mae-wong-dam-from-destroying-prime-tiger-habitat

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Over the last 20 years Mae Wong National Park has become a haven for Thai wildlife including Asian elephant, green peafowl, gaur, and most crucially….

Sumatran tiger saver receives SBY award

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 06/06/2012 8:18 AM

http://www.thejakartapost.com

Rahmat Arifin could not hide his big smile when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono handed over the prestigious Kalpataru environmental award to him at the State Palace on Tuesday in recognition of his tireless efforts in saving the endangered Sumatran tiger.

“I love and admire Sumatran tigers. That has prompted me to save the species. It is also in line with my duty as a forest police ranger,” Rahmat told reporters after the ceremony.

Patrolling the deep forest in the Kerinci Seblat national park is his daily duty. “During patrols, I found many threats against the tigers. With help from my colleagues, I managed to remove dozens of traps set up by irresponsible culprits,” said Rahmat, who lives in the District of Sungai Penuh in Jambi Province.

He added that the traps were set up not only by locals who had felt threatened by tigers that had begun to attack villages, but also by culprits who wanted to seek financial benefits by selling body parts of the species.

“There were indeed some incidents where locals were attacked by tigers. But I do not want to blame the animals. The forests, the tigers’ natural habitat, have continued to shrink due to plantation development,” explained Rahmat, who has been a forest police ranger for 19 years.

According to noted international environmental group Greenpeace, there are now less than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

The activists said the animals had suffered most from large-scale forest clearing in Jambi and Riau provinces.

Rahmat was among 12 environmental heroes receiving Kalpataru awards from the President.

“You have made significant and important efforts in protecting and sustaining the environment,” Yudhoyono said before handing over the award to each of the 12 people.

According to the Environment Ministry, the 12 award winners were selected from 127 candidates nominated by the public.

The handing over of the awards took place on June 5, which is recognized as World Environment Day. On Tuesday, the President also declared June 5 as International Rhino Day.

Besides Kalpataru, Yudhoyono also handed out 125 Adipura environmental awards for clean and green cities. Of the 125, two cities were awarded the Adipura for their exceptional achievements in providing clean and green cities. The two cities were Surabaya, the provincial capital of East Java, and Tulungagung city, also in East Java.

Among the 125 were four out of five municipalities in the nation’s capital of Jakarta: Central Jakarta, North Jakarta, South Jakarta, and East Jakarta. Only West Jakarta was not considered eligible to receive the award. None of the five received an Adipura in 2011.

Other cities receiving Adipura awards were Palembang in South Sumatra, Tangerang (Banten), Semarang (Central Java), Medan (North Sumatra), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), and Manado (North Sulawesi).

Supreme Maine Court considers appeal of animal cruelty in death of bobcat

By Advocate | June 16, 2012 at 10:08 pm

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court wrapped up three days of considering appeals by hearing oral arguments Friday morning in a case that challenges the constitutionality of the state’s aggravated animal cruelty statute as being too vague.

The case stems from an incident in February 2009 when Corey Robinson, 31, of Montville and three other men tried to train their blue tick hunting dogs using a bobcat captured in a cage trap and kept in a garage overnight, according to briefs filed in the case.

A bobcat is seen in Holden in a 2011 file photo courtesy of Nancy Gerow

The bobcat died the next day, Feb. 13, 2009, in a wooded area near Troy when the men tried to get it out of the cage using a catch-pole. When the catch-pole, described as a long pole with a leash at the end, apparently malfunctioned, the bobcat struggled against the leash, while the dogs attacked it, the briefs said.

One of Robinson’s hunting companions captured the bobcat’s death on videotape and estimated it took the animal about three minutes or more to die once released from the cage, according to the briefs.

Robinson, who worked as a prison guard with the Department of Corrections, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class C crime, and violation of closed season trapping, a Class E crime. A Waldo County jury found him guilty on Oct. 25, 2011, on both counts after a two-day trial. Superior Court Justice Robert E. Murray Jr. sentenced Robinson to 15 months in prison with all but 10 days suspended and two years of probation and a $1,000 fine on the cruelty charge and to a concurrent 10-day sentence on the trapping violation.

Because he was convicted of a felony, Robinson lost his job, according to a previously published report. He also lost his right to possess a firearm.

In his appeal, Robinson asked the justices to set aside the jury’s verdict on the felony charge.

Robinson’s attorney, Thomas S. Marjerison of Portland, who did not represent Robinson at his trial, argued that the events that led up to the bobcat’s death did not constitute “depraved indifference to animal life” as the law requires. Marjerison said in his brief that the high court’s previous ruling in a domestic violence case that found the term was not constitutionally vague does not apply to the facts in Robinson’s case.

In that instance, Marjerison argued in his brief, the defendant deliberately threw and then drove over a cat during a family fight.

“Robinson and [the] other men were merely trying to safely release the bobcat to train their dogs,” he wrote. “An inadvertent accident resulted in the death of the bobcat. In a ‘fair’ hunt, the result would have been the same for the bobcat. … Simply, the bobcat suffered no more than if

killed in a ‘fair’ hunt.”

In his brief, Eric J. Walker, deputy district attorney for Waldo County, called the death of the bobcat “a crime that should never have happened.”

“The bobcat was trapped illegally in a live trap during closed season and by an unlicensed trapper,” he wrote. “It was then used illegally to train dogs as live training aid. The bobcat then suffered a long, tortured death being attacked by four large dogs. Given the senselessness of this crime and the extreme grisly manner in which it was carried out, it is not surprising the jury reached the verdict it did.”

In an unrelated case out of Lewiston District Court, Jacklyne S. Poole, who was convicted of domestic violence assault, challenged how the court system allows defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes to elect to have jury trials. Jeffrey S. Dolley, the Lewiston attorney handling her appeal, told justices Thursday that the two different methods of asking for jury trials used in Maine violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Poole was required to request a jury trial within 21 days of her arraignment, Dolley said. If she had lived in either Penobscot or Cumberland county, Poole would have been required to opt out rather than opt into a jury trial.

Courts in those two counties operate under a unified criminal docket rather than a District Court docket for misdemeanors and a Superior Court docket for felonies. The combined system was implemented several years ago in an effort to create efficiencies in the system, Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley has said previously.

Justice Donald Alexander pointed out that since 1981 defendants charged with felonies have had the option to opt out of, rather than ask, for jury trials.

In addition to ruling on appeals, Supreme Judicial Court justices in Maine are the administrators for the court system. Maine is the only state where the justices have such dual roles.

“If you are right, we could never take steps toward the incremental implementations of reform and create a pilot project as we have done the [Unified Criminal Docket],” Justice Andrew Mead said to Dolley.

“It would be very easy to do,” Dolly replied. “All you have to do is amend a rule so all defendant got the right to a jury trial [without a deadline]. Then all defendants would be treated the same.”

James “Ted” Glessner, the adminstrator for the court system, sat in on Thursday’s argument. He said the long-term goal is to implement the unified criminal docket in every county.

The justices next will hear oral arguments in September at the Cumberland County Courthouse.

There is no timetable under which the court must issue its decisions.

BANGOR, MAINE By Judy Harrison, BDN Staff

Posted June 15, 2012, at 6:26 p.m.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/06/15/news/bangor/aggravated-animal-cruelty-law-too-vague-in-bobcat-case-attorney-says/

Behind the Cloak of Buddha – Cee4life

Behind the Cloak of Buddha – Cee4life

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Members “New” and “Old”, Thank you for coming to this page and for your Support. The More We Spread the Awareness of Tiger Temple , the More These Victims have a Voice….Through each and every one of “You”… Please feel free to Share any info.

The Petition- http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/The-Wildlife-Trade-Tiger-Temple-Behind-the-Cloak-of-Buddha/ , as well as the Link To the Book

{Behind the Cloak of Buddha}- http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloak-Buddha-animal-endurance/dp/1442102020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339162598&sr=8-1&fb_source=message ,

so the Truth gets out there…..The World Needs to Simply know…..The Truth. Thank you xo

LADY LIUWA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Lady Liuwa. Photo courtesy of Stephen Cunliffe Photography

Lion Voice.org.

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LADY LIUWA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSLion Voice receives emails daily from Lady’s fans around the world. Rather than responding to each email individually, we will now post the questions and answers.

(Q) Is Lady Liuwa still alive?

(A) As of June 16, 2012, Lady Liuwa is indeed alive and well.

(Q) Has Lady mated and producedd cubs with the two males?

(A) Lady spends a great deal of time with her new male companions and they have been observed mating. Unfortunately it is likely that Lady is sterile and incapable of conceiving.

(Q) Has Lady formed a pride with the two young female lions?

(A) At this point the two young females are avoiding Lady. They remain in Liuwa Plain, although shortly after being introduced they did wander to the edges of the park boundaries. Lady has been aggressive towards the young females and they are afraid of her. They may not form a pride but at this point it is too early to know for certain.

(Q) Have the two young females mated with the two males?

(A) The two females have not yet reached sexual maturity. For this reason the males are not interested in them. When the females are able to mate we are hoping they will attract the males’ attention and produce cubs.

(Q) If Lady doesn’t have cubs, has this whole project been a waste of time and money?

(A) Lady Liuwa was the only lioness on Liuwa Plain. She was isolated and lonely. The effort to bring other lions to Liuwa Plain National Park served two purposes: (1) to unite Lady with other lions; and (2) to re-establish a viable lion population. Those goals were clearly met. Lady was visibly delighted with the introduction of the males. There are now five healthy lions thriving in Liuwa Plain. Assuming Lady doesn’t have cubs and doesn’t form a pride with the two females, her life was still changed for the better. The two new males and females are the first step in rebuilding the natural process in Liuwa Plain.

(Q) How can I help Lady Liuwa?

(A) The best way to help Lady is to donate to African Parks, who maintain Liuwa Plain National Park in partnership with the Zambia Wildlife Authority. Donations can be made by contacting Jane Edge, Director of Marketing and Philanthropy, janee@african-parks.org.

(Q) Are there safari tours of Liuwa Plain National Park?

(A) Robin Pope Safaris operates safaris to Liuwa Plain, but only in May, June, November and December. For more information contact Robin Pope Safaris by email, info@robinpopesafaris.net.

Wild for Wildlife and Nature

Wild for Wildlife and Nature

Please LIKE and SHARE our Wildlife page. Understanding and appreciation of our precious wildlife and their environment helps keep our Wildlife alive https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-for-Wildlife-and-Nature/279792438707552

—

Black Panther cubs ♥

3 nabbed with tiger cub pelt

Jun 15, 2012, 11.57AM IST TNN

m.timesofindia.com

MYSORE: A six-month-old tiger cub has fallen prey to poachers, and is suspected to have been killed at BRT Wildlife Sanctuary, a tiger reserve in Chamarajnagar, bordering Tamil Nadu.

The poaching came to light following the arrest of three persons who were netted by a forest department vigilance squad posing as prospective buyers. They were arrested at Siddiahapura near Chamarajnagar and the tiger pelt and bones recovered from them. The officials are trying to locate where the cub was killed.

Sources told TOI that the cub may have been killed three days ago, given the freshness of the pelt. “How it died is yet to be ascertained as there are no bullet marks on the pelt. It could have been poisoned too,” the sources stated. The officials are sending the pelt and bones to the Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Studies for further examination. The gender of the cub could not be ascertained from the pelt but said it could be a female.

The three arrested are Mahadev from Boodipadaga, Mahesh from Kullur and Narayan from Coimbatore, while two others escaped.

This is second case of poaching reported from tiger reserves in the Mysore-Kodagu-Chamarajnagar region. A tiger was killed in mid-February near Kushalnagar in the buffer zone of Nagarahole National Park, which came to light on April 7, after forest officials arrested one person at Naviluru in Periyapatna taluk in Mysore district. He later told police that they killed the tiger when they went hunting for deer and came across the big cat, and shot it.

Attn: Mysore Desk/Political Desk

This is story related to seizure of tiger pelt outside BR Hills tiger reserve in Chamarajnagar. This is second incident in recent times when the tiger pelt is seized in the area.

Visit our new website to view snow leopard photos from around the world!

Snow Leopard Trust

http://www.facebook.com/snowleopard.org

Visit our new website to view snow leopard photos from around the world! http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/photos-videos

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As Another Weekend Approaches , it Seems it is a “Special One” for all you Dad’s out there ….For all Species Celebrating Father’s Day, this Weekend, here is hoping you all Have a Grrrrrreat Day! Enjoy your Day, you Deserve it.
Happy Weekend Everyone xox

FREEDOM~For Tony the Tiger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FREEDOMFor-Tony-the-Tiger/138737836188663

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Africa Geographic

http://www.facebook.com/Africa.Geographic

Have you seen the top ten entries for our picture of the day competition in May?

http://blog.africageographic.com/africa-geographic-blog/wildlife/top-10-picture-of-the-day-entries-may-2012/

http://blog.africageographic.com/africa-geographic-blog/wildlife/top-10-picture-of-the-day-entries-may-2012/” width=”403″ height=”403″ />

After announcing that the forest area near Sathyamangalam in western Tamil Nadu would be declared as a tiger reserve….

ROARrrrr for Jungle Tiger

After announcing that the forest area near Sathyamangalam in western Tamil Nadu would be declared as a tiger reserve, the state government is conducting a census of the big cat.

If there are tigers, there surely are sufficient deer and other animals. And if there are deer and other animals, then there is abundant green cover for these animals to feed.

Camera trappings have some numbers which are in the initial phase and tigers recorded in an area only gave an indication of a healthy food cycle. Tigers are in that way indicators of forest environment, as they stand top in the forest food cycle.

Forest Minister K T Pachamal had announced in the assembly recently that 1,40,924 hectares in Sathyamangalam area would be declared as a tiger reserve.

Don’t allow tigers and jaguars to be killed for fun in South Africa.

Don’t allow tigers and jaguars to be killed for fun in South Africa.

ANIMAL SHAME- Tigers are from Asia and Jaguars are from Latin America so you are probably wondering what…

Protect Big Cats and Humans Alike!

Protect Big Cats and Humans Alike!

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=3&campaign=BigCatsProtection&fb_source=message

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

Support a bill that would prohibit the personal ownership of big cats like lions, tigers, and cheetahs.

“Cougars Are Returning to the U.S. Midwest after More Than 100 Years,”

Panthera

http://www.facebook.com/pantheracats

In Scientific American‘s article, “Cougars Are Returning to the U.S. Midwest after More Than 100 Years,” Panthera‘s Teton Cougar Project Director, Dr Howard Quigley, explained that “The recolonization of former range by cougars is one of the most significant changes in the wildlife landscape of the U.S. in the last few decades.” Read about this recolonization & how humans & cougars can coexist. http://bit.ly/LMWROX

{Sit Back , Turn Up your Volume} and watch this Beautiful Collection of the Great Cats that Walk this Planet….We are Blessed to have them Walk This Earth, and We are Losing Them All. Their Importance, Their Role, Their Need to be a Continued part of this Earth Needs to Shouted as Loud as We can for Them. It is Never Too Late to Join Their Fight and help Stop their Extinction before it Happens…………….Once They are Gone {We Cannot Bring them Back} xo

 

Big cats- The Great Cats of the Earth

Uploaded by Dragonio3 on Jun 7, 2009

4 video clips, and a bunch of pictures! A big cat tribute the great big cats! I repeated parts of the song, hear and there so that everything would fit :3

Miracle cheetah of surprises

GOOD RETURNS: Sibella, who required special surgery after a near-death mauling eight years ago, has gone on to contribute 18 to the dwindling cheetah population

Image by: Picture: SUPPLIED BY SAMA GAME RESERVE

http://www.timeslive.co.za

DUNCAN REYNEKE | 12 June, 2012 00:13

Sibella, the miracle wild cheetah rescued by Samara Game Reserve officials in 2004 after she was ripped to pieces by dogs, has given birth to two young cubs and, in so doing, entered the record books.

Having given birth to 18 cubs since her rescue, Sibella has contributed 2% to the national cheetah population, officials at the reserve said on Monday.

Park rangers said they were concerned last week when the much-loved cheetah dropped out of sight for five days.

Tracking her via GPS, they hiked up the hills to her on Sunday – and she was not alone.

Manager at the Samara Wildlife Volunteer Programme, Hayley Clements, described the now week-old cubs as “the tiniest, fluffiest creatures I’ve ever seen”.

“We hiked all the way to the top thinking she [Sibella] had been up there a couple of days because she had killed a particularly scrumptious kudu. We couldn’t have been more wrong,” said Clements.

“Sibella is 10 this year. She’s already produced three litters – 18 cubs in total – a miracle by cheetah standards. “

Discovered in 2004 in North West at the age of two, Sibella had been severely mistreated and attacked by dogs before being left in a cage.

Near death, she was given life-saving treatment and went on to make an unexpected recovery.

Park officials said the births were poignant in light of cheetah numbers having dwindled to about 1000 in recent years.

Reserve general manager Marnus Ochse said: “All of her previous cubs have been relocated to other reserves.”

TigerTime – Save the Tiger

TigerTime – Save the Tiger

http://www.facebook.com/TigerTimeNow

 

It is certainly a happy Tiger Tuesday, with some wonderful new wild tiger photos from Michael Vickers. Help us save them, sign www.bantigertrade.com & please share!

╰დ╮❤╭დ╯Tigers in Crisis

SAVE BIG CATS ≈ Actions & Petitions

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAVE-BIG-CATS-Actions-Petitions/205358572818196

 

╰დ╮❤╭დ╯Tigers in Crisis

Photograph by John Varty

In just over 100 years, we have lost 97 percent of the world’s wild tigers. Hundreds of thousands of tigers once roamed the lands of Asia, but today, their numbers have fallen to just 3,200. And according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, of this remnant population, just 1,000 are breeding females—individuals that hold the last hope for this magnificent and iconic great cat.

A beautiful mother and daughter snow leopard pair

Snow Leopard Trust

http://www.facebook.com/snowleopard.org

Kenya: Support for Higher poaching penalties.

Kenya: Support for Higher poaching penalties.

www.avaaz.org

2,500

1,731

1,731 signers. Let’s reach 2,500

Why this is important

We are rapidly losing major keystone species such as elephant and rhino to a trade facilitated by criminalized syndicates. Unfortunately the levels of international unrest and wider economic crisis have eclipsed the need for greater awareness and decisive action across the international stage. Only when these criminal networks have wiped out our elephants and rhino will the true catastrophe be realized, ecologically and economically.
We do not have the time however, to wait for international condemnation or for the consumers from an entire Far Eastern culture to change over night. Kenya, like many other African countries, needs to mobilize all available resources and coordinate a nationwide collaborative approach that denies any illegal organization or individuals the freedom to operate.

 

The rapid enactment and enforcement of laws that are applicable to the situation is critical, if Kenya does not increase the penalties for the poaching of such important species then it will not have a credible deterrent. Without a deterrent those same species that Kenya relies upon to promote the nation overseas for commercial reasons and as part of the national identity, will fall into extinction and be lost forever.

 

It is time for our leaders to use every thing in their power to provide the nation with a relevant form of legal protection. The law enforcement and wildlife agencies of Kenya have been so far denied the tools to achieve their mandate, the protection of one of the nations most important economic and national assets. Kenya requires a legal deterrent to protect itself from such economic damage.

 

We humbly request the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E Mwai Kibaki to address this issue immediately while there is still time. Not least that when Kenya attends the CITES CoP 16th meeting in Thailand next march the Kenyan team is not accused of not practicing what they preach in so much as Kenya is not taking the protection of its elephants and rhino seriously. We have no doubt that this will happen if we do not have a real legal deterrent. If we do not move now Kenya will not only lose its greatest assets but also all credibility across the international conservation arena, a place where we were once looked upon as world leaders.

 

We therefore appeal to the global and local community to add their names to a petition in support of the Hon Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, in his request to the President of Kenya to move a motion through presidential decree increasing the penalties for poaching and assisting in the illegal wildlife trade with special relevance to elephants, rhino and lion species.

In support of our national wildlife authority KWS, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and the many concerned citizens of Kenya we request that this decree is past with haste.

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SAVE BIG CATS ≈ Actions & Petitions

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAVE-BIG-CATS-Actions-Petitions/205358572818196

╰დ╮❤╭დ╯Tigers in Crisis

Photograph by John Varty

In just over 100 years, we have lost 97 percent of the world’s wild tigers. Hundreds of thousands of tigers once roamed the lands of Asia, but today, their numbers have fallen to just 3,200. And according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, of this remnant population, just 1,000 are breeding females—individuals that hold the last hope for this magnificent and iconic great cat.

Gotcha! Terrifying shot of leopard captured mid pounce

By Anthony Bond

PUBLISHED: 09:31 GMT, 11 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:02 GMT, 11 June 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157536/They-grow-old-fast-Terrifying-picture-leopard-shows-cute-cubs-soon-deadly-predators.html#ixzz1xXF3QPjo

In the first few years of their lives they are cute little creatures which even the hardest of hearts can’t help but adore.

But, as this picture clearly illustrates, it’s worth remembering what happens when they grow up.

This incredible picture of a leopard was taken in Namibia by famed wildlife photographer, Steve Bloom who spent a decade travelling the globe and seeking out some of the world’s most lethal creatures.

Scary: This incredible picture of a leopard was taken in Namibia by famed wildlife photographer Steve Bloom. He spent a decade travelling the globe and seeking out some of the world’s most lethal creatures

Intense: This picture shows an elephant drinking across a waterhole from a family of lions in Savuti, Botswana

From brutal battles to tender moments between a lioness and her cubs, these stunning pictures capture the true beauty of big cats on camera.

The 59-year-old, who is originally from South Africa and now lives in Kent, admitted he had a few scary moments during his travels including a face-to-face meeting with a leopard.

 

More…

• Orphans of the storm: Baby birds latest victims of bad weather after they are blown from their nests
• Meet Rupert the Melbourne fat cat who weighs in at 20lb three times bigger than the average moggy… and he is set to keep on growing

He said: ‘Every situation is dangerous in one way or another but the key is to stay in your vehicle.

‘If you do that it’s almost like you’re in a cage because they don’t see you as a threat.

Adorable: They may turn out to be fierce predators but they start out as cute little cubs, as this picture taken in Queen Elizabeth Park, Uganda, shows

 

Touching: A lioness washes her cubs in the Masai Mara, Kenya. The photographer, Steve Bloom, didn’t try his hand at wildlife photography until he was 40

 

‘Once you step out of the car you break the silhouette and that’s when they see you as something different and you’re in danger.

‘I once had a leopard climb onto the bonnet of the open top car I was in. It’s paw reached over and actually touched my camera bag but I just froze.

‘I stayed completely still and it eventually went away. That was a pretty scary moment but you just can’t predict something like that.

‘You have to show them respect because you’re in their territory not the other way around.’

Surprisingly Mr Bloom didn’t try his hand at wildlife photography until he was 40-years-old but just three years later he made it his full-time career.

How they change: This image on the left shows a cute cheetah cub in Namibia while, on the right, is a snarling adult leopard, also in Namibia

Together: A lion family looks for shelter from a storm in the Masai Mara, Kenya

Cute: A cub can be seen snuggling up to a lion in the Masai Mara in Kenya

The dramatic images taken over a period of ten years have now been compiled to form a new children’s book entitled My Big Cats Journal (Thames & Hudson).

The book is the latest in a long line of successes for Mr Bloom who has also published numerous other works exhibiting his photography including Untamed, Elephant! and Spirit of the Wild.

He said: ‘The thing about wildlife photography is it’s a balance of luck and opportunity, it’s so hard to predict what result you’re going to get.

‘You need to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.

‘I love the glamorous, attractive and dynamic nature of big cats.

‘They’re visually very dramatic but there’s definitely also a primeval fascination with them because we relate them to the fluffy kittens we have at home.

‘I didn’t actually get into wildlife photography until the 1990s and I turned 40.

‘I took a camera with me when I went on safari and I just became completely immersed and obsessed with taking photos.

‘From there I made the decision to turn my back on the hustle and bustle of London and go travelling. I haven’t looked back since.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157536/They-grow-old-fast-Terrifying-picture-leopard-shows-cute-cubs-soon-deadly-predators.html#ixzz1xXE8ItAF

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ROARrrrr for Jungle Tiger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ROARrrrr-for-Jungle-Tiger/166490116742359

15 of the leading e-commerce sellers operating in China, including Alibaba, Taobao, and Tencent, have signed a declaration stating they have a zero-tolerance policy towards their services being used to conduct illegal wildlife trading.

The declaration roughly translates as: We all live on the same planet, and a healthy environment is good for you and your family. Conserving biodiversity and maintaining a healthy environment are important for future generations. However, through the actions of people, increasingly rare wildlife species are suffering because of illegal trade. The rapid development of the internet has taken illegal wildlife trade into the virtual world. The illegal online trade in endangered species violates China’s Wild Animal Protection Law and Criminal Law, as well as CITES, and seriously damages natural resources and negatively impacts on bio-diversity conservation. Furthermore, it also interrupts the normal and legal operation of auction and related websites. Today, we all state our promise that we will adopt zero-tolerance towards illegal online trade in tiger, rhino and elephant products. We will strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations through effectively filtering and screening illegal trade information in endangered species, actively reporting this information to enforcement agencies, and dealing seriously with illegal users. Please join us in protecting earth’s beautiful creatures.

Although wildlife law enforcement efforts in China have led to gains in policing physical markets for wildlife, the availability of illegal wildlife goods online has been gaining ground, as evidenced by the booming popularity of the internet and the burgeoning number of websites where ‘high profile’ animal species or parts, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, tiger and marine turtles, are illegally offered for sale.

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Panthera

http://www.facebook.com/pantheracats

Panthera’s photos of wild jaguars in a Colombian oil palm plantation have just been posted on TIME’s Ecocentric Blog @ http://ti.me/MB01Em. In the article, TIME International‘s Senior Editor & Enviro blogger, Bryan Walsh (@bryanrwalsh), discusses the barriers created by these plantations for large species like jaguars that require room to roam, hunt & breed. Read Panthera’s full press release @ http://bit.ly/KczKxV

The last lions: Rare big cats, baby rhinos and wild wonders aplenty in awesome India

By Vivien Creegor.

PUBLISHED: 14:18 GMT, 10 June 2012 | UPDATED: 15:52 GMT, 10 June 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2157189/India-wilflife-holidays-Lions-wild-wonder-Gujarats-Gir-National-Park.html#ixzz1xXBjdL7W

To tell the truth, I didn’t know there were lions in India, and if it hadn’t been for the animal-loving Nawab of Junagadh, they would have died out. In Gujarat more than a century ago, he was invited to hunt the last remaining few, but he had a brainstorm, said ‘Hang on a mo’ (or something similar) and suggested preserving these marvellous beasts.

Yawn to be wild: Asiatic lions have smaller manes and paler fur than their African cousins

Determined to see them for myself, I travelled with my friend Ange to Mumbai via Dubai. This was followed by another flight to the tiny airport of Rajkot, way up the coast of north-west India, before we took a three-hour drive to the Lion Safari Camp of Sasan Gir in Gujarat’s Gir National Park.

This is where the last lions of India can be found.

More…

• More wild wonders in our India section
• Mountains and monasteries in little-known Sikkim
• Eye on the tiger in central India

We were put up in large tents, which had perfectly adequate bathrooms attached. Each tent also had a wooden veranda where you could enjoy your evening non-alcoholic drink (alcohol is forbidden in Gujarat) while soaking up the weird and wonderful sounds of nature around you.

That first night we were treated to a troupe performing an impressive fire dance before dinner. These people were Siddis, a tribe who arrived from Africa centuries ago.

The food – traditional Indian with a Mughal influence – was good and plentiful. For our first dinner we sampled lemon coriander soup, paneer dopiaza (twice-cooked onions in cottage cheese), mixed dal, steamed rice and fried fish.

We were also served salad, which we surreptitiously washed at the table with bottled water. Although one waiter saw us doing it, we didn’t attempt to explain our fear of ‘Delhi belly’.

After temperatures of about 95F the previous afternoon, there was a chill in the air the following morning when we set out for our first game drive.

We bumped along in our Jeep with our excellent guide pointing out a never-ending parade of wildlife – mongoose, honey buzzards, sambar (an Indian deer the size of a small horse) storks, woodpeckers, wild boar, snakes and buffalo.

The sanctuary itself admits that the lions are elusive ‘but you will see at least one’. And one was indeed the sum total for us – but what a magnificent specimen he was.

He meandered along the track for a good 20 minutes and ignored us, intent instead on spraying every tree he came across to mark out his territory. It was wonderful to watch an animal behaving in a ‘real’ way despite our presence.

Because the lion was padding along slowly, our guide was able to point out the differences compared to an African lion – a mane that grows only halfway round his head, and much paler fur.

As ever with wildlife-spotting, there’s serious one-upmanship among the guests. Back at the camp, a doctor from New York told us she had seen a ‘cheetah’. We were impressed until we realised there are no cheetahs in Sasan Gir and that she’d actually seen a chital – a deer of which there are 46,000 in the forest, providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the 300 or so lions.

In the afternoon we were driven to Kamleshwar Lake to see how many of its estimated 400 marsh crocodiles we could spot lurking just beneath the surface (quite a few). From here we also had a splendid view of both the Gir forest and a fiery sunset from a specially built watchtower.

The first leg of our short stay was over but we had time for some sightseeing before leaving Gujarat.

First of all we were driven to the Somnath Temple near Veraval in Saurashtra, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to locals, the temple has ‘withstood the shocks of time and survived the attacks of destroyers’. So it was slightly disappointing to discover it was built only in 1947 because six previous temples had been, er, destroyed.

We were then driven a little further along the coast to Diu where we walked around the truly magnificent Diu Fort, built by the Portuguese in the mid-16th Century after endless spats with the Sultan of Gujarat.

It looked awesome in daylight, so it must be sensational at night when it’s lit up. The Portuguese have apparently voted it one of their seven wonders of the world.

From the north-west coast of India, we then flew right across the country to Guwahati in Assam, on the east coast, where the highlight would be visiting the Kaziranga National Park, famous for its one-horned rhinos.

After a five-hour drive from the airport, we reached Wild Grass Lodge, close to the park and our destination for the next three nights. We received a warm welcome from staff, and in particular from our allotted guide, Paulus. We asked to stay in a cottage in the grounds rather than the main guest building, and this turned out to be the better option.

The cottage was comfortable and the bathroom basic but good enough. We also had our own resident goat who appeared outside our door the next day, evidently aware that our early-morning coffee also came with biscuits. He polished these off, looked at me expectantly for more and, after I showed him my empty palms, seemed to understand, slipping away without a glance.

After breakfast, Paulus came to get us and off we went to Kaziranga. The first difference we noticed compared with Sasan Gir was that this park is covered in 10ft-high elephant grass and has lush, forest-like areas.

With an estimated 1,600 rhino, you’re guaranteed to see one or two, though on our first trip it was only from a distance. Why? Because you don’t mess with a one-horned rhino and her baby! We also saw wild boar, kestrels and elephants.

Taken to tusk: Viv sets out to explore via elephant

Paulus was enthusiastic about everything we saw but he went into overdrive when he spotted a startlingly coloured hornbill in a tree.

In the evening we were urged to gather in the grounds at Wild Grass Lodge for a dancing display by local children. They were all very sweet and wore gorgeous costumes.

After a dinner of spicy vegetable soup, Bombay potato, spiced green beans, chicken curry, fish curry, pilau rice (and, hurrah, alcohol was served!), we went to bed early because we knew we had a treat in store the following day – an elephant safari.

We gathered at 5.30am as the mist began to rise, and there was a real air of excitement as we all waited to be assigned our animal. Ange and I met our mahoot and struck out on a huge male elephant who was able to multitask – walking and eating at the same time, tugging with his trunk at the lush vegetation without a pause.

Without a noisy Jeep to startle them, the rhinos were very accessible, grazing just a couple of yards away from us. We got some angry snorts and glares from a few, but only once did a huge male make a mock charge and the mahoot knew it was time to retreat.

To get so close to rhino in the wild was a startling experience, especially with the early-morning noises and calls of other animals nearby, while the dawn mist gave the whole scene a slightly surreal look.

Paulus then blotted his copybook somewhat by insisting on taking us on a boat trip to search for river dolphins. We paid to hire a vessel (belonging to a ‘friend’ of Paulus) but there wasn’t so much as a fin to be seen.

However, we weren’t really angry with him as the drive to the Brahmaputra River was lovely. We travelled through a fascinating village built on stilts and then the forests of Kaziranga, which eventually gave way to sand dunes. Along the sand there were fresh tiger tracks but, alas, not the animal itself. It wasn’t our afternoon for wildlife, clearly.

The next day we bade farewell to the Wild Grass Lodge and flew to Calcutta for one night, eating the most sublime Bengali food in the Aaheli restaurant at our hotel, the Peerless Inn.

Before heading home, we took a short stroll in the blistering heat to a market where we happily spent our remaining rupees on earrings, bangles, silk and cashmere.

It was my third visit to India in as many years – I’m totally hooked.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2157189/India-wilflife-holidays-Lions-wild-wonder-Gujarats-Gir-National-Park.html#ixzz1xXBW4t9D

Cheetah in Iran migrating between 2 reserves 130 kilometres apart

http://www.wildlifeextra.com

Cheetah ID card from Iranian cheetah mother.

Camera trap photos show one cheetah covering large distances
June 2012. Based on recent camera trapping surveys conducted in central Iran, it has been discovered that surprisingly large distances are covered by Asiatic cheetahs. A well-known female cheetah, which has been monitored over the past three years, was found to migrate between two reserves, Siahkouh National Park and Dare Anjir Wildlife Refuge, which are more than 130 kms apart as the crow flies.

The female was first recorded in Siahkouh in 2009 giving birth to a litter of three cheetah cubs; sadly she lost one of her cubs within the first months. She stayed in Siahkouh until the cubs were 2 years old, but then she was spotted in Dare Anjir in 2011 with her cubs. After her two sons became independent, she disappeared from Dare Anjir but recent camera trap photos reveal that she has returned to Siahkouh.

Cheetah migration between Siahkouh National Park and Dare Anjir Wildlife Refuge, which are more than 130 kms apart.

Passed 1 railway & 2 major roads
To complete each leg of this journey, she must have crossed one railway and two main roads. In Africa, cheetahs have been reported to walk long distances, usually following the migration patterns of their main prey. However, such a phenomenon has not been investigated among Asiatic cheetahs, and this new evidence indicates that these cheetah habitats are still connected and have to be managed as a unit. Presently, camera traps have been deployed in this area as well as its neighbouring Abbas Abad Wildlife Refuge to try to find out if the “Mother” has new cubs.

Asiatic cheetah in Iran
Occurring in very low density, Asiatic cheetahs have has little systematic monitoring in Iran. Three years ago, a monitoring project was launched which led to the largest ever camera trapping program in Iran, initiated last winter within four reserves in central Iran.

More about the wildlife of Iran

• Leopard cubs caught on photo trap in Iran
• Cheetah conservation in Iran.
• Leopard conservation in Iran.
• Brown bears in Iran.
• Young leopard dies in snare in Iran

The monitoring program was conducted by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) and Yazd Department of Environment in partnership with Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and Panthera. Now, the effort is to be extended toward northern population to cover more areas of cheetah territory in the country. Undoubtedly, such monitoring information can provide reliable decision making tools for conservationists and managers to save Iran’s cheetahs.

Cheetah identity card based on her images in recent years

Ohio Doing Right by Animals

Posted: 06/06/2012 10:45 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

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Born Free , Will Travers , Zanesville Ohio Animals , Born Free USA , Weird Animals , Ohio , Green News

Ohio, where dozens of animals were shot dead in October after being let out of their backyard cages by their suicidal owner, was ripe for catastrophe. After all, it is one of only seven states that lack any laws regarding the private possession of “exotic” animals.

Now, thanks to the hard work of animal protection organizations things are changing. Senate Bill 310 which, though not as strong as we would like it to be, establishes regulations where none now exist, last month was approved by the Ohio Legislature and was signed by Gov. John R. Kasich today, June 5, 2012.

Born Free USA, along with our coalition partners The Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, supports this legislation because the kind of horror that happened in Zanesville last fall should not be allowed to reoccur.

Among other things, SB 310 will:

• Ban new ownership of dangerous wild animals, including big cats, some smaller exotic cats, bears, hyenas, gray wolves, non-human primate species, alligators and crocodiles.
• Grandfather existing animals so people who currently have them can keep them, as long as they obtain a permit.
• Require owners of exotic animals covered under the grandfather clause to acquire liability insurance or surety bonds ranging from $200,000 to $1 million.
• Require existing owners of exotic animals to comply with housing and safety standards that will be established by the Ohio Department of agriculture.
• Require criminal background checks to qualify for a permit for owners of existing exotic animals.

Although the bill exempts professional zoos and sanctuaries accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), it inappropriately extends those same exemptions to individuals associated with the Zoological Association of America (ZAA), a group that advocates for private possession of dangerous exotic pets, and unaccredited “rescue” facilities.

The bill also allows the possession of constrictor snakes under 12 feet in length, even though more than half of the constrictor snake-related deaths in the U.S. have been caused by such snakes.

Just last month, a preacher in West Virginia died after he was bit by a rattlesnake he held in captivity. Pastor Mack Wolford had been encouraging his flock to test their faith by handling poisonous snakes. What a sorry and totally avoidable death his was.

Wolford’s sad tale is listed in Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents database, which details more than 500 occasions in which humans and privately possessed reptiles have come into conflict.

In Ohio, our database lists more than 90 exotic animal vs. human conflicts, most recently two four-foot-long alligators found captive in a Cincinnati basement during a drug bust, and a 1,000-pound African eland antelope shot with a tranquilizer dart after escaping from a private animal safari park in Huron Township.

We want events such as these to serve as brutal reminders that wildlife belong in the wild and that no one should ever put the animals or the public at risk by trying to confine them in a zoo, circus, backyard or home, where serious injury or death can occur at any time. Laws must be created and enforced to stop these potential situations at the source. No one should be allowed ever to “own” a wild animal.

With SB 310 signed into law, Ohio will prove that it is determined to prevent another Zanesville. It will illustrate a growing awareness that exotic animals cannot be casually possessed. It is not the end of Ohio’s journey toward protecting wildlife and people, but it is a step in the right direction.

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Preliminary reports of the recently concluded wildlife census in Haryana has revealed an increase in the number of carnivores — especially leopard, jungle cat, small Indian civet, Jackal, India fox, etc. — in Morni area of Panchkula district.
Haryana wildlife department recently concluded the wildlife census after getting its men trained by WII experts on technical aspects. Morni forest area also have significant population of animals like barking deers Sambar, chital and antelopes like Neelgais and blackbucks, wild boar, etc.

The report comes at a time when Panchkula is witnessing incidents of wild animals straying into residential areas.

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The near-threatened jaguar is the only big cat found in the Americas, and they’re usually quite shy. They have good reason—jaguars are hunted for their skins, and their jungle habitat is being cleared for agriculture. And now the cats face a new threat—growing plantations of oil palm, a commercial species that’s being raised chiefly for biofuels. Planting oil palm—which is becoming increasingly common in South America and Asia— involves clearing native jungle, and while the resulting plantations might resemble forests, the habitat is utterly changed. That can mean real trouble for the jaguars and other species that depend on the forest.

Courtesy: Ecocentric/ Bryan Walsh.

African Lions vs. Asiatic Lions

Asiatic Lion

Last Lions of India : Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom : Animal Planet

animal.discovery.com/…lions…/asiatic-vs-african/asiatic-vs-african.ht…

Asiatic vs. African Lions

There is only one species of lion: Panthera leo. The Asiatic lion is just one of many subspecies, all of which have been geographically isolated from one another for thousands of years. Though they all possess slightly different physical and even behavioral traits, they are still capable of interbreeding and producing viable offspring. The following is a list of all the known lion subspecies, both living and extinct.Angola Lion (P.l. bleyenberghi)

(Zimbabwe, Angola and Zaire)

Asiatic Lion (P.l. persica)

(

Gir Forest

Sanctuary in Northwest India)

Barbary or Atlas Lion (P.l. leo)

(North

Africa

; extinct in 1920 but may exist in captivity)

Cape Lion (P.l. melanochaitus)

(

South Africa’s

Cape Province; extinct in 1850 but may exist in captivity)

Masai Lion (P.l. massaicus)

(Eastern Africa, notably Kenya and Tanzania)

Senegalese Lion (P.l. senegalensis)

(Western Africa)

Transvaal or South African Lion (P.l. kruegri)

(Botswana,

Nambia

and South Africa)

Asiatic and African lions separated as recently as 100,000 years ago, and are thus very close in genetic make-up. In fact, the differences between the two are less than those found between different human racial groups. However, the differences are significant enough that one can tell the difference between an Asiatic and an African lion if they know what to look for.

SIZE

Asiatic Lion Asiatic lions tend to be smaller than their African cousins. Adult males typically weigh between 350 and 420 pounds, while adult females weigh between 240 and 365 pounds. The largest Asiatic lion on record measured 9½ feet from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail.

African Lion African lions are larger than Asiatic lions. Adult males average between 330 and 500 pounds in weight, with most weighing around 410 pounds. The largest African lion on record weighed over 800 pounds. Females typically weigh the same as their Asiatic cousins. The longest African lion measured almost 11 feet from nose to tail tip.

MANE

Asiatic Lion Compared to the African lion, the male Asiatic lion has a relatively short, sparse mane. As a result, the male Asiatic lion’s ears tend to remain visible at all times. In addition to being less well-developed, the mane is generally darker than that of African lions.

African Lion Male African lions tend to have longer and fuller manes than their Asiatic cousins. A lion’s mane is a signal of male condition. It allows other lions to assess the male’s overall strength and fitness. A male with a long, dark mane is more intimidating to his rivals and more attractive to the opposite sex.

TUFTS

Asiatic Lion Asiatic lions have thicker elbow tufts and a longer tail tuft than African lions. The tail tuft covers a short spine, the function of which is unknown.

African Lion African lions have relatively sparse elbow tufts and a shorter tail tuft than Asiatic lions.

SKIN FOLD

Asiatic Lion Other than the male’s sparse mane, the most distinguishing characteristic of the Asiatic lion is a longitudinal fold of skin that runs along the belly. This trait is found in all Asiatic lions.

African Lion One can quickly tell an Asiatic from an African lion by looking at its belly. Almost all African lions lack the longitudinal fold of skin that runs along the belly of Asiatic lions.

SKULL

Asiatic Lion If you’re ever tasked with finding out whether a lion is Asiatic or African based on its skull alone, here’s a tip. Around 50 percent of Asiatic lions have what are called bifurcated infraorbital foramina. These are small holes in the skull that allow nerves and blood vessels to pass to the eye. If a lion’s skull has two of these, it’s an Asiatic lion.

African Lion For whatever reason, African lions only have one infraorbital foramen. Their eyesight is just as strong as the Asiatic lion’s, so there’s no particular benefit to having two infraorbital foramina versus just one.

PRIDE SIZE

Asiatic Lion Just like African lions, Asiatic lions are highly sociable and live in social units called prides. However, Asiatic prides tend to be smaller than their African counterparts. The largest recorded Asiatic pride included five adult females, but most just have two adult females. This may be because the animals they prey on are relatively small, or because their range in the Gir Forest is so confined. (It should be noted that further field studies may show that what were thought to be small prides are actually just small foraging groups from larger prides.)

African Lion Like Asiatic lions, African lions live in social units called prides. This behavior is unique among cats, as all other feline species are solitary. In Africa, these prides include an average of four to six females, their cubs and one to four male lions. The faster, more agile females do the hunting while the larger male lions patrol and defend the pride’s territory. The females in a pride usually give birth at the same time and raise their cubs together in a crèche, or nursery.

MALE SOCIABILITY

Asiatic Lion Unlike African lions, male Asiatic lions do not live in prides. In fact, they tend to only associate with female lions when mating or at large kills. Otherwise, they live alone or in partnership with another male lion. These partnerships allow male Asiatic lions to control larger territories and more easily scare off rival males.

African Lion In Africa, every lion pride has a resident male or group of males, which defend their prides vigorously against other males. Pride takeovers occur every two years, during which the suckling cubs of the defeated males are killed. This ensures that the new male will pass along his genes.

PREY SIZE

Asiatic Lion The prey animals in the Gir Forest are generally smaller than those in Africa, so hunting groups tend to be smaller as well. This likely explains why pride size is so small. The most commonly taken prey species in the Gir Forest is the chital deer, which weighs only around 110 pounds. These account for around 45 percent of known kills.

African Lion The prey aniamls of the African savanna tend to be larger than those in the Gir Forest of Northwest India. African lions will frequently tackle prey weighing as much as 600 to 800 pounds, such as wildebeest and zebra, and will occasionally take down African buffalo, which weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds. This requires cooperative hunting techniques, which may explain why African lions live in larger prides.

African Lion

Tiger Species of the World | Tiger Species | LiveScience

http://www.livescience.com/15223-gallery-tiger-species.html

Image Album:

Gallery: Tiger Species of the World

Remy Melina, LiveScience Staff Writer

Date: 25 July 2011 Time: 03:53 PM ET

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The Tiger FamilyCredit: Eric Gevaert | DreamstimeThe beautiful and regal tiger (Panthera tigris) has nine current subspecies, three of which are extinct. Here are the six species that remain — all of which are endangered or critically endangered, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. This photo of two Sumatran tiger cubs taking a rest was taken on Oct. 5, 2010.

Black Panther

Black panther – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

 

 

A melanistic jaguar at the Henry Doorly Zoo. Melanism is the result of a dominant allele and remains relatively rare in jaguars.

A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. In Latin America, wild ‘black panthers’ may be black jaguars (Panthera onca); in Asia and Africa, black leopards (Panthera pardus); in Asia, possibly the very rare black tigers (Panthera tigris); and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars (Puma concolor – although this has not been proven to have a black variant), or smaller cats.^[1][2]

Black Panthers are also reported as cryptids in areas such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and if these do exist, their species is not known (see also British big cats). Captive black panthers may be black jaguars, or more commonly black leopards.

Melanism

Melanism in the jaguar (Panthera onca) is conferred by a dominant allele, and in the leopard (Panthera pardus) by a recessive allele. Close examination of the color of these black cats will show that the typical markings are still present, but are hidden by the excess black pigment melanin, giving an effect similar to that of printed silk. This is called “ghost striping”. Melanistic and non-melanistic animals can be littermates. It is thought that melanism may confer a selective advantage under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower. Recent, preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the immune system.^[3]

Leopard

A melanistic leopard

Black leopards are reported in most densely forested areas in southwestern China, Myanmar, Assam and Nepal, from Travancore and other parts of southern India, and are said to be common in Java and the southern part of the Malay Peninsula where they may be more numerous than spotted leopards.^[4] They are less common in tropical Africa, but have been reported in Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia), in the forests of Mount Kenya and in the Aberdares. One was recorded by Peter Turnbull-Kemp^{[clarification needed]} in the equatorial forest of Cameroon. Fur color is a mixture of blue, black, gray, and purple.

In captivity

Melanistic leopards are the most common form of black panther in captivity and they have been selectively bred for decades in the zoo and exotic pet trades. Black leopards are smaller and more lightly built than normally-pigmented individuals.^{[clarification needed]}

It is a myth^{[citation needed]} that black leopards are often rejected by their mothers at an early age because of their color. In actuality, poor temperament has been bred into the captive strains as a side-effect of inbreeding and it is this poor temperament that leads to problems of maternal care in captivity. According to Funk and Wagnalls‘ Wildlife Encyclopedia, captive black leopards^[5] are less fertile than normal leopards, with average litter sizes of 1.8 and 2.1, respectively. This is likely due to inbreeding depression.

In the early 1980s, Glasgow Zoo acquired a 10 year old black leopard, nicknamed the Cobweb Panther, from Dublin Zoo. She was exhibited for several years before being moved to the Madrid Zoo. This leopard had a uniformly black coat profusely sprinkled with white hairs as though draped with spider webs. The condition appeared to be vitiligo; as she aged, the white became more extensive.^{[citation needed]} Since then, other “cobweb panthers” have been reported and photographed in zoos.

Jaguar

A melanistic jaguar

In jaguars, the melanism allele is dominant. Consequently, black jaguars may produce either black or spotted cubs, but a pair of spotted jaguars can only produce spotted cubs. The gene is incompletely dominant: individuals with two copies of the allele are darker (the black background color is more dense) than individuals with just one copy, whose background color may appear to be dark charcoal rather than black.
The black jaguar was considered a separate species by indigenous peoples. W H Hudson wrote:

The jaguar is a beautiful creature, the ground-color of the fur a rich golden-red tan, abundantly marked with black rings, enclosing one or two small spots within. This is the typical coloring, and it varies little in the temperate regions; in the hot region the Indians recognise three strongly marked varieties, which they regard as distinct species – the one described; the smaller jaguar, less aquatic in his habits and marked with spots, not rings; and, thirdly, the black variety. They scout the notion that their terrible “black tiger” is a mere melanic variation, like the black leopard of the Old World and the wild black rabbit. They regard it as wholly distinct, and affirm that it is larger and much more dangerous than the spotted jaguar; that they recognise it by its cry; that it belongs to the terra firma rather than to the water-side; finally, that black pairs with black, and that the cubs are invariably black. Nevertheless, naturalists have been obliged to make it specifically one with Felis onca [Panthera onca], the familiar spotted jaguar, since, when stripped of its hide, it is found to be anatomically as much like that beast as the black is like the spotted leopard.^[6]

A black jaguar named “Diablo” was inadvertently crossed with a lioness named “Lola” at the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Barrie, Canada.^[7] The offspring were a charcoal black jaglion female and a tan-colored, spotted jaglion male. It therefore appears that the jaguar melanism gene is also dominant over normal lion coloration (the black jaguar sire was presumably carrying the black on only one allele). In preserved, stuffed specimens, black leopards often fade to a rusty color but black jaguars fade to a chocolate brown color.^{[citation needed]}

Cougar

Illustration of a black cougar, 1843^{[citation needed]}

There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars (pumas). Melanistic cougars have never been photographed or shot in the wild and none has ever been bred. There is wide consensus among breeders and biologists that the animal does not exist.^{[citation needed]}

Black cougars have been reported in Kentucky and in the Carolinas. There have also been reports of glossy black cougars from Kansas, Texas and eastern Nebraska.^{[citation needed]} These have come to be known as the “North American black panther”. Sightings are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the memetic exaggeration of size.

Black panthers in the American Southeast feature prominently in Choctaw folklore where, along with the owl, they are often thought to symbolize Death.

In his Histoire Naturelle (1749), Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, wrote of the “Black Cougar”:^[8]

“M. de la Borde, King’s physician at Cayenne, informs me, that in the [South American] Continent there are three species of rapacious animals; that the first is the jaguar, which is called the tiger; that the second is the couguar [sic], called the red tiger, on account of the uniform redness of his hair; that the jaguar is of the size of a large bull-dog, and weighs about 200 pounds [90 kg]; that the cougar is smaller, less dangerous, and not so frequent in the neighbourhood of Cayenne as the jaguar; and that both these animals take six years in acquiring their full growth. He adds, that there is a third species in these countries, called the black tiger, of which we have given a figure under the appellation of the black cougar. The head is pretty similar to that of the common cougar; but the animal has long black hair, and likewise a long tail, with strong whiskers. He weighs not much above forty pounds [18 kg]. The female brings forth her young in the hollows of old trees.”

This “black cougar” was most likely a margay or ocelot, which are under 40 pounds (18 kg) in weight, live in trees, and do have melanistic phases.

Another description of a black cougar^[9] was provided by Pennant:

Black tiger, or cat, with the head black, sides, fore part of the legs, and the tail, covered with short and very glossy hairs, of a dusky color, sometimes spotted with black, but generally plain: Upper lips white: At the corner of the mouth a black spot: Long hairs above each eye, and long whiskers on the upper lip: Lower lip, throat, belly, and the inside of the legs, whitish, or very pale ash-color: Paws white: Ears pointed: Grows to the size of a heifer of a year old: Has vast strength in its limbs.– Inhabits Brasil and Guiana: Is a cruel and fierce beast; much dreaded by the Indians; but happily is a scarce species;

—Pennant’s Synops. of quad., p 180

According to his translator Smellie (1781), the description was taken from two black cougars exhibited in London some years previously.

Reports of black panthers

Reports of black panthers in the United States

Reports of black panthers in Australia

Black panther sightings are frequently recorded in rural Victoria and New South Wales^[10] and Western Australia. The Australian “phantom panthers” are said to be responsible for the disappearances and deaths of numerous cats, dogs and livestock.

Animal X Natural Mysteries Unit led an investigation into the phantom panther. Mike Williams, a local researcher, said he had sent scat and hair found by locals to labs for analysis, which identified it as scat from dogs that had feasted on swamp wallaby, and hair from a domestic cat. Mr Williams said he also had leopard scat and hair collected from a private zoo tested by one of the same labs, but that these samples came back with the same results of dog scat and domestic cat hair. The lab used was not identified in the episode.^[11]

Pseudo-melanism

Pseudo-melanism (abundism) occurs in leopards. A pseudo-melanistic leopard has a normal background color, but the spots are more densely packed than normal and merge to obscure the golden-brown background color. Any spots on the flanks and limbs that have not merged into the mass of swirls and stripes are unusually small and discrete, rather than forming rosettes. The face and underparts are paler and dappled like those of ordinary spotted leopards.^[12]

Male Persian leopard with an atypical coat pattern (Wilhelma, Germany)

Richard Lydekker described specimens of pseudo-melanistic leopards found in South Africa in the late nineteenth century:^[13]

The ground-color of this animal was a rich tawny, with an orange tinge; but the spots, instead of being of the usual rosette-like form, were nearly all small and solid, like those on the head of an ordinary leopard; while from the top of the head to near the root of the tail the spots became almost confluent, producing the appearance of a broad streak of black running down the back. A second skin had the black area embracing nearly the whole of the back and flanks, without showing any trace of the spots. These dark-coloured South African leopards differ from the black leopards of the northern and eastern parts of Africa and Asia in that while in the latter the rosette-like spots are always retained and clearly visible, in the former the rosettes are lost…

—Lydekker, R. (1910), Harmsworth Natural History

Most other color morphs of leopards are known only from paintings or museum specimens. In May 1936, the British Natural History Museum exhibited the mounted skin of an unusual Somali leopard.^[13] The pelt was richly decorated with an intricate pattern of swirling stripes, blotches, curls and fine-line traceries. This is different from a spotted leopard, but similar to a king cheetah, hence the modern cryptozoology term king leopard. Between 1885 and 1934, six pseudo-melanistic leopards were recorded in the Albany and Grahamstown districts of South Africa.^[13] This indicated a mutation in the local leopard population. Other king leopards have been recorded from Malabar in southwestern India.^[13] Shooting for trophies may have contributed to the loss of these populations.

 

List Indochinese Tiger as Critically Endangered – The Petition Site

List Indochinese Tiger as Critically Endangered – The Petition Site

http://www.thepetitionsite.com

• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/997/620/263/list-indochinese-tiger-as-critically-endangered/?cid=FB_Share&fb_source=message

The Indochinese tiger is a tiger subspecies found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and…

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Leopard

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The Story of Potties the Cheetah

Endangered Wildlife Trust

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Endangered-Wildlife-Trust/224142540931551

 

The Story of Potties the Cheetah (7 photos)

Young Cheetah cub captured by a farmer in Thabazimbi in a cage set for a hyaena. No sign of mom or siblings. He was taken to the Potgietersrus Zoo where they took care of him untill he was old enough to be put into a re-wilding programme with the EWT Carnviore Conservation Programme and Monate Game Lodge.

How lion king got nawabi reprieve

Roar for the Asiatic Lion

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How lion king got nawabi reprieve ~ The Nawabs of Junagadh were trying desperately to save lions that were already dwindling in number. Had it been not been a diktat from the Viceroy of India- George Curzon, it would have been difficult for the local rulers to ward off requests from other royals to hunt big cats.

In 1900, Nawab Rasulkhanji of Junagadh invited the viceroy for lion hunting, a minimal gesture of courtesy a state had to show to their British masters. However, the day Curzon received invitation; he was apprised of a letter published in a leading Bombay daily by a prominent citizen.

AM Mosse recorded the incident in his ‘The Lion of the Gir’ that was published in Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. He mentioned that the letter was published titled as ‘Viceroy or Vandal’ criticizing Curzon’s acceptance of invite in wake of reducing lion population, which were estimated at just 12 then. This prompted Curzon to cancel his hunting excursion.

“In the event, Curzon did not go to the Gir, he returned from Junagadh and urged the Nawab to give these animals strict protection,” writes Divyabhanusinh in his ‘Junagadh State and its Lions: Conservation in Princely India’.

Though he was against hunting of big cats, Curzon’s abstaining from shooting forced the Nawab to express his disappointment. On November 27, 1900, he wrote to the viceroy, “I cannot but observe here that I fully appreciated and admired your noble consideration in abandoning the lion shooting. Your Excellency‘s giving up the idea has greatly disappointed me… I propose however to approach your Excellency later on with the request to favour me with a shooting excursion in the Gir before your Excellency’s departure from India.”

However, Curzon hoped that his example of restraint would be followed. He wrote to the Burma Game Preservation Association in 1902 how he was “on the verge of contributing to their (lions) still further reduction … but fortunately I found out my mistake in time, and was able to adopt a restraint which I hope that others will follow”.

Many British officials did not follow him, but Curzon’s advice was a great excuse for local rulers and British administration to turn down lion hunting requests from other princely states. But some those who were not allowed to hunt down lions later were Kumar Shri Vijayrajji of Kutch, Maharaja Jam Saheb Ranjitsinhji of Navanagar, Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner and the Raja of Poonch from J&K. (picture of Asiatic lions, India, courtesy Bhushan Pandya)
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-06/flora-fauna/32077821_1_lion-population-gir-george-curzon
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