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Photo by Steve Tracy
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Range: Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, Paraguay and Northern Argentina.
Status: “Near Threatened” by IUCN
Habitat: Forests, Swamps, Dry Woodland and Grasslands
About:
The Jaguar is the third largest feline, the tiger and lion being the only ones larger. Typically females are 20% smaller than males and they generally vary in size according to their distribution, they tend to increase in size from North to South. The Jaguar is compact and well muscled. It has short stocky limbs which enables it to be adept at climbing, swimming and crouching. It has a strong head and an extremely powerful jaw.
Predators and Threats:
Due to the large size and dominant nature of the Jaguar, there are no other wild animals that are known to actually consider it as prey. Once found throughout the South American continent, they have been hunted by Humans mainly for their fur which has led to drastic declines in Jaguar population numbers everywhere. Despite now having legal protection and a reduction in the hunting of them for their fur, the Jaguar is at increasing risk from loss of habitat mainly in the form of deforestation to make way for agriculture or growing Human settlements, which means these large and majestic animals are being pushed into more remote regions of their native range.
Pic: Young Jaguar in Woodland | From (http://www.wallpowper.com/)
Credits:
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/jaguar/
http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/jaguar.html
Here are two ideas for people considering their new year’s resolutions over the coming days. Idea 1: make a tangible contribution to ensure a future for Africa‘s lions – see http://goo.gl/sfIUF for more details. Idea 2: visit Africa to help out where you can – see http://goo.gl/ixFrw for more details.
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DC | Rashme Sehgal | 11 hours 54 min ago
New Delhi: India saw a sharp increase in tiger deaths, which reached an all-time high of 88 tigers dead in 2012, according to data released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). This is the highest number of fatalities in one year, overtaking the 71 tiger deaths in 2011.
Mortality rates have been unusually high in Corbett National Park and Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Overall, a large number of tiger deaths have been reported from the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka and can be attributed to increased poaching.
Both Maharashtra and Karnataka recorded 14 tiger deaths each while Uttarakhand reported 12 deaths followed by Madhya Pradesh with eight deaths while 28 tigers died due to natural causes. The last all-India tiger population estimation in 2010 had placed the number of tigers at 1,636. Wildlife conservationist Belinda Wright blames government apathy.
“The NTCA has put a Phase 4 monitoring protocol in place. While some states are following it, others are lagging. Tiger densities in Karnataka and TN are high but the situation in Kerala is very bad with the state coming up with exaggerated numbers, especially for Wayanad Reserve,” said tiger biologist Ullas Karanth.
Tiger populations have gone down in some reserves in the Maoist belt, but the big cat is thriving in parts of the Western Ghats, central India and Terai, he added.
Read more
Animal Extinction , Biodiversity , Biohabitats , Bluefin Tuna , Cod Fishing , Elephants Endangered , Elephants Extinction , Endangered , Endangered Tigers , Impact Of Extinction , Lions Endangered , Mass Extinction , Rhinos , Trees , Green News
Posted: 12/28/2012 1:01 pm
Robert Walker
President, Population Institute
Nothing is for certain, but in an 80-100 year timeframe, the prognosis is not good for large mammals, large fish and even large trees. Many young people will likely witness in their lifetime the virtual extinction of elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers and many other large mammals. With their numbers steadily shrinking and many of their species already extinct, there is little reason to believe that conservation’s effort will stave off their ultimate demise. As human numbers and habitats expand and as poaching becomes ever more lucrative, it is hard to see how their species could survive in the wild. The news in 2012, almost without exception, was grim.
Jane Goodall, the world-renowned conservationist, warned earlier this month that the world’s ivory trade is wiping out elephants in Africa, where an estimated 30,000 were killed this year. Goodall told the Guardian, that “We believe that Tanzania has lost half its elephants in the last three years. Ugandan military planes have been seen over the Democratic Republic of the Congo shooting elephants from the air. Armed militia are now shooting the elephants.” The World Conservation Society estimates that the elephant population in southern Sudan has crashed from 130,000 in 1986 to a mere 5,000 today. Unless a global ban on ivory sales is implemented soon, the African elephant will be virtually extinct before we know it.
The ivory trade is also threatening rhinos. The World Wildlife Fund just reported that 2011 was another record year for poaching, with an estimated 448 rhinos in southern Africa killed for their tusks. Last year the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared that the Western Black Rhino is now extinct in the wild. Now, a year later, still more species are edging ever closer to extinction.
The lion kingdom is in steep decline. In 1960, there were 400,000 lions living in the wild. Today, there are, by some estimates, only 20,000. Experts predict that lions could be extinct in the wild within 10 to 15 years. Tanzania has a viable lion conservation program, but continent-wide the lion population has fallen by two-thirds in the past 40 years because of shrinking African savannahs. In many African countries the lion population is now gone.
Tigers, too, are in mortal danger. Despite efforts to curb poaching and preserve remaining habitats, the odds of extinction are growing. Wildlife conservationists estimate that there are only 2,500 breeding adult tigers left in the wild. The population of the Sumatran tiger, the only remaining tiger species in Indonesia, has shrunk to 500, just half of what it was 40 years ago.
But it’s not just large mammals that are vanishing; the populations of large fish, including tuna, marlins, cod and sharks are in rapid decline. As recently as a decade ago, research indicated that large fish populations had declined by 90 percent since 1950. Today, as the world’s appetite for shark fin soup soars, the populations of many shark species are in free fall. An estimated 25 million sharks were killed this year for their fins.
And it’s not just the large animals that are under assault. A study released earlier this month indicates that big trees are in peril. Around the world, climate change and deforestation are accelerating the loss of pines, evergreens, cedars, eucalyptus and other large trees. Droughts and rising temperatures are fueling fires and infestations that are destroying whole forests and the habitats the provide. Many of the dying trees are 100-300 years old.
When large animals, big fish and old trees die off, their rapid demise affects entire eco-systems, imperiling creatures both great and small. Some species may benefit, as the lobster population did after the Atlantic cod fishery collapsed, but the overall effect is highly disruptive. When large animals or fish die off, the population of their natural prey may soar, but unsustainably so, leading to overgrazing or the extinction of other species in the food chain. In the case of large trees, the canopies they provide are essential habitats for birds and small animals.
In the end, of course, the disruption of entire eco-systems is harmful to the people who depend upon them for their economic survival. Poaching in developing countries may temporarily enrich the poachers, but posterity is inevitably impoverished.
For better or worse, we are now stewards of the Earth and all the life that it sustains. If the elephants, rhinos, lions and tigers vanish from the Earth, if large fish populations are extinguished, if all the great trees are felled, and if the seas are overtaken by algae and jellyfish and the land by rodents and cockroaches, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
The Caracal Project of Spotted Cats Conservation, S.A. is dedicated to late Wild Cats World ambassador Nina. This young caracal was intentionally injured at sanctuary St. LeeuwLandgoed Hoenderdaell in Holland. The injuries caused the death of the 8 months old caracal. Her ashes spread at the project in S.A., she will live on as the ambassador of her species. Caracals are being chased and killed daily, often for the wrong reasons. In India the species is already highly endangered, in Namibia the situation is getting critical already and we don’t want South Africa to be the next.
Please also sign this petition to get Justice for Nina.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/411/609/598/justice-for-caracal-nina-against-violence-to-innocent-animals/
Please sign and share, thank you : http://www.thepetitionsite.com/875/579/690/support-the-caracal-stop-the-killing-and-safe-them/
~Ronesh Parbhoo Wildlife Photography~
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronesh-Parbhoo-Wildlife-Photography/177242835673208
“When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking.”…I took this shot of Cheetah crossing the road as he glanced at me. They usually walk for miles searching for prey and patrolling their territory.
Notch the Lion-King of the Mara and His Five Sons
http://www.facebook.com/NotchTheLionKingOfTheMaraAndHisFiveSons
AFTER BEING KICKED OUT OF THE MARSH PRIDE BY 3 NEW MALES, NOTCH STRUGGLED A BIT WITH HIS FIVE MISBEHAVING SONS, LIKE A HUMAN FATHER DEALING WITH HIS TEENAGE SONS, GRIMACE FOLLOWED HIS FATHERS RULES, NOTCH2 RESISTED THE MOST, HERE THE BOYS DISAGREE WITH THEIR FATHER HE PUTS THEM IN PLACE. NOTCH2 BENT DOWN WARD PUSHING HIS BUTTONS. THINGS ARE BETTER NOW WITH 5 PRIDES TO RULE EVERY GETS A CHANCE TO MATE ,BOYS ARE MORE RESPECTFUL….
Indian Wildlife Club Ezine (December, 2012)
“Team of Volunteers Required for Tiger Reintroduction Projects in WII
Posted By:kramesh_wii in yahoo group
Work Description: The project involves monitoring and evaluation of reproductive potential of reintroduced tiger populations in Sariska (Rajasthan) and Panna (Madhya Pradesh) Tiger Reserves. Data collection include radio-tracking of
tiger, camera trapping of tiger and co-predators, line transect for estimating prey density, plot sampling for quantification of vegetation and anthropogenic parameters, and scat collection for quantification of hormones and DNA.
Area: The study is primarily executed in Panna and Sariska Tiger Reserve have been reintroduced, but data collection would also be done in Ranthambore, Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves which are the source for the reintroduced tiger populations.
Duration: Three-Four Months (10th January 2013 onwards) and extendable depending on the performance of candidates.
Requirements: The applicant must hold at least a bachelor’s degree, with interest in wildlife science and conservation. Candidates with a prior experience of carrying out field data collection as mentioned above would be given preference.
Compensation & Benefits: The selected candidates will be provided with travel and lodging support during the work period. In addition, some emolument will also be given for meeting other basic requirements. Interested candidates are required to respond through email to manjari.malviya@gmail.com with a copy to ramesh@wii.gov.in
The email should include CV, Statement of Interest and duration of commitment. The closing date for receiving application is 05 January 13. However, it is encouraged to send in the application sooner, so that the field work opportunity could be advanced.”
- by Judy Molland
- December 9, 2012
- 2:30 pm
The African lion is an awesome creature when viewed in its natural habitat. This king of the safari can defend itself against other animals, but a new study indicates that it cannot protect itself against human interference.
It’s yet another example of how we people are damaging the earth we inherited. Care2 has reported recently on the alarming decline of the tiger population in India, and the rapidly shrinking number of birds in Britain, both due to human impact. Now we are learning that African lions are suffering the same fate.
According to an analysis published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, the savannah habitat that is the home of African lions has shrunk by 75 percent over the past 50 years, and this dramatic loss could threaten the survival of the species: in the same time period, the population of lions has dropped from 100,000 to roughly 32,000.
The research, conducted by American, African and British researchers, shows how major land-use changes and growth in the human population are putting these magnificent creatures in jeopardy. West African lions have experienced the greatest decline in population with only as few as 500 left in the region.
From The Washington Post:
“It’s a shock,” said Duke University professor for conservation ecology Stuart Pimm, one of the paper’s co-authors.
“Savannah Africa has been massively reduced. . . . As [people] moved in, lions have been hunted out.”
According to The Epoch Times, researchers believe that the shrinking lion population is directly due to an increase in farming and development over that half-century span – with around 6,000 lions presently in population centers with a high risk of going extinct.
“The word savannah conjures up visions of vast open plains teeming with wildlife. But the reality is that massive land-use change and deforestation, driven by rapid human population growth, has fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah,” Professor Pimm said in a statement reported by the Epoch Times online. “Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States.”
Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its decision to study whether African lions should be listed under the Endangered Species Act, meaning that American hunters could no longer hunt them. This move was the result of several animal rights and conservation groups petitioning the agency to list the species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also lists the African lion as vulnerable.
From The Epoch Times:
Andrew Jacobson, a research associate with Pimm, said that “the next 10 years are decisive” for the African savannah, “not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health.”
Let’s hope that his words will be heeded before another species goes extinct.
Related Care2 Coverage
44 Million British Birds Lost Since 1966
Read more: africa, African lions, birds, savannah, species extinction, species extinction crisis, tigers
Photo Credit: thinkstock
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/why-are-african-lions-disappearing.html#ixzz2GZNlLEK2
Read more on »Wildlife Conservation Society|spread|Sawai Madhopur wildlife sanctuary|Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park
28 Dec, 2012, 10.08PM IST, IANS
economictimes.indiatimes.com
JAIPUR: Even as the Wildlife Conservation Society recently reported a 50 percent increase in the population of tigers in the wild in India with their population now estimated at 3,200 after years of dangerously dwindling numbers, there is fresh cause for worry for tigers in sanctuaries.
As tiger-numbers increase in reserve areas, territorial fights are becoming frequent. In Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park, the large number of tigers dying because of such fights has led to the state government planning for a corridor connecting this sanctuary with the adjoining Keladevi Sanctuary, an official said Friday.
The new corridor will come up at an estimated cost of Rs.200 crore.
About 45 villagers will need to be relocated to create the corridor, an official said.
The decision to create such a corridor was taken following the mysterious death of a yet-to-identified tiger in Ranthambore recently. Senior forest department officials said preliminary investigation hints at the possibility of the majestic cat being killed in a territorial fight.
“The state government has sought Rs.200 crore from the central government for developing the corridor. We are hopeful of receiving the money in the near future,” a senior forest department officer told IANS.
Four tigers were killed in territorial fights over the past four years in Ranthambore National Park, leaving environmentalists worried that as the tiger population increases, there is also need to create a habitat in which they can thrive.
The tigers are overlapping each other’s territory. To get their share of space, the big cats are fighting each other to death in the reserve in Sawai Madhopur district, some 150 km from Jaipur, wildlife experts said.
A tigress died in the reserve area Dec 23, and the death was attributed to a territorial fight with another cat. The mutilated, maggot-ridden carcass of the tigress was recovered from the reserve’s Gilai Saga-Khadar area early Sunday morning, officials said.
A senior forest department officer told IANS that a probe has been launched into the animal’s death.
“Prima facie, injuries suggest the death occurred in a territorial fight with another tiger. However, we are awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause, and rule out poaching,” a wildlife officer said.
The number of such fights had been increasing in the recent past, the officer said.
A tiger named T-36 died of serious head injuries during a territorial fight with T-42 Aug 22, 2010. The body of tigress T-4 was found April 4, 2009. Officials had concluded that she was attacked by another tiger in a territorial fight.
Similarly, tigress T-15 was killed Sep 1, 2008.
According to a census conducted by the state forest department in 2009, there were 40 tigers in and around Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Madhopur wildlife sanctuary. The census conducted in the core division from April 30 to May 10, 2009 revealed that there were 14 males, 16 females and 10 cubs.
However, a recent survey found that the number of tigers has increased to 52, including 26 cubs.
“The core area of the reserve is spread over 1,113.36 sq km. Besides, the buffer zone earmarked by the state government around the reserve is 297.9 sq km. The area is inadequate for housing 52 tigers,” a wildlife expert said.
He added that a tigress may require a 20-sq km territory, while the individual territories of males are much larger, covering 40-80 sq km or more.
TNN | Dec 28, 2012, 05.47 PM IST
BHOPAL: The state forest department on Thursday suspended three officers including a deputy danger accusing them of dereliction of duty, holding them prima facie responsible for the electrocution of a tiger in Kanti district on Wednesday.
Action was taken against deputy ranger LB Pratap Singh, Vijayaraghogarh range, forest beat guards B B Dubey and Ramesh Kachi.
“They should have patrolled the area without fail. The incident could have been averted had the beat guards patrolled the areas and alerted the farmers against using such initiates to prevent their crops, said M K Khan, a divisional forest officer (DFO) Katni.
Fully grown tiger was electrocuted at the Vijayaraghogarh range, after it came in contact with an electric trap apparently laid by a farmer in a bid to protect his standing crops from the attack of wild animals such as wild boars.
Two separate teams have been constituted to inspect the farm land and check the presence of such wires. The teams would patrol the area round the clock, said the officer.
Meanwhile, the farmer who laid the trap has been identified as Kohli, a resident of Jhigia village, 20 km from Katni. A hunt is on to arrest the accused.
Chief wildlife warden DPK Shukla said that they have decided to depute more beat guards in the area and other important sanctuaries.
A team from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) has also been dispatched to Katni to investigate the matter.
The forest officials is also looking for strong actions against officers of the electricity department owing their negligence in connection with the previous killing of a tiger in Katni.
Ajay Dubey of NGO Prayatna has shot off a letter to minister for forest Sartaj Singh drawing his attention to the threat to the lives of tigers in the state in view of the state government’s failure to ensure their safety.
He pointed out that the state government has failed to set up special tiger protection force (SPTF) to protect tiger from poachers, despite a full financial support for it. Also the state government had been lingering on the formalities for CBI inquiry into disappearance of tigers from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) despite its announcement in March 2010. Dubey also questioned appointment of Dr P K Shukla to the post of chief wildlife warden, alleging that he has no special qualification of wild life management.
Earlier on Wednesday, he had dispatched a letter to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urging him to take appropriate steps to protect the tigers in the state.
THE ERADICATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA’S LIONS HAS BEGUN
It’s the day after Christmas, and South Dakota‘s lion hunters – all 4,000 or so of them – are enjoying the present South Dakota’s Game, Fish and Parks Commission gave them: an early and expanded lion hunting season.
This year, so as to not frustrate all those impatient lion hunters that received new guns or hunting equipment in their Christmas stockings, the Commission moved opening day forward six days and increased the Black Hills lion hunting quota to an unprecedented level. Now the killing begins. Reminiscent of the global warming debate, South Dakota’s game commission believes that it can authorize the killing of as many mountain lions as it wants with no repercussions. As far as they are concerned there will always be sufficient lions to kill, no matter what scientists say. The following excerpt from a letter we recently received sums up the problem facing South Dakota’s lion population: “The situation here in South Dakota is worse than grim; you would have to live here to realize what a backward state this is. Not that many of the people are not friendly, generous and hardworking, but there is a stubbornness against change (no matter how needed) that borders on pathological. That, coupled with an entrenched good-old boy political climate that views words like “environment” and “progressive” as Satan‘s vocabulary and subscribes to the idea that animals are only here for our enjoyment; having no other intrinsic worth other than monetary value . . . .” Things look pretty bad for South Dakota’s mountain lions. The season just started a few hours ago and already one female lion has been reported killed. Worse still are the 27 mountain lions that have died in South Dakota since the close of last year’s hunting season: mortalities that don’t count against this year’s lion hunting quota.
To help fight for their survival, please donate to MLF’s South Dakota Defense Fund |
December 27, 2012 6:00 am • Kevin Woster Journal staff
rapidcityjournal.com
It began with a couple of bangs — at least — as hunters in Lawrence and Pennington counties bagged mountain lions Wednesday during the opening day of the lion season.
By late afternoon, the state Game, Fish & Parks Department website listed two lions on the 2012-2013 season kill list. A 78-pound, 2-year-old female lion was shot in Lawrence County and a 111-pound, 2-year-old male lion was shot in Pennington County.
But there could have been others taken and not reported since hunters have 24 hours to present a lion taken during the season to GF&P officials.
Meanwhile, the hunt continues today in a season that will stretch through March, unless a quota of 100 lions or a sub quota of 70 female lions is reached prior to that.
Steve Bulle, a lion hunter from the community of Hayward south of Rapid City, has no doubt that plenty more cats will come in soon. Bulle expects the 100-lion limit, the highest kill quota set by the GF&P Commission since the season began in 2005, will be reached.
“Based on my recent observations running my trap line, I have no doubt that the quota of 100 will be reached prior to the end of the season,” Bulle said by email Wednesday. “I found a four-by-four whitetail buck yesterday that had been killed by a lion, and I have seen more sets of lion tracks prior to the season than I did last year.”
The 2012 lion season, which opened Jan. 1, commenced with multiple bangs, too. Hunters killed four lions on the first day and went on to reach and exceed the overall lion quota of 70 by the end of February, a month before the scheduled conclusion. The actual number killed ended up at 73 when hunters in the woods took additional cats before learning the quota had been reached.
More lion deaths have been reported since the 2012 season closed. They included a few taken by hunters outside the Black Hills Fire Protection District. The lion season outside the district is open year-round, although fewer cats are found there.
In addition, some cats considered threats or problems have been killed this year by GF&P officers and other officials. Other deaths included vehicle strikes and fights between lions. The overall lion mortality from all causes was 108 going into this season.
Bulle was unsuccessful in his lion hunt Wednesday, even though a new snow made for good tracking conditions.
“Snow conditions today were excellent, but I don’t think the lions will really start moving much until after the snow we are supposed to get tomorrow,” Bulle said Wednesday. “My prediction is that on Friday and Saturday the harvest rate will increase dramatically.”
The status of the lion quota can be checked online at: http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/mountain-lion-season-harvest-status.aspx
2:05 PM, Dec 21, 2012 |
A Big Sky Brewing Co. employee posted a photo of herself on the company’s Facebook page posing with a large mountain lion she harvested. / Courtesy photo
View the controversial photo and comments on Big Sky Brewing Co.’s facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/UUy3FP
HELENA – A photo posted on Missoula-based Big Sky Brewing Co.’s Facebook page has ignited a hot debate over hunting ethics and triggered somewhat of an online culture clash.
The photo features a female Big Sky employee posing with a large mountain lion she recently tagged during hunting season.
The photo, posted on Dec. 15, was shared 85 times by Facebook users and had 389 “likes” as of late Thursday afternoon.
But not everyone who saw the photo “liked” it very much. Of the more than 250 comments on the photo, many expressed dismay at the popular craft brewery’s decision to post the hunting photo on its Facebook page.
“Really Big Sky?” Wrote Facebook user Brett Kvo. “Hunting for food is one thing; killing for fun and then parading it on the Internet is another. I think I’ll take my business elsewhere….”
Big Sky co-founder and president Neal Leathers said he and the brewery staff were caught off guard by the strong reaction to the photo.
“You never know when something is going to get a whole bunch of attention for whatever reason,” Leathers said Thursday.
Facebook user Britt Murphy wrote: “What a sad end to such a noble creatures (sic) life, made even more pathetic w/an empty show of celebration & Total lack of respect for the Spirit of such a Magical King of beasts.”
Other commenters, offended by the photo, called for a boycott of Big Sky beer.
“New boycott for me…this photo is gross,” wrote Facebook user Laurienne Riley.
“I looked up all of their products online and will delightedly boycott each one,” Facebook user Amy Arkebauer Cesar wrote.
Other were impressed with the trophy cat.
James Kothrade wrote: “WOW that’s one big damn cat. Nice job on the catch.”
“I love it. Thanks for the great pic,” wrote Facebook user Linzy Cotham. “I am a houndsman and know the work that is involved. It takes a lot of hard work to get something like that. Its not golf or tennis but some of us love it.”
Still others used the post as an opportunity to debate the merits and evils of hunting big predators such as mountain lions.
Page
Friday 28 December 2012
www.independent.co.uk
Suggested Topics
The Scottish wildcat, Britain’s rarest mammal and one of Scotland’s most iconic predators, will soon be extinct if a last-ditch effort to save the species in 2013 fails, conservationists have warned.
The wildcat, which once roamed throughout the British Isles but has been confined to strongholds in the Scottish highlands since Victorian times, has gone into near-terminal decline in recent decades.
Known as the highland tiger, persecution by gamekeepers and interbreeding with domestic cats has reduced the population of true wildcats to only a few hundred and conservationists believe that the coming year represents the last chance to save the species.
“2013 will decide whether the wildcat lives or dies,” said Steve Piper of the Scottish Wildcat Association (SWA). “It really is a deciding year. At present the consensus is that true wildcats still survive in Scotland, and that, with a significant and unified effort, they can still be saved and gradually brought back to a healthy population.”
A national action plan to protect the species will be launched in the new year by a broad spectrum of Government agencies, charities, gamekeepers and national park authorities – the first time that a truly national effort has been made to save the wildcat.
Experts from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland are already involved in field surveys to determine the precise size of the remaining population. The best estimates place it at around 400 true wildcats, but the species’ nocturnal and shy nature, and its similarities to domestic and hybrid cats mean that no one knows exactly how many there are.
“Once we have an idea of where there are populations of true wildcats we can target our actions in those areas,” said Jenny Bryce, wildlife ecologist at Scottish Natural Heritage. “That will include raising awareness of neutering domestic cats and working with landowners to reduce risks to wildcats.”
A captive breeding programme and the movement of wildcats to other locations to improve the species’ distribution is also being considered. The wildcats’ current stronghold is in the Cairngorm National Park, where there has been a conservation programme in place for the past three years that will serve as a model for the national plan.
The Scottish wildcat, Felis silvestris grampia, resembles a domestic tabby cat but is larger, stronger and very different in temperament. The true wildcat has a distinctive set of markings, including a distinctive blunt, black-banded tail. They were once renowned for their ferocity and their image features in the heraldry of many of Scotland’s oldest clans.
However, years of persecution by has led to them becoming Britain’s rarest mammal, and sightings have become extremely rare.
“We really needed progress on protecting the species eight years ago when a group of scientists drew up a very good action plan for wildcats that never progressed,” said Mr Piper. “So it’s important that the pressure stays on and this one really starts making a difference out in the Highlands. If we can find enough wildcats, they can be saved.”
The Scottish wildcat resembles a domestic tabby, but with a blunt tail, and is renowned for its ferocity
Greatcatsofthe”World”To assist with the prevention of extinction of these precious little cats, please go to http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/
missoulian.com
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DREW SHEARER
In this image captured by Drew Shearer’s Stealth Cam on Aug. 20, four mountain lions can bee seen lounging by a small creek in the Eight Mile Creek drainage east of Florence. Bitterroot National Forest biologist Dave Lockman surmised that it is an adult female and three older juveniles.
HAMILTON – Montana’s mountain lions need to be careful where they step for the next two months.
In the first week of the state’s new wolf trapping season, two mountain lions, a coyote and a bobcat were captured in wolf traps, said George Pauley, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife management section supervisor in Helena.
Another mountain lion was caught in a furbearer trap in the Bitterroot Valley.
Pauley said that is to be expected.
Even though a mandatory wolf trapping course taught fledgling trappers ways to prevent capturing other animals in their traps, it will happen on occasion, he said. Wolf traps are larger and more capable of holding predators the size of a mountain lion.
Idaho’s wolf trappers reported capturing mountain lions in their traps over the past two years, Pauley said.
In Montana, wolf trappers are required to report when they capture animals other than wolves in their traps.
The animals are required to be released.
“They are welcome to release mountain lions themselves, although that can be quite an undertaking,” Pauley said. “They are encouraged to get in touch with FWP to get some help in turning those animals loose.”
***
FWP Bitterroot-based game warden Lou Royce said two mountain lions were captured in traps during the first week of the wolf trapping season.
One of those was captured in a bobcat trap.
“Usually when a mountain lion gets caught in a bobcat trap, they can pull themselves out of it,” Royce said. “The wolf sets are larger and a lion is not going to be strong enough to pull itself out. We are probably going to have to respond to more of those this year.”
Trappers are allowed to use bait and scent to bring wolves into their traps.
The mountain lion was captured in a wolf trap with wolf urine used as attractant.
“I have no idea why a mountain would go into a wolf urine scent,” Royce said. “This is all brand new to us. We are sure to learn some things.”
Wolf trapping is a little different from other forms of trapping.
“It seems to me that it’s a lot more technical,” Royce said. “I’ve been told that if wolves smell people at all, they won’t come anywhere near the traps.”
Wolf traps are also expensive.
“I don’t think there is going to be a ton of guys doing it just because of the expense,” he said. “It can cost $150 to $200 to get a trap totally set up. The real cheap ones won’t catch wolves.”
Pauley said trappers were taught the best traps to use during the mandatory orientation course, including which traps work best to cause the least amount of damage to an animal.
Trappers were also told how to modify their traps to make them less harmful to other animals that might that might inadvertently be captured.
Those methods included filing off sharp edges on the corners of the trap and laminating an additional piece of steel on the trap’s jaws to make for a wider surface that would cause less damage, Pauley aid.
Trappers were also shown how to include an inline spring to the anchor chains that will provide some give when animals attempt to escape.
“I understand that can be really effective in minimizing damage,” he said.
Former Sula-area mountain lion hunter Cal Ruark said that while he’s not totally against trapping, he does worry about its impacts on the lion population.
“What upsets me is that even if those lions will be turned loose, they easily could end up losing some toes,” Ruark said. “If that happens, their ability to travel is impaired. Their ability to hunt is impaired. If their front toes are missing and they can’t climb a tree, any encounter with lion hunting dogs will not go well.”
Years ago, one of Ruark’s hounds was caught in a trap. Even though he did everything he could, the dog ended up losing two toes.
“They just eventually fell off,” he said. “From then on, whenever that dog would try to run, its foot would get bloody. I can’t imagine that a lion wouldn’t be the same way.”
“I’m not against lion hunting or hunting wolves, but I think we just need to be really careful about what we’re doing out there,” Ruark said.
As of Sunday, seven wolves had been trapped statewide. A total of 102 have been killed in this year’s hunting and trapping seasons.
Reporter Perry Backus can be reached at 363-3300 or at pbackus@ravallirepublic.com.
Planète Tigre
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plan%C3%A8te-Tigre/131742830190805
More good news 
My friends thanks to the sale of calendars Planet Tiger 2013 we can compensate more than 10 villagers Bandhavagrdh center india
villagers compensate for the loss of their livestock during the attack of a tiger
go there is still time to double this figure compensation to assist in controlling these beautiful photos …. I’m counting on you
Fred
http://www.planete-tigre.com/boutique.php
attention for shipments outside France thank you contact me by MP
After India`s Citizens, it is the turn of the country`s tiger to get unique identification (UID) numbers.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will issue UIDs to about 650 tiger’s a third of the population in the first phase, starting early January.
It believes this will provide assistance in the protection and monitoring of the big cats, which continue to be hunted and displaced.
The UIDs will be based on photographs captured on camera, as each tiger has a unique stripe pattern.
The NTCA has prescribed two photographs, showing both sides of the animal`s body.
“A national repository will provide instant sharing of information, the NTCA said in a concept note.
The UID will provide details such as location and other demographics. The authority has also developed a software programme to perform automated matching and assign UIDs, the note said.
Iranian Cheetah
http://www.facebook.com/iranian.cheetah
Iran’s 12th International Environment Exhibition was held between 19 and 22 December 2012 in Tehran which was attended by various Iranian NGOs, including Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS). Welcomed by visitors, the ICS experts presented information about latest status of the Asiatic cheetahs in Iran and provided various educational materials. “How many cheetahs live in Iran” was the single most dominant question being asked by the people, due to recent debate in the Iranian media on the species population status, raised based on ongoing camera trapping efforts ICS is running in multiple cheetah reserves in the country. The exhibition was visited by many high-raking Iranian authorities, including a number of ministers and DoE’s head. The Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) is grateful to many volunteers and staffs who were actively involved in the event, particularly Yasaman Hasanbeygi, Mahmoud Maleki, Morteza Pourmirzaei, Kaveh Hobeali, Ehsan Bahrami, Fatemeh Hemmati, Marzieh Dehghan, Sara Asgarnia, Hasti Akbarzadeh, Amirali Bakhtiari and Ehsan Bahrami.
http://www.wildlife.ir/ShowInfo.aspx?Lang=2&InfoId=437
http://www.facebook.com/sanctuaryasiapage
Normally the tourists do the chasing! Ashish Parmar caught things in reverse at the Tadoba Tiger Reserve and sent Sanctuary Asia this fascinating image as part of our photography contest! Read the views of Praveen Pardeshi, Forest Secretary, Maharashtra, on how to secure wildlife destinations, while enabling communities to benefit from tourism.
THE WAY FORWARD: http://sanctuaryasia.com/magazines/cover-story/596-cover-story/9071-the-way-forward.html — at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
cee4life
http://www.facebook.com/cee4life.org?ref=stream
WARNING – As the attacks on Cee4life’s aid to Benue Zoo Animals continues by IARF and Joseph Dimetri, the most disrespected group on earth, IARF has now also begun attacking Mr Nat Apir, the gentleman who is responsible for saving these animals, by posting utter lies on random sites.
Now a new low, Identity theft.
Africa Geographic
http://www.facebook.com/Africa.Geographic
Cover shoot favourites
To celebrate Africa Geographic’s first stand-alone January issue, we asked you to send us your best shot at a cover photo. You chose a winner on Facebook; we chose a winner in-house. And it is…
Sudhanshu Mishra | Mail Today | Jaipur, December 24, 2012 | UPDATED 22:35 IST
Tags: Ranthambhore National Park | Mutilated tiger carcass | Tiger carcass | Ranthambore tiger reserve
A mutilated, maggot-eaten carcass of a tiger.
The mismanagement at the Ranthambhore National Park (RNP) came to the fore as the tiger reserve authorities failed to identify the big cat whose carcass was found on Sunday in the Khandar region of the park.
The authorities also forced wildlife enthusiasts and experts to smell a rat by their hurry to dismiss the tragedy by claiming that the “death was the result of a fight with another big cat” even before the post-mortem and viscera examinations were conducted.
“Badly mutilated carcass suggested that the tiger died some time back, at least 24 hours ago, and the reason for the death could not be ascertained as maggots had eaten up its major body-parts, said district forest officer Y K Sahu. Also the animal’s sex couldn’t be known in the absence of the rear portion of the body.
The death could be the result of a fight with some other big cat as certain canine marks were found on the neck resulting in penetrating wounds, said Dr Rajiv Garg who performed the post mortem. Even the viscera could not be collected due to the decay of the carcass that must be of at least 72 hours old, he added.
However, the forest department tried people to believe that the animal could be the tiger T-27 as certain indications were of its being old.
Interestingly, T-27 had been missing for more than 2 years and the forest department failed to explain its absence, like the park’s three other missing big cats. There seems to be an attempt to hush up the chapter of T-27 by creating a mystery around the carcass, wildlife enthusiasts alleged.
Experts contested the forest officials’ contentions on more than one counts. Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, a tiger expert with the national tiger conservation authority (NTCA), maintained that in the December-end winter the body could not be mutilated and maggot eaten to such an extent within less than 5 to 7 days.Singh, who is also a member of the state board for wildlife, wanted that reasons, other than territorial fights, must be looked into. He wondered how without a post mortem or a viscera test one could speculate about a fight. He demanded that viscera test must have been attempted before any opinion on the cause of death was ascertained.
Sources in the park also pointed out that the area-behind Khandar fort – where the carcass was found was not part of any tiger’s territory. Therefore a territorial fight was ruled out.
Moreover, a perusal of the picture of the carcass revealed that the animal’s neck and other bodies were eaten by the maggots. As such how the authority could claim of a canine mark, they wondered.
Dhirendra Godha, an expert of the RNP tigers, pointed out that on comparison with the pictures of all the adult tigers of the park he found that the carcass didn’t belong to any of the big cats who were assigned particular numbers following the exercise of “identification and estimation”. The exercise was initiated in 2007, completed in 2008 and report made public in 2009.
Significantly, records of none of the 25 cubs that were born during the past 2 years or so have been kept by giving them a specific number as was done in the case of the adults. Godha pointed out that the numbering of tigers at the time of estimation was not simply giving a particular number to a tiger but it also revealed complete identity of the tiger including its unique features such as stripes from both the flanks – left and right.
Sunayan Sharma, working president of the Sariska Tiger Foundation, an NGO, shared Godha’s view and asserted that the system of giving numbers to tigers also helps in keeping track of the animal’s movement. After incidents of unnatural death it also helps considerably in ascertaining its causes, he argued.
Rajasthan’s former principal chief conservator of forests R N Mehrotra who was responsible for the identification and numbering of the tigers asserted that the incident showed that daily monitoring of the tigers was not done.
In the absence of daily monitoring problem of identifying carcasses would increase. In such problem situation carcasses could be identified by locating other tigers and following the process of elimination. In his opinion the carcass could be one of the sub-adult cubs of the tigress T-26 who were born around May 2011.
More so, because her territory was the closest to the site where carcass was recovered.
The poisoning of the big cat by villagers should not be ruled out and must be ascertained through scientific examination. Moreover, the forest department must locate T-26 as she could also be the victim, he maintained.
Ranthambhore that could ideally accommodate around 30 tigers currently has 52 tigers leading to territorial fights and man-animal conflicts. Authorities should expand the prey area by developing the neighbouring Keladevi sanctuary and Sawai Man Singh sanctuaries. They have failed to do so, experts alleged.
*TODAY WE CELEBRATE A MIRACLE*
As I am typing this the Tears of Joy are streaming down my face..good tears, happy tears…AT a time where our Beliefs of Miracles shine through us………..
A while back we sat and read and looked at a Beautiful Young Lion who was caught with a Poacher’s Snare around his neck…As the pictures were spread over the internet we with Heavy Hearts and much pain and helplessness feared that this Lion would die, and had died…….
So many horrific stories we read this past year, some that haunted our thoughts and never seemed to leave them…This Beautiful Boy was one of them…..BUT!!!
Today we now know that he made it..He is Living and he is Shining like the Bright Star he was born to shine like….Thankfully to some Incredible Brave Rangers…God Bless you dear boy and God Bless all those Brave Angels that helped this Lion live….
As I am typing this the Tears of Joy are streaming down my face..good tears, happy tears…AT a time where our Beliefs of Miracles shine through us………..
A while back we sat and read and looked at a Beautiful Young Lion who was caught with a Poacher’s Snare around his neck…As the pictures were spread over the internet we with Heavy Hearts and much pain and helplessness feared that this Lion would die, and had died…….
So many horrific stories we read this past year, some that haunted our thoughts and never seemed to leave them…This Beautiful Boy was one of them…..BUT!!!
Today we now know that he made it..He is Living and he is Shining like the Bright Star he was born to shine like….Thankfully to some Incredible Brave Rangers…God Bless you dear boy and God Bless all those Brave Angels that helped this Lion live….
Wild Cats World
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Cats-World/122586544451718
Book Caracals in India – Printed and ready for sale!
The book on which we were cooperating with Indian wildlife biologist Shekhar Kolipaka (specialised in caracals and lesser cats, but also tigers) is finally printed and ready for sale. In this book you can read all info from studies Shekhar did on the Indian caracal, but also info about WCW and illustrated with the many rare photos WCW (Babette and Anton) took at the great and very rare sightings of a mother caracal and her two youngsters in Tiger Reserve/National Park Ranthambhore in India. Next week we will receive already a few books but the whole lot will be shipped from India to Holland. It will also be for sale in the shop at our Spotted Cats Conservation Project in South Africa, or by order: info@wildcatsmagazine.nl A must have for all caracal and wild cats lovers!!
Cover photos: Babette de Jonge/WCW
By Pinak Priya Bhattacharya, TNN | Dec 23, 2012, 06.24 AM IST
JALPAIGURI: An adult female leopard that had strayed out of the forest was lynched by villagers barely 10 km from Jalpaiguri town on Saturday afternoon. The villagers killed the animal with bamboo staffs and other weapons even as helpless foresters stood watching, vastly outnumbered by the incensed mob.
The incident took place at Premganj village under Paharpur panchayat. The leopard was spotted first around 9.30am by brothers Amal and Bimal Mondol who had crossed the Teesta, which flows by the village, to go to their agricultural field. The animal was lying on the bank.
Before they could realize that it was a leopard, the big cat pounced on them and left them injured.
The leopard had probably taken shelter in a nearby tea garden, said foresters. The bushes in the garden provide natural cover for these animals which often treat the drains as their hiding place, especially when the females are about to give birth. The heap of leaves in the drains act as natural cushion for the big cats and this attracts the animals to the gardens.
Amal and Bimal, though injured, managed to row get back to their boat and row back to their village and were rushed to Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital where they are undergoing treatment. But the incident triggered panic among the villagers.
As soon as foresters were informed, they arrived with the wildlife squad and tranquillisers. They crossed the river, in a boat and spotted the leopard on the other side, and even darted it once. But the leopard attacked the foresters, too, leaving two of them injured.
Taking no further risk, the boatman turned the boat around. But the leopard leapt at the boat and clung on to a rope hanging from the boat and dashed into the village That way, it reached the other side of the river and as soon as the boat got close to the shore, it dashed into the village. By then, the villagers had armed themselves with lathis and bamboo staffs. They chased the frightened animal, surrounded it and beat it to death, . The animal was already drowsy due to the effects of the sedative and could not escape the villagers. The villagers lynched it right in front of foresters.
“We could do nothing as the villagers were baying for the animal’s blood. We were far outnumbered by them,” said a senior forest official.
Each year, more than 150 children in the Himalayas of northern India attend our Eco-Camps where they develop values towards nature and conservation. Learn more at http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/community-based-conservation/conservation-education-programs
Dana Allen – PhotoSafari
http://www.facebook.com/DanaAllenPhotoSafari
This little cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been dealt a raw deal. Had he been born a hundred years ago his chances for survival would have been much better. The worldwide cheetah population has declined by nearly 85% in that short time span. Do you want to help this little guy to survive? If so, there are many ways to help here: http://www.cheetah.org/
and here: http://www.dewildt.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=63
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.
Nikon D4. Nikon 200-400 mm.
ISO 800. f 4 @ 2000 sec.
Lexar Media.
© Dana Allen www.photosafari-africa.net
www.facebook.com/DanaAllenPhotoSafari
with Little Makololo Camp & Wilderness Safaris
In follow-up to the “Raspberry of the Week Award”, this sight has become all too common in the UAE. Sadly, owning a cheetah there has become something of a status symbol, despite the fact that the UAE signed the CITES agreement in 1990 and that existing laws in the Emirates provide for a large fine and up to 6 months in jail for buying or selling endangered species. Earlier this year, when a pet cheetah died after escaping from a cage in a private villa, there was some talk about strengthening the laws banning ownership of exotic animals as pets, but to my knowledge, nothing has moved forward on it since.
Save the Cheetah
http://www.facebook.com/savethecheetah
The weekly Raspberry Award goes to those who have achieved some notoriety within the wildlife conservation community due to their greedy, evil or simply moronic actions. Feel free to submit nominations for this award!
Uploaded on Dec 12, 2012
Follow Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity as he sets out through the rugged canyon terrain of southern Arizona in search of the American jaguar.
The Center has worked for more than 20 years to fight to protect the jaguar. In 2012, we won proposed protection for 838,000 acres of “critical habitat” in southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico for these amazing and important big cats.
Want to donate to our American jaguar work? Please visit http://Donate.BiologicalDiversity.org/YE
Greatcatsofthe”World”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/GreatcatsoftheWorld/364092233663682
Dear Members,
We would like to take this Time to Thank you for coming to this Page, and help Spread Awareness of the Plight the Great Cats of our Planet face in Today’s World…
2012 has brought to many species a Very Critical Time… Our Prayers and Wishes, are that the New Year will bring New Hopes for a Better Future for All of them. Never Forget that one Voice added to another and another becomes a Greater and Louder Voice. We Humans are their only Chance in helping them Survive the Evil that wants to Rid them of their Right to Walk this Planet that is Rightfully their own…
May Each and Every One of you Have the Merriest Christmas and the Most Prosperous New Year! Never Stop “ROARING” for the Great Cats we are Graced with.
Looking forward to seeing and hearing from you All in 2013.
Sincerely,
Greatcatsofthe”World”
Happy Festive Friday TigerTimeFamily!!! We know it is a busy time of year but please take 30 seconds to share this beautiful photo and ask friends to sign www.bantigertrade.com.
