Sariska tiger sitting pretty
Sunny Sebastian
JAIPUR: The Sariska reserve’s male tiger missed the bash on the anniversary of his entry into the re-located area last weekend, but he did get a new collar. The wildlife authorities, the scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Rajasthan’s Forest Department kept their date with Sariska last Sunday, though a workshop to mark the first anniversary of the re-introduction of tigers in the reserve was called off as there was state mourning in Rajasthan.
The male tiger was airlifted from the Ranthambhore National Park and relocated in Sariska on June 28, 2008 after all the tigers in the sanctuary were wiped out in 2004-05.
In the first-ever conservation effort of the kind in the country, it was fitted with a new radio collar on the first anniversary. It was in fact a re-enactment of the process undertaken a year ago. The first collar fitted around the neck of the animal stopped working a few months ago and the forest authorities were facing problems locating the big cat.
The wildlife experts who carried out the operation under the leadership of K. Shankar and Parag Nigam of WII found the “first tiger” of Sariska in good condition. It had lost its appetite for some days after he was taken out of his original habitat in Ranthambhore, but later gained weight in his new surroundings and was looking healthy.
“He looked massive. We found him healthy. The new radio collar is also working fine and we located him till the other day in the company of the first of the two female tigers which had followed him from Ranthambore,” Dr. Shankar, who heads the tiger re-introduction programme in Sariska, told The Hindu. In April his collar stopped working. The new collar is expected to function for at least three years,” he noted.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070561231600.htm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Beatings spark fears for Bangladesh's tigers
Beatings spark fears for Bangladesh's tigers
By Shafiq Alam – 7.5.2009
DHAKA (AFP) — When forest officials in southeastern Bangladesh heard that two tigers had strayed out of the forest and into a remote village they knew they had to act quickly.
Though villagers in the area were worried about their own lives, the authorities were racing to save the big cats after a wave of similar incidents in recent years have ended with the endangered animals being beaten to death.
In this instance, the tigers were already dead by the time the officials arrived.
"Tigers go in and out of villages in the night but if they go in during the day, they never survive. The villagers beat them to death," said Aboni Bhusan Thakur, the government's chief conservation officer for the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
One of the tigers, a five-year-old male, had apparently got lost and hid in a shack, where he was attacked by villagers wielding sticks, spears and machetes, Thakur said.
An 18-year-old tigress was also attacked and killed.
Police have arrested one man accused of being the ringleader.
The story is not a new one in Bangladesh. There have been 14 registered cases of tigers being killed in similar circumstances since 2000. Newspaper reports suggest the real figure is closer to 30 while conservationists say it is even higher.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, there are fewer than 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the world with as few as 200 of those in Bangladesh -- the single largest population in the wild.
A government census in 2004 put the number at around 440.
A leading tiger expert in Bangladesh said the beatings were alarming with the species already facing extinction.
"If this brutal tradition goes on, the Bengal tiger population in Bangladesh will vanish in decades," said Professor Monirul Khan, of Dhaka's Jahangirnagar University.
"Tigers were in every forest in the country even 50 years back, but now they are only confined to the Sundarbans."
He said a steep fall in the population of traditional tiger prey in the Sundarbans -- largely due to rapid mangrove deforestation -- such as deer and wild pigs, was forcing them to look elsewhere.
The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lies on the delta of the great Himalayan rivers -- the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.
Covering 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles), it is the world's largest mangrove forest, straddling India and Bangladesh, and without the tigers Khan says the fragile ecosystem of the Sundarbans will collapse.
"The whole food chain will collapse. So many species of plant and animals are at risk," he said.
Wildlife expert Mohsinuzzaman Chowdhury said the tiger beatings were on the rise because incidences of the cats attacking humans were increasing as more people were living near the forest, once a no-go zone.
Eighteen people were killed by tigers in the first six months of the year and 21 were killed during the whole of 2008, but Chowdhury says are there many undocumented deaths.
"These villagers collect honey, timber and do fishing deep inside the forest. Many are killed by tigers, which make them hostile towards the endangered animal," Chowdhury, formerly with the IUCN, said.
Without the mangroves, Bangladesh would be more exposed to the cyclones that hit the southern coastline every year, he said.
Experts say Cyclone Sidr, which killed 3,500 people with wind speeds of 240 kilometres (150 miles) an hour in November 2007, would have been much more severe had it not been for the Sundarbans, which cushioned the blow.
Another cyclone struck the Sundarbans and neighbouring areas on May 26 this year, contaminating fresh water ponds that tigers drink from.
"The forest is still largely uninhabited because of fear of tigers," said IUCN Bangladesh chief Ainun Nishat.
"If the tigers are gone, the fear factor would go and it would take only years to clear out the world's largest mangrove forest. Not only that, there will be no natural saviour for this disaster-prone nation."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAQlC3yA939JeV6ieAeFadiJ-kAA
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
By Shafiq Alam – 7.5.2009
DHAKA (AFP) — When forest officials in southeastern Bangladesh heard that two tigers had strayed out of the forest and into a remote village they knew they had to act quickly.
Though villagers in the area were worried about their own lives, the authorities were racing to save the big cats after a wave of similar incidents in recent years have ended with the endangered animals being beaten to death.
In this instance, the tigers were already dead by the time the officials arrived.
"Tigers go in and out of villages in the night but if they go in during the day, they never survive. The villagers beat them to death," said Aboni Bhusan Thakur, the government's chief conservation officer for the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
One of the tigers, a five-year-old male, had apparently got lost and hid in a shack, where he was attacked by villagers wielding sticks, spears and machetes, Thakur said.
An 18-year-old tigress was also attacked and killed.
Police have arrested one man accused of being the ringleader.
The story is not a new one in Bangladesh. There have been 14 registered cases of tigers being killed in similar circumstances since 2000. Newspaper reports suggest the real figure is closer to 30 while conservationists say it is even higher.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, there are fewer than 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the world with as few as 200 of those in Bangladesh -- the single largest population in the wild.
A government census in 2004 put the number at around 440.
A leading tiger expert in Bangladesh said the beatings were alarming with the species already facing extinction.
"If this brutal tradition goes on, the Bengal tiger population in Bangladesh will vanish in decades," said Professor Monirul Khan, of Dhaka's Jahangirnagar University.
"Tigers were in every forest in the country even 50 years back, but now they are only confined to the Sundarbans."
He said a steep fall in the population of traditional tiger prey in the Sundarbans -- largely due to rapid mangrove deforestation -- such as deer and wild pigs, was forcing them to look elsewhere.
The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lies on the delta of the great Himalayan rivers -- the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.
Covering 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles), it is the world's largest mangrove forest, straddling India and Bangladesh, and without the tigers Khan says the fragile ecosystem of the Sundarbans will collapse.
"The whole food chain will collapse. So many species of plant and animals are at risk," he said.
Wildlife expert Mohsinuzzaman Chowdhury said the tiger beatings were on the rise because incidences of the cats attacking humans were increasing as more people were living near the forest, once a no-go zone.
Eighteen people were killed by tigers in the first six months of the year and 21 were killed during the whole of 2008, but Chowdhury says are there many undocumented deaths.
"These villagers collect honey, timber and do fishing deep inside the forest. Many are killed by tigers, which make them hostile towards the endangered animal," Chowdhury, formerly with the IUCN, said.
Without the mangroves, Bangladesh would be more exposed to the cyclones that hit the southern coastline every year, he said.
Experts say Cyclone Sidr, which killed 3,500 people with wind speeds of 240 kilometres (150 miles) an hour in November 2007, would have been much more severe had it not been for the Sundarbans, which cushioned the blow.
Another cyclone struck the Sundarbans and neighbouring areas on May 26 this year, contaminating fresh water ponds that tigers drink from.
"The forest is still largely uninhabited because of fear of tigers," said IUCN Bangladesh chief Ainun Nishat.
"If the tigers are gone, the fear factor would go and it would take only years to clear out the world's largest mangrove forest. Not only that, there will be no natural saviour for this disaster-prone nation."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAQlC3yA939JeV6ieAeFadiJ-kAA
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Saturday, July 04, 2009
India’s tigers face extinction
India’s tigers face extinction
Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Foreign Correspondent
Last Updated: July 02. 2009 7:05PM UAE / July 2. 2009 3:05PM GMT
KOLKATA // Tigers in India are being killed at an alarming rate, with conservationists calling the situation a “disgrace” and warning that the country’s national animal may soon become extinct.
A resurgence in poaching and a lack of official protection have combined to put the tiger under threat. Shrinking habitats are also forcing tigers into conflicts with humans and even into fighting among themselves, experts said.
According to most conservationists, hope is fading in the fight to save the tiger in India, the animal’s last stronghold which used to be called “land of the tigers” by many.
A century ago 100,000 tigers roamed India. But according to the latest 2008 census, there are only 1,411 of the animals left – down from 3,600 six years ago.
Valmik Thapar, a conservationist who has written many books on tigers, said the number of the tigers in the wild in India could be less than 1,000 and their population was falling.
“What we have seen is a national treasure looted by poachers. I think we are living with the last tigers of India and by 2015 there could be no tigers left in India, if the current trend of disappearance of the animal is not checked,” Mr Thapar said.
In 2005, the government was told all 26 tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan had “disappeared”. The prime minister, Manmohan Singh, set up the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a national task force to monitor organisations trying to save the endangered species.
Six years ago, in Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, known as the “tiger state”, there were 40 tigers. But following a weeks-long investigation in the 543 sq km reserve, a special investigation team sent by the government reported two weeks ago that the entire population of the tigers had “vanished”.
A NTCA report shows the rate of decline in the number of tigers has been rising. In 2007 and 2008, 41 and 53 tigers died respectively. But already in the first half of 2009, 45 have died.
Tito Joseph, the programme manager of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), said authorities did not learn from the Sariska tragedy.
“Poaching is the key reason of the tigers’ disappearance from Panna. Unless poaching is not checked in India, we have to face many more Sariskas and Pannas soon,” he said.
“Weak and aged wildlife guards who cannot crack down on the nexus of poachers should be replaced with younger and smarter men. Supported by intelligence-led enforcements, we have to raise a dedicated tiger task force to be spread over all tiger reserves of the country.”
Although it is illegal, selling dead tigers is lucrative and fuels the poaching spree. Tigers are coveted for their bones, which are used in Chinese herbal remedies. A skin can fetch US$20,000 (Dh73,000), while the bones fetch $6,000 per kilogram, according to a recent BBC documentary. A restaurant in Taiwan or South Korea selling tiger-penis soup at $400 to $500 per serving might pay as much as $4,500 for the whole penis of a tiger.
Conservationists who have worked on the trail of poachers believe some wildlife officials are involved in poaching.
“What we have seen is the tacit agreement between corrupt officials and the poacher,” said Belinda Wright, the director of the WPSI.
“India lost its last cheetah in the 1950s when hunting was still legal. Now, when millions are spent on conservation, we are still losing tigers. It is a national disgrace.”
However, authorities said they were trying to reverse the trend.
As soon as Jairam Ramesh, India’s environment minister, learnt of the disappearance of tigers from Panna, he wrote to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, asking him to personally intervene.
Mr Chouhan has since transferred the field director of Panna.
Rajendra Shukla, Madhya Pradesh’s forest minister, has formed a panel of experts to investigate the disappearance of all tigers in Panna.
“The panel, apart from investigating the cause behind the tigers’ disappearance will also suggest corrective steps for protection of the tigers in the park and we shall be strict in implementation of those measures,” Mr Shukla said.
“Tigers are our assets and we are proud of them. We are serious about their protection.”
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090703/FOREIGN/707029948/1103/NEWS
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Foreign Correspondent
Last Updated: July 02. 2009 7:05PM UAE / July 2. 2009 3:05PM GMT
KOLKATA // Tigers in India are being killed at an alarming rate, with conservationists calling the situation a “disgrace” and warning that the country’s national animal may soon become extinct.
A resurgence in poaching and a lack of official protection have combined to put the tiger under threat. Shrinking habitats are also forcing tigers into conflicts with humans and even into fighting among themselves, experts said.
According to most conservationists, hope is fading in the fight to save the tiger in India, the animal’s last stronghold which used to be called “land of the tigers” by many.
A century ago 100,000 tigers roamed India. But according to the latest 2008 census, there are only 1,411 of the animals left – down from 3,600 six years ago.
Valmik Thapar, a conservationist who has written many books on tigers, said the number of the tigers in the wild in India could be less than 1,000 and their population was falling.
“What we have seen is a national treasure looted by poachers. I think we are living with the last tigers of India and by 2015 there could be no tigers left in India, if the current trend of disappearance of the animal is not checked,” Mr Thapar said.
In 2005, the government was told all 26 tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan had “disappeared”. The prime minister, Manmohan Singh, set up the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a national task force to monitor organisations trying to save the endangered species.
Six years ago, in Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, known as the “tiger state”, there were 40 tigers. But following a weeks-long investigation in the 543 sq km reserve, a special investigation team sent by the government reported two weeks ago that the entire population of the tigers had “vanished”.
A NTCA report shows the rate of decline in the number of tigers has been rising. In 2007 and 2008, 41 and 53 tigers died respectively. But already in the first half of 2009, 45 have died.
Tito Joseph, the programme manager of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), said authorities did not learn from the Sariska tragedy.
“Poaching is the key reason of the tigers’ disappearance from Panna. Unless poaching is not checked in India, we have to face many more Sariskas and Pannas soon,” he said.
“Weak and aged wildlife guards who cannot crack down on the nexus of poachers should be replaced with younger and smarter men. Supported by intelligence-led enforcements, we have to raise a dedicated tiger task force to be spread over all tiger reserves of the country.”
Although it is illegal, selling dead tigers is lucrative and fuels the poaching spree. Tigers are coveted for their bones, which are used in Chinese herbal remedies. A skin can fetch US$20,000 (Dh73,000), while the bones fetch $6,000 per kilogram, according to a recent BBC documentary. A restaurant in Taiwan or South Korea selling tiger-penis soup at $400 to $500 per serving might pay as much as $4,500 for the whole penis of a tiger.
Conservationists who have worked on the trail of poachers believe some wildlife officials are involved in poaching.
“What we have seen is the tacit agreement between corrupt officials and the poacher,” said Belinda Wright, the director of the WPSI.
“India lost its last cheetah in the 1950s when hunting was still legal. Now, when millions are spent on conservation, we are still losing tigers. It is a national disgrace.”
However, authorities said they were trying to reverse the trend.
As soon as Jairam Ramesh, India’s environment minister, learnt of the disappearance of tigers from Panna, he wrote to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, asking him to personally intervene.
Mr Chouhan has since transferred the field director of Panna.
Rajendra Shukla, Madhya Pradesh’s forest minister, has formed a panel of experts to investigate the disappearance of all tigers in Panna.
“The panel, apart from investigating the cause behind the tigers’ disappearance will also suggest corrective steps for protection of the tigers in the park and we shall be strict in implementation of those measures,” Mr Shukla said.
“Tigers are our assets and we are proud of them. We are serious about their protection.”
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090703/FOREIGN/707029948/1103/NEWS
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Friday, July 03, 2009
Three tigers enter villages near Sundarban in 48 hours
Three tigers enter villages near Sundarban in 48 hours
Friday, July 3, 2009
Canning, WB (PTI): Barely 48 hours after two big cats entered two villages near the Sundarbans, another tigress showed up in a village in South 24-Parganas district before being trapped by wildlife officials on Friday.
The tigress, pug marks of which were found by local people on Thursday near Lahiripara village was trapped in the wee hours as she walked into a cage with a bait laid by the Tiger Reserve personnel.
The animal was tranquilised and a microchip implanted on its tail to keep track of its movements after its release.
"The tigress is now asleep and a tag is also being fixed in one of its ears," a senior wildlife officer said.
Panic had spread in two other villages on the fringes of the Sunderbans last Tuesday when a tigress entered Kumirmari village and attacked a cow and a goat.
The villagers raised a hue and cry after which it disappeared into the nearby bushes. But it was subsequently trapped by the wildlife officials.
The tigress was also tranquilised and a microchip and a tag were fixed on it. She would be released in the Sunderbans after regaining consciousness, the officer said.
Pug marks of another tiger were also found on Tuesday near Rajatjubilee village, a few km away from Kumirmari but it could not be located, the official said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200907031811.htm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Friday, July 3, 2009
Canning, WB (PTI): Barely 48 hours after two big cats entered two villages near the Sundarbans, another tigress showed up in a village in South 24-Parganas district before being trapped by wildlife officials on Friday.
The tigress, pug marks of which were found by local people on Thursday near Lahiripara village was trapped in the wee hours as she walked into a cage with a bait laid by the Tiger Reserve personnel.
The animal was tranquilised and a microchip implanted on its tail to keep track of its movements after its release.
"The tigress is now asleep and a tag is also being fixed in one of its ears," a senior wildlife officer said.
Panic had spread in two other villages on the fringes of the Sunderbans last Tuesday when a tigress entered Kumirmari village and attacked a cow and a goat.
The villagers raised a hue and cry after which it disappeared into the nearby bushes. But it was subsequently trapped by the wildlife officials.
The tigress was also tranquilised and a microchip and a tag were fixed on it. She would be released in the Sunderbans after regaining consciousness, the officer said.
Pug marks of another tiger were also found on Tuesday near Rajatjubilee village, a few km away from Kumirmari but it could not be located, the official said.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200907031811.htm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Microchips to track straying tigers
Microchips to track straying tigers
Ananya Dutta
Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Kolkata: The big cats of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve that stray into inhabited areas will be tracked with the help of an electronic microchip implanted in their bodies, Reserve Director N.C. Bahuguna said here on Thursday.
A pregnant tigress, captured by employees of the reserve on Tuesday night, will be the first to be tagged with a microchip placed at the base of her tail.
An ear-tag will also be attached to the tigers, Mr. Bahugana said.
“Microchips are being introduced to track tigers that repeatedly stray into inhabited areas,” Joint Director of the National Tiger Conservation Authority S.P. Yadav told The Hindu on telephone from New Delhi.
Two incidents
The decision comes in the wake of two recent incidents of tigers straying into villages adjoining the forest. The first, a tigress, entered Adivasipara on Kumirmari Island and killed some livestock. Sources said she might have done so because she was pregnant and was finding it difficult to catch prey. The tigress was caught, medically examined and tagged. It will be re-released soon.
Yet to be traced
In the other incident, a tiger strayed into villages on Satjelia Island. Officials of the Forest department have not been able to trace it yet.
“The electronic chips will help us keep track of these tigers and enable studies into the causes for their straying,” Mr. Bahuguna said.
“As such we have seen that straying is more common in the rainy season and winters.”
The chips, which had been supplied by the Wildlife Institute of India for tracking elephants, are now being used by the reserve for tigers.
Order placed
“We have also placed an order with the Wildlife Institute for radio collars, which will be used to map the fauna of the reserve,” he said.
Radio collaring, DNA sampling, microchips and camera traps are being introduced by the reserve to obtain an accurate count of the number of tigers.
The last census was conducted in 2006, according to which there are 274 tigers in the reserve. Wildlife experts, however, claim the figure is inflated.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070460881100.htm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
Ananya Dutta
Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
Kolkata: The big cats of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve that stray into inhabited areas will be tracked with the help of an electronic microchip implanted in their bodies, Reserve Director N.C. Bahuguna said here on Thursday.
A pregnant tigress, captured by employees of the reserve on Tuesday night, will be the first to be tagged with a microchip placed at the base of her tail.
An ear-tag will also be attached to the tigers, Mr. Bahugana said.
“Microchips are being introduced to track tigers that repeatedly stray into inhabited areas,” Joint Director of the National Tiger Conservation Authority S.P. Yadav told The Hindu on telephone from New Delhi.
Two incidents
The decision comes in the wake of two recent incidents of tigers straying into villages adjoining the forest. The first, a tigress, entered Adivasipara on Kumirmari Island and killed some livestock. Sources said she might have done so because she was pregnant and was finding it difficult to catch prey. The tigress was caught, medically examined and tagged. It will be re-released soon.
Yet to be traced
In the other incident, a tiger strayed into villages on Satjelia Island. Officials of the Forest department have not been able to trace it yet.
“The electronic chips will help us keep track of these tigers and enable studies into the causes for their straying,” Mr. Bahuguna said.
“As such we have seen that straying is more common in the rainy season and winters.”
The chips, which had been supplied by the Wildlife Institute of India for tracking elephants, are now being used by the reserve for tigers.
Order placed
“We have also placed an order with the Wildlife Institute for radio collars, which will be used to map the fauna of the reserve,” he said.
Radio collaring, DNA sampling, microchips and camera traps are being introduced by the reserve to obtain an accurate count of the number of tigers.
The last census was conducted in 2006, according to which there are 274 tigers in the reserve. Wildlife experts, however, claim the figure is inflated.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/04/stories/2009070460881100.htm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/
Bobcat hit by car on road to recovery after surgery at NY's Cornell
Oscar The Bobcat – Hit By A Car – Is On The Road To Recovery After Surgery
ScienceDaily (July 3, 2009) — Oscar the bobcat is healing by leaps and bounds after a team of surgeons at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine repaired injuries he sustained after being hit by a car. He is currently recovering in the New York Wildlife Rescue Center in Middleburgh, N.Y.
The accident, in the Albany area, caused multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and a broken femur. Such injuries would have made it virtually impossible for Oscar to survive in the wild.
After being hit, the bobcat was brought to the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center, which transported him to the Cornell animal hospital. The animal underwent three hours of orthopedic surgery on June 19. Cornell surgeons Dr. Stuart Bliss and Dr. Heather Knapp-Hoch removed the head and neck of the femur, and stabilized the broken pelvis with a steel plate and seven screws.
“Not only was the cat in pain, but his ability to survive as a functioning, highly athletic, predatory animal depends on a successful surgical outcome,” said Knapp-Hoch, who is a resident in small animal surgery at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. “This was an excellent opportunity to focus on finding the best surgical method to preserve the animal’s ability to run and jump, while at the same time minimizing the chance of long-term complications; indeed, his ability to live in the wild will depend on both.”
Surgeons expect Oscar – named when he was found after the accident – to recuperate over the next six to eight weeks.
---------------------
Adapted from materials provided by Cornell University.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090703111301.htm
---------------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
ScienceDaily (July 3, 2009) — Oscar the bobcat is healing by leaps and bounds after a team of surgeons at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals at the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine repaired injuries he sustained after being hit by a car. He is currently recovering in the New York Wildlife Rescue Center in Middleburgh, N.Y.
The accident, in the Albany area, caused multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and a broken femur. Such injuries would have made it virtually impossible for Oscar to survive in the wild.
After being hit, the bobcat was brought to the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center, which transported him to the Cornell animal hospital. The animal underwent three hours of orthopedic surgery on June 19. Cornell surgeons Dr. Stuart Bliss and Dr. Heather Knapp-Hoch removed the head and neck of the femur, and stabilized the broken pelvis with a steel plate and seven screws.
“Not only was the cat in pain, but his ability to survive as a functioning, highly athletic, predatory animal depends on a successful surgical outcome,” said Knapp-Hoch, who is a resident in small animal surgery at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. “This was an excellent opportunity to focus on finding the best surgical method to preserve the animal’s ability to run and jump, while at the same time minimizing the chance of long-term complications; indeed, his ability to live in the wild will depend on both.”
Surgeons expect Oscar – named when he was found after the accident – to recuperate over the next six to eight weeks.
---------------------
Adapted from materials provided by Cornell University.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090703111301.htm
---------------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
India: Snow Leopard Project scheme submitted to Centre
HimVani
Shimla: Forest minister JP Nadda while reviewing the ‘Snow Leopard Project’ being implemented in Pin valley said the state government has prepared a scheme worth Rs 1.40 crore for proper implementation of the project during 2009-10 and submitted it to the Centre for funding.
He stressed upon formulating a proper management policy for protection of wild life with the help of participation of the people. He further said that management policy was being formulated for the protected area in the Spiti Valley, which would also help in protecting the wild life. He also reviewed the availability of fuel and construction wood in the valley and also directed to open depots on need basis to meet out the requirements the people.
The first-ever census of snow leopards is being conducted in the state by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), a non-government organisation. After the snow leopard was identified as a highly endangered species in Himachal, over a year ago the state government had declare it the state animal.
http://www.himvani.com/news/2009/07/02/snow-leopard-project-scheme-submitted-to-centre/3141/
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Shimla: Forest minister JP Nadda while reviewing the ‘Snow Leopard Project’ being implemented in Pin valley said the state government has prepared a scheme worth Rs 1.40 crore for proper implementation of the project during 2009-10 and submitted it to the Centre for funding.
He stressed upon formulating a proper management policy for protection of wild life with the help of participation of the people. He further said that management policy was being formulated for the protected area in the Spiti Valley, which would also help in protecting the wild life. He also reviewed the availability of fuel and construction wood in the valley and also directed to open depots on need basis to meet out the requirements the people.
The first-ever census of snow leopards is being conducted in the state by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), a non-government organisation. After the snow leopard was identified as a highly endangered species in Himachal, over a year ago the state government had declare it the state animal.
http://www.himvani.com/news/2009/07/02/snow-leopard-project-scheme-submitted-to-centre/3141/
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Colorado: Why are bobcats preying on small pets?
Wildlife Officials Warn Pet Owners About Bobcats
Posted: 9:49 PM Jul 2, 2009
Last Updated: 11:18 PM Jul 2, 2009
Reporter: McKenzie Martin
Email Address: mmartin@kktv.com
Wildlife officials are warning neighbors on the northwest side of Colorado Springs to be careful of bobcats. In the past few weeks two family pets have been attacked. The latest attack was Wednesday night; a small dog was killed in the Rockrimmon area.
"It didn't take long, the cat knew what it was going to do, did it and left," said Frank Jarnot. He watched as the bobcat killed his neighbor’s chihuahua. "I was probably about 15 feet away, a little close."
Not far from Frank's house, another dog was attacked a few weeks ago.
"From the sound of everything our eight month old puppy got the better of the bobcat that was at least two or three times her weight," said Daryl Tomczyk. He is just thankful his puppy Zena survived and only ended up with some stitches.
"Bobcats are pure predators," said Dave Lovell with the Division of Wildlife. He says there are likely more bobcats around this year because there is more prey. "Their main prey source is rabbits, we've seen an increase in the number of rabbits in Rockrimmon area and we believe that's what's bringing the bobcats in as well."
The rabbits Lovell says are flourishing with so much green vegetation to eat and it's hard for a bobcat to tell the difference between a rabbit and a small dog.
If you have small dogs and live on the west side of the city you’re advised to keep them in at night, bobcats usually feed at dawn and dusk. If you let them outside, it's a good idea to keep them on a leash or if they are in a kennel the DOW says it needs to have a cover over the top to keep the bobcats out.
The DOW says bobcats are usually scared of humans and it's actually unusual for bobcats to attack pets.
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/49776852.html
-----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Posted: 9:49 PM Jul 2, 2009
Last Updated: 11:18 PM Jul 2, 2009
Reporter: McKenzie Martin
Email Address: mmartin@kktv.com
Wildlife officials are warning neighbors on the northwest side of Colorado Springs to be careful of bobcats. In the past few weeks two family pets have been attacked. The latest attack was Wednesday night; a small dog was killed in the Rockrimmon area.
"It didn't take long, the cat knew what it was going to do, did it and left," said Frank Jarnot. He watched as the bobcat killed his neighbor’s chihuahua. "I was probably about 15 feet away, a little close."
Not far from Frank's house, another dog was attacked a few weeks ago.
"From the sound of everything our eight month old puppy got the better of the bobcat that was at least two or three times her weight," said Daryl Tomczyk. He is just thankful his puppy Zena survived and only ended up with some stitches.
"Bobcats are pure predators," said Dave Lovell with the Division of Wildlife. He says there are likely more bobcats around this year because there is more prey. "Their main prey source is rabbits, we've seen an increase in the number of rabbits in Rockrimmon area and we believe that's what's bringing the bobcats in as well."
The rabbits Lovell says are flourishing with so much green vegetation to eat and it's hard for a bobcat to tell the difference between a rabbit and a small dog.
If you have small dogs and live on the west side of the city you’re advised to keep them in at night, bobcats usually feed at dawn and dusk. If you let them outside, it's a good idea to keep them on a leash or if they are in a kennel the DOW says it needs to have a cover over the top to keep the bobcats out.
The DOW says bobcats are usually scared of humans and it's actually unusual for bobcats to attack pets.
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/49776852.html
-----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Tripartite Mou To Ensure Effective Tiger Conservation
Tripartite Mou To Ensure Effective Tiger Conservation
Mous Will Be Signed Next Month : Jairam Ramesh
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Press Information Bureau Government of India
The Cabinet today approved a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Environment and Forests, State Governments and Tiger Reserve Management to ensure effective tiger conservation. The Ministry of Environment and Forests submitted this proposal earlier where it will act through the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The proposed tripartite MOU would foster public accountability relating to tiger conservation by ensuring reciprocal commitments between the Centre, the tiger States and the Field Director of Tiger Reserves. It also contains commitments like establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation which would promote innovative practices for involving the local stakeholders in tiger conservation.
Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forests said this will also ensure better utilization of funds and increases accountability and responsibility for all three parties. Over the next month,the Ministry is expected to sign these MOUs with 17 states and 37 Project Tiger Reserves, he added.
The Tiger Task Force constituted by the Prime Minister, in the wake of tigers getting locally extinct from Sariska, recommended a system of MOU with Project States for better implementation. A MOU format was approved by the CCEA in February, 2008 during the revision of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger. Central Assistance to States under the said Scheme is provided only after the MOU is signed by the authorised signatory of the State.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in its meeting held on 30th January, 2008 approved the continued implementation of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger during the XIth Five Year Plan, at an estimated cost of Rs. 600.00 crores, including the additional components, viz. (i) rehabilitation/resettlement of denotified tribes/communities involved in traditional hunting, (ii)mainstreaming livelihood and wildlife concerns in forests outside tiger reserves and fostering corridor conservation through restorative strategy to arrest fragmentation of habitats, (iii) enhanced village relocation/ rehabilitation package for people living in core or critical tiger habitats apart from settlement of rights, (iv) safeguards/retrofitting measures in the interest of wildlife conservation, (v) providing basic infrastructure for strengthening the National Tiger Conservation Authority and establishing a monitoring lab in the Wildlife Institute of India, (vi) establishment and development of 8 new tiger reserves, (vii) provision of project allowance to ministerial staff working in tiger reserves, and (viii) fostering ecotourism.
The CCEA, while approving the scheme further directed that the Memorandum of Understanding contained in the proposal be suitably modified to reflect the responsibilities of the State Governments for delineating the buffer zones and filling staff vacancies. The directions of the CCEA were duly complied with, and a MOU in the approved format was entered into with 16 out of 17 tiger States, except Bihar, for releasing the central assistance under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger. The State of Bihar has been requested for the needful in this regard for enabling this Ministry to release the central assistance allocated to them.
Keeping in view the directions of the CCEA under reference, and the serious concerns about the inadequacy of tiger conservation efforts by tiger States, the matter has been further examined and various generic as well as tiger reserve-specific suggestions were reviewed in a meeting of Field Directors of Tiger Reserves held at Kanha Tiger Reserve during last year. Based on these discussions/consultations, a refined Memorandum of Understanding was developed to include issues that emerged during the said meeting.
The Ministry earlier had a bilateral MOU between the Ministry of Environment and Forests and tiger reserve States, but a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was considered more effective than the earlier since the Field Director of a tiger reserve is the key functionary vested with the responsibility of day to day management, between the Ministry of Environment and Forests the tiger reserve States as well as the Field Directors of Tiger Reserves.
The urgency in saving the tiger, India’s national animal, enjoins on the Centre, the States and the Tiger Reserve Management. A tripartite memorandum is essential, laying out the respective responsibilities and reciprocal commitments linked to fund flows to ensure effective tiger conservation in the country. Tiger conservation is a shared responsibility between the Central and State Governments. The Government of India provides funding support and technical guidance to tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves. The day to day management of the tiger reserve including protection is the responsibility of tiger States.
The Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to ensure and maintain viable population of tigers in India and to preserve for all times areas of biological importance as national heritage for the benefit, education and payment of people. Starting from 9 reserves, the project coverage has extended to 37 tiger reserves in 17 tiger States. The tiger reserve amount to 1.1% of the country’s geographical area and around 5% of its forest area. In principle approval has been given for four new reserves spread over four States (MP, UP, Maharashtra and Orissa). During the XIth Five Year Plan, an amount of Rs. 600 crores has been allocated for Centrally Sponsored Project Tiger Scheme, apart from a subsequent allocation of Rs. 50 crores for the Special Tiger Protection Force. The new MOU would be operational within a month which would be a pre-requisite for providing central assistance to tiger States under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger.
http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=49608
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Mous Will Be Signed Next Month : Jairam Ramesh
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Press Information Bureau Government of India
The Cabinet today approved a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Environment and Forests, State Governments and Tiger Reserve Management to ensure effective tiger conservation. The Ministry of Environment and Forests submitted this proposal earlier where it will act through the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The proposed tripartite MOU would foster public accountability relating to tiger conservation by ensuring reciprocal commitments between the Centre, the tiger States and the Field Director of Tiger Reserves. It also contains commitments like establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation which would promote innovative practices for involving the local stakeholders in tiger conservation.
Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forests said this will also ensure better utilization of funds and increases accountability and responsibility for all three parties. Over the next month,the Ministry is expected to sign these MOUs with 17 states and 37 Project Tiger Reserves, he added.
The Tiger Task Force constituted by the Prime Minister, in the wake of tigers getting locally extinct from Sariska, recommended a system of MOU with Project States for better implementation. A MOU format was approved by the CCEA in February, 2008 during the revision of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger. Central Assistance to States under the said Scheme is provided only after the MOU is signed by the authorised signatory of the State.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in its meeting held on 30th January, 2008 approved the continued implementation of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger during the XIth Five Year Plan, at an estimated cost of Rs. 600.00 crores, including the additional components, viz. (i) rehabilitation/resettlement of denotified tribes/communities involved in traditional hunting, (ii)mainstreaming livelihood and wildlife concerns in forests outside tiger reserves and fostering corridor conservation through restorative strategy to arrest fragmentation of habitats, (iii) enhanced village relocation/ rehabilitation package for people living in core or critical tiger habitats apart from settlement of rights, (iv) safeguards/retrofitting measures in the interest of wildlife conservation, (v) providing basic infrastructure for strengthening the National Tiger Conservation Authority and establishing a monitoring lab in the Wildlife Institute of India, (vi) establishment and development of 8 new tiger reserves, (vii) provision of project allowance to ministerial staff working in tiger reserves, and (viii) fostering ecotourism.
The CCEA, while approving the scheme further directed that the Memorandum of Understanding contained in the proposal be suitably modified to reflect the responsibilities of the State Governments for delineating the buffer zones and filling staff vacancies. The directions of the CCEA were duly complied with, and a MOU in the approved format was entered into with 16 out of 17 tiger States, except Bihar, for releasing the central assistance under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger. The State of Bihar has been requested for the needful in this regard for enabling this Ministry to release the central assistance allocated to them.
Keeping in view the directions of the CCEA under reference, and the serious concerns about the inadequacy of tiger conservation efforts by tiger States, the matter has been further examined and various generic as well as tiger reserve-specific suggestions were reviewed in a meeting of Field Directors of Tiger Reserves held at Kanha Tiger Reserve during last year. Based on these discussions/consultations, a refined Memorandum of Understanding was developed to include issues that emerged during the said meeting.
The Ministry earlier had a bilateral MOU between the Ministry of Environment and Forests and tiger reserve States, but a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was considered more effective than the earlier since the Field Director of a tiger reserve is the key functionary vested with the responsibility of day to day management, between the Ministry of Environment and Forests the tiger reserve States as well as the Field Directors of Tiger Reserves.
The urgency in saving the tiger, India’s national animal, enjoins on the Centre, the States and the Tiger Reserve Management. A tripartite memorandum is essential, laying out the respective responsibilities and reciprocal commitments linked to fund flows to ensure effective tiger conservation in the country. Tiger conservation is a shared responsibility between the Central and State Governments. The Government of India provides funding support and technical guidance to tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves. The day to day management of the tiger reserve including protection is the responsibility of tiger States.
The Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to ensure and maintain viable population of tigers in India and to preserve for all times areas of biological importance as national heritage for the benefit, education and payment of people. Starting from 9 reserves, the project coverage has extended to 37 tiger reserves in 17 tiger States. The tiger reserve amount to 1.1% of the country’s geographical area and around 5% of its forest area. In principle approval has been given for four new reserves spread over four States (MP, UP, Maharashtra and Orissa). During the XIth Five Year Plan, an amount of Rs. 600 crores has been allocated for Centrally Sponsored Project Tiger Scheme, apart from a subsequent allocation of Rs. 50 crores for the Special Tiger Protection Force. The new MOU would be operational within a month which would be a pre-requisite for providing central assistance to tiger States under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger.
http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=49608
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Cabinet approves MoU on tiger conservation
Cabinet approves MoU on tiger conservation
3 Jul 2009, 0542 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: In fresh move to strengthen tiger conservation efforts, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal for implementing the tripartite agreement among the environment ministry, state governments and tiger reserves.
The MoU seeks to ensure effective tiger conservation by laying out respective responsibilities and reciprocal commitments linked to fund flow to foster public accountability.
The MoU aims at strengthening tiger conservation initiatives and developing approaches to strengthen efforts for conserving tigers in the identified reserves and other tiger-bearing forests of the country.
"It will address the growing concern among the public for saving the tiger," I&B minister Ambika Soni said after cabinet meeting.
Funds are now being disbursed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under a pact with states for protecting the animal under Project Tiger.
However, under the new agreement, tiger reserves will also be made accountable for fund utilisation given that many states had failed to fully spend money provided by the Centre.
In another decision, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Rubber Act, 1947, that seeks to change the definition of a small grower, among others. The relevant Bill will be moved in Parliament.
The amendment seeks to change the definition of a small grower to the one having an estate of 10 hectares or less instead of the current norm of 20 hectares or less.
The amendment will also empower the state-owned Rubber Board to implement quality standards in marketing various types of rubber, Soni said.
A Rubber Development Fund will replace the existing general fund, which will also give fresh impetus to the funding of the Board, she said.
The cabinet also decided to set up a plasma fractation centre at Chennai at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The centre, which will be able to process more than 1.5 lakh litres of plasma, will be a state-of the art facility with the latest technology and equipment as well as meeting international standards.
The centre will manufacture all important plasma derivatives which are presently being imported. This will reduce the country's dependence on import of these plasma products, Soni said. The imported plasma derivatives are expensive and not accessible to all needy patients.
Out of the Rs 250 crore, Rs 25 crore will be for the building's construction, Rs 65 crore for procurement of equipment, Rs 20 crore for manpower and Rs 140 crore for consumables and other recurring expenses.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Cabinet-approves-MoU-on-tiger-conservation/articleshow/4730492.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
3 Jul 2009, 0542 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: In fresh move to strengthen tiger conservation efforts, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal for implementing the tripartite agreement among the environment ministry, state governments and tiger reserves.
The MoU seeks to ensure effective tiger conservation by laying out respective responsibilities and reciprocal commitments linked to fund flow to foster public accountability.
The MoU aims at strengthening tiger conservation initiatives and developing approaches to strengthen efforts for conserving tigers in the identified reserves and other tiger-bearing forests of the country.
"It will address the growing concern among the public for saving the tiger," I&B minister Ambika Soni said after cabinet meeting.
Funds are now being disbursed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under a pact with states for protecting the animal under Project Tiger.
However, under the new agreement, tiger reserves will also be made accountable for fund utilisation given that many states had failed to fully spend money provided by the Centre.
In another decision, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Rubber Act, 1947, that seeks to change the definition of a small grower, among others. The relevant Bill will be moved in Parliament.
The amendment seeks to change the definition of a small grower to the one having an estate of 10 hectares or less instead of the current norm of 20 hectares or less.
The amendment will also empower the state-owned Rubber Board to implement quality standards in marketing various types of rubber, Soni said.
A Rubber Development Fund will replace the existing general fund, which will also give fresh impetus to the funding of the Board, she said.
The cabinet also decided to set up a plasma fractation centre at Chennai at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The centre, which will be able to process more than 1.5 lakh litres of plasma, will be a state-of the art facility with the latest technology and equipment as well as meeting international standards.
The centre will manufacture all important plasma derivatives which are presently being imported. This will reduce the country's dependence on import of these plasma products, Soni said. The imported plasma derivatives are expensive and not accessible to all needy patients.
Out of the Rs 250 crore, Rs 25 crore will be for the building's construction, Rs 65 crore for procurement of equipment, Rs 20 crore for manpower and Rs 140 crore for consumables and other recurring expenses.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Cabinet-approves-MoU-on-tiger-conservation/articleshow/4730492.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Amur tigers on 'genetic brink'
Amur tigers on 'genetic brink'
Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News
2 July 2009 11:54 UK
The world's largest cat, the Amur tiger, is down to an effective wild population of fewer than 35 individuals, new research has found.
Although up to 500 of the big cats actually survive in the wild, the effective population is a measure of their genetic diversity.
That in turn is a good predictor of the Amur tiger's chances of survival.
The results come from the most complete genetic survey yet of wild Amur tigers, the rarest subspecies of tiger.
At the start of the 20th Century, nine subspecies of tiger existed, with a total world population of more than 100,000 individuals.
Human impacts have since caused the extinction of three subspecies, the Javan tiger, Bali tiger and Caspian tiger, and world tiger numbers could now have fallen to fewer than 3000.
The Amur tiger, or Siberian tiger as it is also known, is the largest subspecies which once lived across a large portion of northern China, the Korean peninsula, and the southernmost regions of far east Russia. The Amur tiger most likely derived from the Caspian tiger, recent research has shown.
During the early 20th century, the Amur tiger too was almost driven to extinction, as expanding human settlements, habitat loss and poaching wiped out this biggest of cats from over 90% of its range.
By the 1940s just 20 to 30 individuals survived in the wild.
Since then, a ban on hunting and a remarkable conservation effort have slowly helped the Amur tiger recover. Today, up to 500 are thought to survive in the wild, while 421 cats are kept in captivity.
However, the genetic health of the tiger hasn't improved, according to a new analysis published in Molecular Ecology.
Little variation
Michael Russello and Philippe Henry of the University of British Columbia, in Kelowna, Canada led a team drawn from universities in Canada, Japan and the US in a bid to analyse the genetic profiles of the remaining wild Amur tigers.
They sampled nuclear DNA found within the scat samples of an estimated 95 individuals found throughout the Amur tiger's range, likely constituting up to 20% of the remaining population.
The study sampled the amount of variation within the DNA from more tigers, across a broader geographic, than any previous research.
"Although the census population size of Amur tigers is closer to 500 individuals, the population is behaving as if it were the size of 27 to 35 individuals," says Russello.
That's the lowest genetic diversity ever recorded for a population of wild tigers.
The effective population of any group of animals will be lower than the number that actually exist, due to factors such as non-breeding individuals or a skewed sex ratio.
"However, what is remarkable about the Amur tiger is how much lower the effective population size is than the census size," says Russello.
Population split
Another important finding to emerge from the study is that the remaining Amur tigers are segregated into two populations that rarely intermingle.
The majority of Amur tigers live among the slopes of the Russian Sikhote-Alin Mountains, with 20 or fewer living separately in Southwest Primorye in Russia.
The two groups are separated by a corridor of development between Vladivostok and Ussurisk, and the genetic analysis showed that perhaps just three tigers had managed to cross the divide, reducing the effective size of the wild population further.
"There is little sharing of genes across the development corridor, suggesting that these two populations are fairly discrete," says Russello.
"In actuality, it seems that Amur tigers are residing in two, fairly independent populations on either side of the development corridor between Vladivostok and Ussurisk, further lowering the effective size for each from 26 to 28 for Sikhote-Alin and 2.8 to 11 for Southwest Primorye."
That means more work needs to be done to open up this barrier segregating the tigers.
If that doesn't happen, then it's likely that the Southwest Primorye population will continue to dwindle. That could also kill off the prospect of reintroducing Amur tigers to China, as those in Southwest Primorye are living closest to their former Chinese range.
Captive resource
The news is not all bad for the Amur tiger, however.
Russello and Henry's team also analysed the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 20 captive Amur tigers, to see if they retained any unique genetic features since lost by the wild tigers.
"There are gene variants found in captivity that no longer persist in the wild," says Russello, which suggests that the captive program has done a good job of preserving the genetic diversity of the subspecies.
"Now that it is known which individuals possess which gene variants, managers will be able to selectively breed to help preserve the unique and rare gene variants," says Russello.
"The implication is that this variation may be used to re-infuse the wild population sometime in the future if reintroduction strategies are deemed warranted."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8128000/8128738.stm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News
2 July 2009 11:54 UK
The world's largest cat, the Amur tiger, is down to an effective wild population of fewer than 35 individuals, new research has found.
Although up to 500 of the big cats actually survive in the wild, the effective population is a measure of their genetic diversity.
That in turn is a good predictor of the Amur tiger's chances of survival.
The results come from the most complete genetic survey yet of wild Amur tigers, the rarest subspecies of tiger.
At the start of the 20th Century, nine subspecies of tiger existed, with a total world population of more than 100,000 individuals.
Human impacts have since caused the extinction of three subspecies, the Javan tiger, Bali tiger and Caspian tiger, and world tiger numbers could now have fallen to fewer than 3000.
The Amur tiger, or Siberian tiger as it is also known, is the largest subspecies which once lived across a large portion of northern China, the Korean peninsula, and the southernmost regions of far east Russia. The Amur tiger most likely derived from the Caspian tiger, recent research has shown.
During the early 20th century, the Amur tiger too was almost driven to extinction, as expanding human settlements, habitat loss and poaching wiped out this biggest of cats from over 90% of its range.
By the 1940s just 20 to 30 individuals survived in the wild.
Since then, a ban on hunting and a remarkable conservation effort have slowly helped the Amur tiger recover. Today, up to 500 are thought to survive in the wild, while 421 cats are kept in captivity.
However, the genetic health of the tiger hasn't improved, according to a new analysis published in Molecular Ecology.
Little variation
Michael Russello and Philippe Henry of the University of British Columbia, in Kelowna, Canada led a team drawn from universities in Canada, Japan and the US in a bid to analyse the genetic profiles of the remaining wild Amur tigers.
They sampled nuclear DNA found within the scat samples of an estimated 95 individuals found throughout the Amur tiger's range, likely constituting up to 20% of the remaining population.
The study sampled the amount of variation within the DNA from more tigers, across a broader geographic, than any previous research.
"Although the census population size of Amur tigers is closer to 500 individuals, the population is behaving as if it were the size of 27 to 35 individuals," says Russello.
That's the lowest genetic diversity ever recorded for a population of wild tigers.
The effective population of any group of animals will be lower than the number that actually exist, due to factors such as non-breeding individuals or a skewed sex ratio.
"However, what is remarkable about the Amur tiger is how much lower the effective population size is than the census size," says Russello.
Population split
Another important finding to emerge from the study is that the remaining Amur tigers are segregated into two populations that rarely intermingle.
The majority of Amur tigers live among the slopes of the Russian Sikhote-Alin Mountains, with 20 or fewer living separately in Southwest Primorye in Russia.
The two groups are separated by a corridor of development between Vladivostok and Ussurisk, and the genetic analysis showed that perhaps just three tigers had managed to cross the divide, reducing the effective size of the wild population further.
"There is little sharing of genes across the development corridor, suggesting that these two populations are fairly discrete," says Russello.
"In actuality, it seems that Amur tigers are residing in two, fairly independent populations on either side of the development corridor between Vladivostok and Ussurisk, further lowering the effective size for each from 26 to 28 for Sikhote-Alin and 2.8 to 11 for Southwest Primorye."
That means more work needs to be done to open up this barrier segregating the tigers.
If that doesn't happen, then it's likely that the Southwest Primorye population will continue to dwindle. That could also kill off the prospect of reintroducing Amur tigers to China, as those in Southwest Primorye are living closest to their former Chinese range.
Captive resource
The news is not all bad for the Amur tiger, however.
Russello and Henry's team also analysed the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 20 captive Amur tigers, to see if they retained any unique genetic features since lost by the wild tigers.
"There are gene variants found in captivity that no longer persist in the wild," says Russello, which suggests that the captive program has done a good job of preserving the genetic diversity of the subspecies.
"Now that it is known which individuals possess which gene variants, managers will be able to selectively breed to help preserve the unique and rare gene variants," says Russello.
"The implication is that this variation may be used to re-infuse the wild population sometime in the future if reintroduction strategies are deemed warranted."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8128000/8128738.stm
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
MP HC seeks Union, State govt reply on tiger's decline
MP HC seeks Union, State govt reply on tiger's decline
6/25/2009
The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state and Union Government to submit a detailed report on the protection of the tigers and other wildlife animals facing extinction.
The court also directed to take action in compliance of the Central Steering Committee and the state Steering Committee constituted under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act within four weeks.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Ajeet Singh issued these directives while hearing the Public Interest Litigation petition of Navneet Kabra, challenging the state’s inaction for not taking suitable measures to protect the wildlife animals, including the tiger breed, reducing their number from 710 tigers in forest and five national tiger sanctuaries to half.
The affidavit of the state’s Chief Wildlife Director was taken on record and four weeks time to the Union and state government to file their fresh reply in the matter was granted.
Petitioners counsel Aditya Sanghi said that in four National Tiger Reserves, the tiger population gradually reduced to half as per the 2006 census.
Mr Sanghi submitted that the Prime Minister is the head of the Wildlife Protection Steering Committee and had issued directives to all the chief secretaries and State Chief Ministers to implement the provision of the Section 38 of the Wildlife Protection Act to which the state government has failed so far.
http://www.indlawnews.com/newsdisplay.aspx?0b4c92aa-752f-4fb2-8d4a-93e3eb0fd562
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
6/25/2009
The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state and Union Government to submit a detailed report on the protection of the tigers and other wildlife animals facing extinction.
The court also directed to take action in compliance of the Central Steering Committee and the state Steering Committee constituted under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act within four weeks.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Ajeet Singh issued these directives while hearing the Public Interest Litigation petition of Navneet Kabra, challenging the state’s inaction for not taking suitable measures to protect the wildlife animals, including the tiger breed, reducing their number from 710 tigers in forest and five national tiger sanctuaries to half.
The affidavit of the state’s Chief Wildlife Director was taken on record and four weeks time to the Union and state government to file their fresh reply in the matter was granted.
Petitioners counsel Aditya Sanghi said that in four National Tiger Reserves, the tiger population gradually reduced to half as per the 2006 census.
Mr Sanghi submitted that the Prime Minister is the head of the Wildlife Protection Steering Committee and had issued directives to all the chief secretaries and State Chief Ministers to implement the provision of the Section 38 of the Wildlife Protection Act to which the state government has failed so far.
http://www.indlawnews.com/newsdisplay.aspx?0b4c92aa-752f-4fb2-8d4a-93e3eb0fd562
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Jaguars confirmed just south of Texas border
The Nature Report: Jaguars in Tamaulipas
By Richard Moore
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 11:36 a.m.
The sprawling, thickly wooded mountains of northern Mexico are home to abundant wildlife, but researchers were surprised by what they discovered when they began setting up remote cameras in the rugged sierra of Tamaulipas earlier this year.
Jaguar, puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and bobcat have all been documented at Rancho Caracol, an 11,000-acre ranch just 150 miles south of Brownsville.
Just getting to many of the camera locations is a challenge, and after the four wheel drive runs out of trail, the hiking begins.
Chad Stasey is a feline researcher with Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M Kingsville, and once a month he spends a couple of days checking 25 trail cams.
“The cats like it a little bit rougher than I do,” Stasey said.
Arturo Caso, also with Caesar Kleberg, has been studying cats in Mexico for a decade and is helping to coordinate the research.
“First of all, I want to thank Caracol Ranch, because they have been really supportive of this program,” Caso said. “When we first set up our cameras, I want to be honest we did not expect to have so much success. It was really a pleasant surprise to find all these cats here at this ranch, and we are really working to try and conserve these cats for the future.”
Dean Putegnat from Brownsville is the owner of Rancho Caracol, which is a world class destination for white wing and quail hunters, and he is very supportive of the cat research.
“The jaguar to people is a special animal, and they see that and they share it. It works out well for us,” he said.
The jaguar, jaguarundi and ocelot are protected by law in Mexico and researches are hoping to apply knowledge they acquire at Rancho Caracol to helping save the endangered ocelot in South Texas.
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=319685
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
By Richard Moore
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 11:36 a.m.
The sprawling, thickly wooded mountains of northern Mexico are home to abundant wildlife, but researchers were surprised by what they discovered when they began setting up remote cameras in the rugged sierra of Tamaulipas earlier this year.
Jaguar, puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and bobcat have all been documented at Rancho Caracol, an 11,000-acre ranch just 150 miles south of Brownsville.
Just getting to many of the camera locations is a challenge, and after the four wheel drive runs out of trail, the hiking begins.
Chad Stasey is a feline researcher with Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M Kingsville, and once a month he spends a couple of days checking 25 trail cams.
“The cats like it a little bit rougher than I do,” Stasey said.
Arturo Caso, also with Caesar Kleberg, has been studying cats in Mexico for a decade and is helping to coordinate the research.
“First of all, I want to thank Caracol Ranch, because they have been really supportive of this program,” Caso said. “When we first set up our cameras, I want to be honest we did not expect to have so much success. It was really a pleasant surprise to find all these cats here at this ranch, and we are really working to try and conserve these cats for the future.”
Dean Putegnat from Brownsville is the owner of Rancho Caracol, which is a world class destination for white wing and quail hunters, and he is very supportive of the cat research.
“The jaguar to people is a special animal, and they see that and they share it. It works out well for us,” he said.
The jaguar, jaguarundi and ocelot are protected by law in Mexico and researches are hoping to apply knowledge they acquire at Rancho Caracol to helping save the endangered ocelot in South Texas.
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=319685
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
South Africa: Poaching figures contrast with country's reputation
Wyndham Hartley
1 July 2009
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A Huge Number of Rhinos - 45 white rhinos and two endangered black rhinos - have been poached in the Kruger National Park in the past 15 months, Water and Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in a report that was tabled yesterday.
Sonjica's admission that so many rhinos had been poached is in sharp contrast to SA's international reputation of having been instrumental in saving the white rhino, particularly, from extinction.
In a response to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gareth Morgan, the minister also said that the plunder of abalone on our coast was continuing despite a ban on fishing for it.
Morgan asked how many incidents of poaching and of what animals had taken place last year and so far this year. The minister replied that last year one black rhino and 35 white rhinos were poached.
In the first three months of this year a further 10 white rhinos and another black rhino were illegally killed.
In addition to this information, the minister provided a comprehensive list of animals poached in the park, including buffalo, bushbuck, duiker, fish species, kudu, lion, giraffe and even hyena.
None of the national parks were immune from poaching and all those on the coast had significant abalone poaching. In Addo National Park near Port Elizabeth, for instance, there were 11 cases of abalone poaching last year. In the Table Mountain National Park there were 3645 abalone poached last year and more than 2000 were poached in the first three months of this year.
The marine shellfish alikreukel was also reportedly being poached in different coastal parks.
Sonjica said two officials, one from Table Mountain National Park and the other from the Kruger National Park were found to be involved in rhino and abalone poaching for reasons of "self enrichment". Both were dismissed from the department following disciplinary hearings and are also facing criminal charges.
In reply to a further question from DA MP Piet Pretorius, Sonjica said that since 2002, a total of 1642 abalone poachers had been arrested.
The majority of these arrests were in the Western Cape, then in the Eastern Cape and in Gauteng.
Hundreds of thousands of abalone had been recovered from the arrested poachers since 1994.
There were 21002 recovered abalone in 1994, peaking in 2007 at 907899, and then showing a huge decline last year to 56106. This is perhaps an indication the ban on abalone fishing is working simply because anyone found in possession of abalone will have to have got them illegally.
The value of the abalone retrieved since 2003 is R240m.
Sonjica said that all confiscated abalone was processed to a dried product and sold through the processor appointed by the department.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200907010160.html
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
1 July 2009
-----------------------------------
A Huge Number of Rhinos - 45 white rhinos and two endangered black rhinos - have been poached in the Kruger National Park in the past 15 months, Water and Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in a report that was tabled yesterday.
Sonjica's admission that so many rhinos had been poached is in sharp contrast to SA's international reputation of having been instrumental in saving the white rhino, particularly, from extinction.
In a response to a parliamentary question from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Gareth Morgan, the minister also said that the plunder of abalone on our coast was continuing despite a ban on fishing for it.
Morgan asked how many incidents of poaching and of what animals had taken place last year and so far this year. The minister replied that last year one black rhino and 35 white rhinos were poached.
In the first three months of this year a further 10 white rhinos and another black rhino were illegally killed.
In addition to this information, the minister provided a comprehensive list of animals poached in the park, including buffalo, bushbuck, duiker, fish species, kudu, lion, giraffe and even hyena.
None of the national parks were immune from poaching and all those on the coast had significant abalone poaching. In Addo National Park near Port Elizabeth, for instance, there were 11 cases of abalone poaching last year. In the Table Mountain National Park there were 3645 abalone poached last year and more than 2000 were poached in the first three months of this year.
The marine shellfish alikreukel was also reportedly being poached in different coastal parks.
Sonjica said two officials, one from Table Mountain National Park and the other from the Kruger National Park were found to be involved in rhino and abalone poaching for reasons of "self enrichment". Both were dismissed from the department following disciplinary hearings and are also facing criminal charges.
In reply to a further question from DA MP Piet Pretorius, Sonjica said that since 2002, a total of 1642 abalone poachers had been arrested.
The majority of these arrests were in the Western Cape, then in the Eastern Cape and in Gauteng.
Hundreds of thousands of abalone had been recovered from the arrested poachers since 1994.
There were 21002 recovered abalone in 1994, peaking in 2007 at 907899, and then showing a huge decline last year to 56106. This is perhaps an indication the ban on abalone fishing is working simply because anyone found in possession of abalone will have to have got them illegally.
The value of the abalone retrieved since 2003 is R240m.
Sonjica said that all confiscated abalone was processed to a dried product and sold through the processor appointed by the department.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200907010160.html
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Tanzania: Poaching of lions, other wildlife on the rise
27 June 2009
Arusha Times
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Arusha — Poaching cases are on the increase in Loliondo game controlled area in contrast to limited number of game rangers in the vicinity.
The Ngorongoro District Wildlife Officer Betekire Rubunga said there are just four game rangers including him, to patrol the rather large game controlled area, "We also have only one vehicle, a single-cabin Land-Rover 110 Tdi, which had resumed operation last week after being grounded for repairs since December 2008," said Rubunga.
Loliondo game controlled area measures 4000 square kilometers much of it being jungle, savannah bush land and hill ranges. That kind of topography coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure in the area impede rapid movement in case of emergency and works in favor of better equipped poachers.
"The entire landscape is dotted with traps, snares and dug out pits. The problem with these traps is that they catch both the intended and unintended animal ," said the Officer adding that poachers also use military-like heavy guns.
According to the Wildlife Officer, his department has been making arrests " within the first four months of this year, we have nabbed several offenders and a total of five cases been taken to court by the end of April 2009"
"We sometimes get assistance from the Loliondo based Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) which operates a hunting block in the vicinity and in some cases from the anti-poaching units based in Arusha," said the Wildlife Officer explaining that in order to be effective his department needs at least 10 more warders in the area plus an addition vehicle.
Between January and December last year a total of 15 illegal hunters were arrested three of whom were sentenced up to 15 years in jail with other cases going on at the District Magistrate Court. "The nation incurred a loss of over Tsh 30 million from such practices in 2008," stated Mr Rubunga.
According to the wildlife officer figures of the previous year 2007 indicate total arrests of 12 poachers who were apprehended and taken to court with most of them now serving various jail sentences.
The Wildlife officer explained that mot illegal game hunters come from Mara region and neighboring Kenya. He also pointed out that there is an increase of Zebra killings in the Game controlled areas mainly for the animal's skins which of late have been on high demand.
Elephants are also a favorite kill of the poachers; "We keep coming across carcasses of these large land mammals everywhere we go within the Game Controlled Area and so far we have recorded six recently killed Jumbos three in Njoloi Ward and other three in Arash village," he stated.
All the carcasses have been missing their tusks providing clear motives of their planned deaths.
Other than poaching, witchcraft beliefs are also said to be taking toll on wildlife killings, "We recently caught a suspect with teeth of recently killed lions," said Mr. Rubunga adding that upon further probing it turned out that the teeth were ordered by a witch doctor.
Lions have also been victims of 'Prestigious hunting' among local indigenous tribes like the Maasai who kill the ferocious animals to prove their manhood.
"We have had five cases of prestigious Lion killings, but as time goes by, buffaloes keep being added to the list of such ritual poaching, this year has debuted with one case of a large male buffalo that was killed to prove somebody's bravery in the community," said Mr Rubunga.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200906291340.html
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Arusha Times
-------------------------------------
Arusha — Poaching cases are on the increase in Loliondo game controlled area in contrast to limited number of game rangers in the vicinity.
The Ngorongoro District Wildlife Officer Betekire Rubunga said there are just four game rangers including him, to patrol the rather large game controlled area, "We also have only one vehicle, a single-cabin Land-Rover 110 Tdi, which had resumed operation last week after being grounded for repairs since December 2008," said Rubunga.
Loliondo game controlled area measures 4000 square kilometers much of it being jungle, savannah bush land and hill ranges. That kind of topography coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure in the area impede rapid movement in case of emergency and works in favor of better equipped poachers.
"The entire landscape is dotted with traps, snares and dug out pits. The problem with these traps is that they catch both the intended and unintended animal ," said the Officer adding that poachers also use military-like heavy guns.
According to the Wildlife Officer, his department has been making arrests " within the first four months of this year, we have nabbed several offenders and a total of five cases been taken to court by the end of April 2009"
"We sometimes get assistance from the Loliondo based Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) which operates a hunting block in the vicinity and in some cases from the anti-poaching units based in Arusha," said the Wildlife Officer explaining that in order to be effective his department needs at least 10 more warders in the area plus an addition vehicle.
Between January and December last year a total of 15 illegal hunters were arrested three of whom were sentenced up to 15 years in jail with other cases going on at the District Magistrate Court. "The nation incurred a loss of over Tsh 30 million from such practices in 2008," stated Mr Rubunga.
According to the wildlife officer figures of the previous year 2007 indicate total arrests of 12 poachers who were apprehended and taken to court with most of them now serving various jail sentences.
The Wildlife officer explained that mot illegal game hunters come from Mara region and neighboring Kenya. He also pointed out that there is an increase of Zebra killings in the Game controlled areas mainly for the animal's skins which of late have been on high demand.
Elephants are also a favorite kill of the poachers; "We keep coming across carcasses of these large land mammals everywhere we go within the Game Controlled Area and so far we have recorded six recently killed Jumbos three in Njoloi Ward and other three in Arash village," he stated.
All the carcasses have been missing their tusks providing clear motives of their planned deaths.
Other than poaching, witchcraft beliefs are also said to be taking toll on wildlife killings, "We recently caught a suspect with teeth of recently killed lions," said Mr. Rubunga adding that upon further probing it turned out that the teeth were ordered by a witch doctor.
Lions have also been victims of 'Prestigious hunting' among local indigenous tribes like the Maasai who kill the ferocious animals to prove their manhood.
"We have had five cases of prestigious Lion killings, but as time goes by, buffaloes keep being added to the list of such ritual poaching, this year has debuted with one case of a large male buffalo that was killed to prove somebody's bravery in the community," said Mr Rubunga.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200906291340.html
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Small wild cat news for July 2009
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International Society for Endangered Cats Wild Cat News
Vol 23 July 2009
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In this issue
Photo Gallery
New Wildcat Book
Chinese to Curb Desert Rats
Dear Friend,
Wild Cat News has a brand new look! This format is easier to read, easier to produce and is now suitable for printing. Drop us a line and let us know what you think!This month we are featuring one of the least known wild cats in the world. The Chinese Desert Cat Felis bieti is also called the Chinese Mountain Cat, as details on its actual range are still unknown. There are none of these cats known to be in captivity.Read more about these mysterious little wild cats on our website.
Quick Links...
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Our Wild Cat Conservation Website
Membership In ISEC CanadaYou Can Help The Small Wild Cats
Wild Cat GiftsWild Cat BooksFollow Us On Twitter
Photo Gallery
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This adorable little fluffball is a very young Canada lynx, born this spring at the NEW Zoo in Wisconsin. For more baby pics visit this website.
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Wildcat Haven
ISEC Canada is now the North American distributor for Wildcat Haven, an astonishing book about the endangered Scottish Wildcat.One man's extraordinary adventures in raising and releasing no fewer than three litters, two pure wildcat and one hybrid from a domestic male gone wild, are full of incident, at times hilarious, and deeply moving. The runt of Cleo's second litter demolished Mike's last defences by giving him her total trust and affection while fiercely retaining an utterly wild and independent nature, so he became first to 'tame' a wildcat.The author became the custodian of two spitfire kittens, found abandoned in a ditch when only a few weeks old. Even before they were fully weaned they could be approached only with extreme care, usually with thick gauntlets as protection against the ravages of tooth and claw. The kittens were only seven months old when a spitting and snarling ten-year-old tomcat arrived from London Zoo to change all their lives.For more details or to order, visit our website.
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Chinese to Curb 'Desert Rats'
China's authorities have scattered 200kg of rodent contraceptive pellets across the Tibetan plateau to control what they describe as a "plague of desert rats".The growing number of rodents have been blamed for destroying fragile high-altitude grasslands and accelerating the spread of deserts.Biodiversity experts warn, however, that the extermination campaign could worsen the problem of soil degradation and the poisons could damage other parts of the plateau ecosystem.China's chemists custom-designed the drugs to induce abortions and prevent pregnancy in "gerbils", according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. It is possible they are referring to pika, a small cousin of the rabbit with rounded ears and long whiskers that has long been the target of government eradication campaigns.Government workers began spreading the contraceptive in the Gurbantunggut desert last May, leaving it in pellet form near the entrance of burrows. Since then they have reportedly distributed 200kg of the drug over 49,000 hectares in China's western region of Xinjiang. They say the drug will have a minimal impact on other animals."It's a good way to tackle the desert rat plague," local forestry official Du Yuefei was quoted as saying. He claimed populations of the pest have declined almost 10% as a result of the eradication campaign.Pika and other rodents are accused of contributing to China's alarming desertification problem by over-eating grass and digging into the soil.But foreign zoologists say the epidemic of the small mammals is a symptom rather than the cause of grassland degradation, which is mainly the result of human behaviour such as the exploitation of water resources and over-grazing."That the pellets have 'little effect' is highly debatable," said a conservationist who asked for anonymity. "All drugs have an effect when put into a system, on other rodents, on birds of prey that eat the rodents and so forth ... It's business as usual - attack nature and hope for the best."Conservationists say the small animals are an important source of food for bigger species such as [the Pallas' cat above], bears, eagles and leopards, while their burrowing adds to the moisture of the soil.Previous attempts to cull pika numbers, including mass poisoning campaigns and the construction of hundreds of perches for owls and eagles, have failed or had limited success.Source: guardian.co.uk
Thank you for caring about the small wild cats!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada is a non-profit conservation group working for the small wild cats. All proceeds raised go directly to wild cat conservation programs around the world.Wild cats don't have nine lives, and they need all the help they can get. Become an ISEC member, contribute to field research, purchase products or make a donation. Learn how you can participate in wild cat conservation by visiting our website today.Help spread the word - forward this email to a friend with the link below!
Website www.wildcatconservation.org
Email isec@wildcatconservation.org
Phone: 1-800-465-6384
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cougar Clippings" for July 1 from Mountain Lion Fdn
Cougar Clippings
News Links
7/01/2009
Dear Friend,
Here are a few of the top stories on mountain lions from recent news articles. For more frequent updates, visit MountainLion.org and read the news daily.
Wildlife Summit Focuses on Supposed Mountain Lion Problem
As a result of MLF's challenge to all the outrageous accusations about mountain lions threatening the extinction of California's deer herd, the San Benito County Fish & Game Advisory Commission is holding a meeting to discuss the matter. What started out as a San Benito County issue has now grown to include concerned parties from neighboring Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
MLF's Executive Director, Tim Dunbar, will attend the session to hopefully set the record straight on mountain lions and Proposition 117. MLF's effort to provide the public with the truth is becoming increasingly important as a result of news articles - such as this one - which present a clear anti-mountain lion bias.
Read the actual news story...
Climate Bill Critique & Panther Habitat
The Environment Report (radio station program) featured a discussion on climate change and then the status of the Florida panther. The clip talks about their limited habitat and other issues threatening the species with extinction. The panther section begins about 1:10 into the segment.
Read the actual news story...
What Would You Do If You Saw A Mountain Lion?
Often times newspapers sensationalize mountain lion encounters and give these cats a bad reputation simply for the sake of an exciting article. Stories that give the facts and explain basic biology and behavior about mountain lions, reassuring people they're not in imminent danger, are rare. But in this case, Dianne Erskine-Hellrige did her research and hopefully will help readers better understand this mysterious cat and "how to safely share the habitat."
Read the actual news story...
###
Those were just a few of the lion articles from the past week. Click here to read more! The Mountain Lion Foundation follows cougar and wildlife news each week. For a complete library of the most pertinent news articles, visit the Mountain Lion Foundation Newsroom. If you can not use the links in this email to read complete articles, cut and paste (or type) the following address into your browser:
http://www.mountainlion.org/newsroom.asp
Cougar Clippings is a service of the Mountain Lion Foundation.
email: outreach@mountainlion.org
phone: 800-319-7621
web: http://www.MountainLion.org
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
News Links
7/01/2009
Dear Friend,
Here are a few of the top stories on mountain lions from recent news articles. For more frequent updates, visit MountainLion.org and read the news daily.
Wildlife Summit Focuses on Supposed Mountain Lion Problem
As a result of MLF's challenge to all the outrageous accusations about mountain lions threatening the extinction of California's deer herd, the San Benito County Fish & Game Advisory Commission is holding a meeting to discuss the matter. What started out as a San Benito County issue has now grown to include concerned parties from neighboring Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
MLF's Executive Director, Tim Dunbar, will attend the session to hopefully set the record straight on mountain lions and Proposition 117. MLF's effort to provide the public with the truth is becoming increasingly important as a result of news articles - such as this one - which present a clear anti-mountain lion bias.
Read the actual news story...
Climate Bill Critique & Panther Habitat
The Environment Report (radio station program) featured a discussion on climate change and then the status of the Florida panther. The clip talks about their limited habitat and other issues threatening the species with extinction. The panther section begins about 1:10 into the segment.
Read the actual news story...
What Would You Do If You Saw A Mountain Lion?
Often times newspapers sensationalize mountain lion encounters and give these cats a bad reputation simply for the sake of an exciting article. Stories that give the facts and explain basic biology and behavior about mountain lions, reassuring people they're not in imminent danger, are rare. But in this case, Dianne Erskine-Hellrige did her research and hopefully will help readers better understand this mysterious cat and "how to safely share the habitat."
Read the actual news story...
###
Those were just a few of the lion articles from the past week. Click here to read more! The Mountain Lion Foundation follows cougar and wildlife news each week. For a complete library of the most pertinent news articles, visit the Mountain Lion Foundation Newsroom. If you can not use the links in this email to read complete articles, cut and paste (or type) the following address into your browser:
http://www.mountainlion.org/newsroom.asp
Cougar Clippings is a service of the Mountain Lion Foundation.
email: outreach@mountainlion.org
phone: 800-319-7621
web: http://www.MountainLion.org
----------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tigress shifted to Bhadra sanctuary
Tigress shifted to Bhadra sanctuary
29 Jun 2009, 2152 hrs IST, TNN
MYSORE: The six-year-old tigress that was captured in Nagarahole National Park will now have to get used to a new home. For it will be relocated to the tiger reserve of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Chikmagalur district.
The decision follows consultation with the experts in wildlife, who suggested the forest officials to relocate it to some other area far from its present location. This is to cut down chances of the tiger coming back to the area and attacking cattle.
A team led by RFO Satish took the tigress, which was nursed at Sunkadakatte in Nagarhole National Park, to Chikmagalur early Monday. The senior officials of the department contacted the Project Tiger officials and took their consent for its relocation.
Though the Bandipur National Park in Chamarajanagar district was considered as a possible option it was dropped as it is close to Nagarhole National Park, its present territory. "The experts told us there are chances that it will come back again to its territory if it is let out into close by forested areas. So it was decided to change its territory, sources told `The Times of India'. However, it does not face threat from tigers at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary since it is a tigress and will not overlap the territory, they contended.
The prey-predator base at Bhadra is balanced and so the big cat will not have problems. If it was a tiger it could have been a problem for relocation. But there is no such chance here, they added. But a wildlife activist said it could face problems in its new area which could again push it back to take easy route to get its feed. There is a possibility that it could start visiting the villages on the forest fringes in Western Ghats. But the saving grace is that people in the Western Ghats are used to threats from wild animals, he stated. Field director (project tiger) B J Hosmath was not available for comments.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mysore/Tigress-shifted-to-Bhadra-sanctuary/articleshow/4717211.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
29 Jun 2009, 2152 hrs IST, TNN
MYSORE: The six-year-old tigress that was captured in Nagarahole National Park will now have to get used to a new home. For it will be relocated to the tiger reserve of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Chikmagalur district.
The decision follows consultation with the experts in wildlife, who suggested the forest officials to relocate it to some other area far from its present location. This is to cut down chances of the tiger coming back to the area and attacking cattle.
A team led by RFO Satish took the tigress, which was nursed at Sunkadakatte in Nagarhole National Park, to Chikmagalur early Monday. The senior officials of the department contacted the Project Tiger officials and took their consent for its relocation.
Though the Bandipur National Park in Chamarajanagar district was considered as a possible option it was dropped as it is close to Nagarhole National Park, its present territory. "The experts told us there are chances that it will come back again to its territory if it is let out into close by forested areas. So it was decided to change its territory, sources told `The Times of India'. However, it does not face threat from tigers at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary since it is a tigress and will not overlap the territory, they contended.
The prey-predator base at Bhadra is balanced and so the big cat will not have problems. If it was a tiger it could have been a problem for relocation. But there is no such chance here, they added. But a wildlife activist said it could face problems in its new area which could again push it back to take easy route to get its feed. There is a possibility that it could start visiting the villages on the forest fringes in Western Ghats. But the saving grace is that people in the Western Ghats are used to threats from wild animals, he stated. Field director (project tiger) B J Hosmath was not available for comments.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mysore/Tigress-shifted-to-Bhadra-sanctuary/articleshow/4717211.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Centre clears translocation of 4 big cats to Panna
Centre clears translocation of 4 big cats to Panna
Neha Sinha Posted online: Saturday , Jun 27, 2009
New Delhi : After losing all its tigers to poaching, Panna Tiger Reserve is set to get a second chance. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared a proposal to translocate two tigers and two tigresses to the reserve. But in a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the MoEF has made it clear that it expects action to be taken after the “Panna disaster”.
The letter, sent by MoEF Minister Jairam Ramesh, calls for “urgent administrative and ecological actions”, saying “responsibility should be fixed on erring officials as pointed out in the SIT report and disciplinary action be taken”. Seeking personal intervention of the CM in Panna, the letter has asked for a follow-up action report and directed that a site-specific security plan be drawn up for Panna. As already reported by The Indian Express, a probe by the SIT, set up by the Centre, found that senior officials ignored all warnings regarding Panna, resulting in the loss of more than 40 tigers to poaching.
“I solicit your personal intervention for early action indicated, to avoid Panna-type disasters,” said the letter, and asked for the phasing out of tourism activities from the core areas of Panna and moving it to buffer areas. “The guidelines and red alerts sent by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) were ignored (in Panna),” the letter points out, citing the SIT observations.
The states ignoring NTCA’s warnings is a common occurrence since wildlife is a concurrent subject. This is now set to end as the Cabinet has okayed bringing the position of NTCA member secretary at par with the Chief Wildlife Warden at the state-level.
“This will strengthen the NTCA’s position,” Ramesh told The Indian Express.
In the past, states have often ignored NTCA advisories on issues like transfer of officials, culling of maneaters and notifying buffer zones for tiger reserves. This had reduced the NTCA to little more than a fund-giving body for the Centrally sponsored Project Tiger scheme.
Madhya Pradesh has been at loggerheads with the NTCA on the Panna issue, declaring that it had enough tigers in the reserve as late as March 2009. However, a Wildlife Institute of India camera trap survey in February showed that tigers had completely vanished from Panna.
The genetic stock of Panna was lost after all its tigers were poached between 2002 and 2009. Currently, the reserve only has two tigresses, translocated to Panna from Kanha and Bandhavgarh after it was learnt that there were no big cats left in the reserve.
The four tigers will now be moved as per a new tiger translocation protocol. The new protocol is a response to a spate of local tiger extinctions in the country, starting with Sariska in Rajasthan in 2005, and now Panna, which necessitates moving tigers from other parts of the country to these reserves.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centre-clears-translocation-of-4-big-cats-to-panna/481822/0
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Neha Sinha Posted online: Saturday , Jun 27, 2009
New Delhi : After losing all its tigers to poaching, Panna Tiger Reserve is set to get a second chance. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared a proposal to translocate two tigers and two tigresses to the reserve. But in a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the MoEF has made it clear that it expects action to be taken after the “Panna disaster”.
The letter, sent by MoEF Minister Jairam Ramesh, calls for “urgent administrative and ecological actions”, saying “responsibility should be fixed on erring officials as pointed out in the SIT report and disciplinary action be taken”. Seeking personal intervention of the CM in Panna, the letter has asked for a follow-up action report and directed that a site-specific security plan be drawn up for Panna. As already reported by The Indian Express, a probe by the SIT, set up by the Centre, found that senior officials ignored all warnings regarding Panna, resulting in the loss of more than 40 tigers to poaching.
“I solicit your personal intervention for early action indicated, to avoid Panna-type disasters,” said the letter, and asked for the phasing out of tourism activities from the core areas of Panna and moving it to buffer areas. “The guidelines and red alerts sent by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) were ignored (in Panna),” the letter points out, citing the SIT observations.
The states ignoring NTCA’s warnings is a common occurrence since wildlife is a concurrent subject. This is now set to end as the Cabinet has okayed bringing the position of NTCA member secretary at par with the Chief Wildlife Warden at the state-level.
“This will strengthen the NTCA’s position,” Ramesh told The Indian Express.
In the past, states have often ignored NTCA advisories on issues like transfer of officials, culling of maneaters and notifying buffer zones for tiger reserves. This had reduced the NTCA to little more than a fund-giving body for the Centrally sponsored Project Tiger scheme.
Madhya Pradesh has been at loggerheads with the NTCA on the Panna issue, declaring that it had enough tigers in the reserve as late as March 2009. However, a Wildlife Institute of India camera trap survey in February showed that tigers had completely vanished from Panna.
The genetic stock of Panna was lost after all its tigers were poached between 2002 and 2009. Currently, the reserve only has two tigresses, translocated to Panna from Kanha and Bandhavgarh after it was learnt that there were no big cats left in the reserve.
The four tigers will now be moved as per a new tiger translocation protocol. The new protocol is a response to a spate of local tiger extinctions in the country, starting with Sariska in Rajasthan in 2005, and now Panna, which necessitates moving tigers from other parts of the country to these reserves.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centre-clears-translocation-of-4-big-cats-to-panna/481822/0
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
MP High Court seeks affidavits on step taken to protect tiger
MP High Court seeks affidavits on step taken to protect tiger
27 Jun 2009, 1404 hrs IST, PTI
JABALPUR: Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought affidavits within a month from the Centre, state and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) on the steps taken to protect tiger population in the state.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh sought the affidavits while hearing a PIL filed by an NGO - Kids for Tiger - Regional Director and wildlife activist Navneet Maheshwari.
In the PIL filed three years back, Maheshwari said the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh was 710 in 2004, which has dipped to between 210-395 in 2007-08, quoting surveys.
The next hearing of the PIL is on July 24.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Flora--Fauna/MP-High-Court-seeks-affidavits-on-step-taken-to-protect-tiger/articleshow/4709659.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
27 Jun 2009, 1404 hrs IST, PTI
JABALPUR: Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought affidavits within a month from the Centre, state and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) on the steps taken to protect tiger population in the state.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh sought the affidavits while hearing a PIL filed by an NGO - Kids for Tiger - Regional Director and wildlife activist Navneet Maheshwari.
In the PIL filed three years back, Maheshwari said the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh was 710 in 2004, which has dipped to between 210-395 in 2007-08, quoting surveys.
The next hearing of the PIL is on July 24.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Flora--Fauna/MP-High-Court-seeks-affidavits-on-step-taken-to-protect-tiger/articleshow/4709659.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Conservancy of Southwest Florida frees captured bobcat
By Andrea Stetson
Special to the News-Press
June 27, 2009
The young bobcat that bolted off to freedom Friday afternoon remained as anonymous as it was when it first arrived as a patient at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida six months ago.
The fleeting image of the bobcat as it raced through the tall grass and into a clump of brush on a patch of private property near Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County wasn't much more than what caretakers saw of the feline each day during his stay at the rehabilitation center.
The bobcat was never given a name, weighed, measured or petted. In fact wildlife experts never even got close enough to take a peek to see if the creature was male or female.
"I never looked," said Joanna Fitzgerald-Vaught, director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
The bobcat was about four to six weeks old when it arrived at The Conservancy on Jan. 1 as the first patient of the new year. It was first spotted by some residents of the Pinewoods development off Airport-Pulling Road, who noticed two young bobcats without a mother. The residents borrowed traps from The Conservancy and managed to capture one of the babies. The second one was never seen again.
The bobcat was not injured, but kittens normally spend about a year with their mother and this one was deemed too young to survive alone. So it grew up at The Conservancy.
Wildlife experts simply tossed food in its cage, never stopping to get to know the feline. At first it was in a small enclosure, and hid in a pet carrier when its cage was cleaned, but the past couple of months it spent its time in a large flight cage that wildlife experts didn't enter.
"It was all hands off," said Fitzgerald-Vaught. "It's best that way for us, and its best for him."
Maintaining distance from the bobcat would keep it wild, Fitzgerald-Vaught explained. She didn't want the bobcat to become used to people. Instead, her goal was for it to remain wild so it could soon be freed.
So the bobcat spent the past six months munching on rats, mice and chicken and racking up about $2,000 worth of care.
All that time, the feline kept his wild instincts.
"He was wicked from the day he came in," Fitzgerald-Vaught said. "We barely ever put our hands on him."
But they did check to see if the bobcat was ready for release.
"We tested him on live prey," said Jessica Bender, wildlife rehabilitation specialist.
Bender said live mice and rats were released in the large cage to see if the bobcat could catch prey.
"We do have to give him lots of credit for instinct," Bender said.
The bobcat's instincts kicked in at his release Friday. The young cat growled and hissed as photographers were given 30 seconds to snap photos of him in his small carrier cage.
Additional Facts
NAME: Bobcat
SCIENTIFIC NAME: felis rufus
DESCRIPTION: Bobcats are about twice the size of an average housecat. They have long legs, large paws and tufted ears. An adult bobcat is 26 to 41 inches long, not including the tail, and weighs 11 to 30 pounds. Most bobcats are brown or brownish red with white bellies and short, black-tipped tails.
HABITAT: They are found in a variety of habitats including swamps, forests, deserts, mountains and agricultural areas. They live in most of North America and Mexico. In Florida, they often make their dens in palmetto thickets.
FOOD: Carnivores; meals include rodents, rabbits, reptiles, fish, birds and insects.
REPRODUCTION: Bobcat mothers usually have two or three kittens in a litter. The mother raises the kittens alone. They usually stay with their mother for about a year, but can set out on their own at about six months of age.
— SOURCE: Florida's Fabulous Mammals by Dr. Jerry Lee Gingerich, animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat.html.
http://www.news-press.com/article/20090627/NEWS0119/906270366/1075
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Special to the News-Press
June 27, 2009
The young bobcat that bolted off to freedom Friday afternoon remained as anonymous as it was when it first arrived as a patient at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida six months ago.
The fleeting image of the bobcat as it raced through the tall grass and into a clump of brush on a patch of private property near Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County wasn't much more than what caretakers saw of the feline each day during his stay at the rehabilitation center.
The bobcat was never given a name, weighed, measured or petted. In fact wildlife experts never even got close enough to take a peek to see if the creature was male or female.
"I never looked," said Joanna Fitzgerald-Vaught, director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
The bobcat was about four to six weeks old when it arrived at The Conservancy on Jan. 1 as the first patient of the new year. It was first spotted by some residents of the Pinewoods development off Airport-Pulling Road, who noticed two young bobcats without a mother. The residents borrowed traps from The Conservancy and managed to capture one of the babies. The second one was never seen again.
The bobcat was not injured, but kittens normally spend about a year with their mother and this one was deemed too young to survive alone. So it grew up at The Conservancy.
Wildlife experts simply tossed food in its cage, never stopping to get to know the feline. At first it was in a small enclosure, and hid in a pet carrier when its cage was cleaned, but the past couple of months it spent its time in a large flight cage that wildlife experts didn't enter.
"It was all hands off," said Fitzgerald-Vaught. "It's best that way for us, and its best for him."
Maintaining distance from the bobcat would keep it wild, Fitzgerald-Vaught explained. She didn't want the bobcat to become used to people. Instead, her goal was for it to remain wild so it could soon be freed.
So the bobcat spent the past six months munching on rats, mice and chicken and racking up about $2,000 worth of care.
All that time, the feline kept his wild instincts.
"He was wicked from the day he came in," Fitzgerald-Vaught said. "We barely ever put our hands on him."
But they did check to see if the bobcat was ready for release.
"We tested him on live prey," said Jessica Bender, wildlife rehabilitation specialist.
Bender said live mice and rats were released in the large cage to see if the bobcat could catch prey.
"We do have to give him lots of credit for instinct," Bender said.
The bobcat's instincts kicked in at his release Friday. The young cat growled and hissed as photographers were given 30 seconds to snap photos of him in his small carrier cage.
Additional Facts
NAME: Bobcat
SCIENTIFIC NAME: felis rufus
DESCRIPTION: Bobcats are about twice the size of an average housecat. They have long legs, large paws and tufted ears. An adult bobcat is 26 to 41 inches long, not including the tail, and weighs 11 to 30 pounds. Most bobcats are brown or brownish red with white bellies and short, black-tipped tails.
HABITAT: They are found in a variety of habitats including swamps, forests, deserts, mountains and agricultural areas. They live in most of North America and Mexico. In Florida, they often make their dens in palmetto thickets.
FOOD: Carnivores; meals include rodents, rabbits, reptiles, fish, birds and insects.
REPRODUCTION: Bobcat mothers usually have two or three kittens in a litter. The mother raises the kittens alone. They usually stay with their mother for about a year, but can set out on their own at about six months of age.
— SOURCE: Florida's Fabulous Mammals by Dr. Jerry Lee Gingerich, animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat.html.
http://www.news-press.com/article/20090627/NEWS0119/906270366/1075
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Nevada bobcat trapping season shortened
By MARTIN GRIFFITH
Associated Press Writer
Posted: 06/27/2009 01:37:09 PM PDT
Updated: 06/27/2009 03:38:45 PM PDT
RENO, Nev.-Nevada wildlife commissioners voted Saturday to shorten the state's bobcat trapping season amid concerns by wildlife advocates that the fur's popularity may be causing overtrapping of the species.
Commissioners unanimously accepted a Nevada Department of Wildlife staff recommendation to shorten the season from Dec. 1 to Feb. 19, a 32 percent reduction from the current four-month season.
The action, taken at a meeting in Lovelock, comes as the Humane Society of the United States and other groups are urging Western states to scale back trapping, particularly in Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming, which have the region's highest number of bobcats killed and no trapping quotas.
They fear high pelt prices may be adversely affecting bobcat numbers. Pelts from the West are most prized because the region's high elevations and cold temperatures make their spotted fur softer and deeper.
Kevin Lansford, furbear-predator specialist for the Nevada wildlife
department, said his state's shorter trapping season is necessary because fewer kittens were born in the last two years.
He said the kitten numbers are down because of drought and lack of prey, not because of overtrapping. The cats are so reclusive that Nevada and most states don't know just how many exist.
"We're sticking to biology," Lansford said. "We're not trying to predict markets here."
Don Molde of Reno, a former board member of the Defenders of Wildlife, said bobcats have taken a "hammering" in Nevada because of high pelt prices, and trapping quotas would be more effective in reducing the number of cats killed.
Trappers in Nevada bagged 10,260 bobcats from 2006 to 2009, according to the state wildlife department. That includes 4,911 in 2006-07, a peak that coincided with a spike in pelt prices driven by demand from Russia and China.
"I'm doubtful that anything of use is going to happen as a result of adjusting the season length," Molde said. "For the last 20 years, trapping season length has had absolutely nothing to do with the number of bobcats killed in Nevada."
Joel Blakeslee, president of the Nevada Trappers Association, said his group's board of directors unanimously endorsed the shorter season.
He said bobcat numbers have fluctuated over his 35-year-plus trapping career depending on the wetness of the season, not harvest levels.
"We have no problem with the shorter season," Blakeslee said. "It's based on the data and that's what we work with—science. When you have rabbits you have bobcats, and when you don't have rabbits you don't have bobcats."
Other wildlife advocates have called for a complete ban on bobcat trapping.
"Trapping is an incredibly barbaric practice that has no place in a civilized society," said Brian Vincent of Big Wildlife based in Williams, Ore.
Wildlife commissioners agreed to review the issue in a year instead of the usual two years.
As pelt prices have gone up, the number of bobcat skins exported by the U.S. nearly tripled in five years, to 49,700 in 2006.
While prices have come down in the last year or so, bobcat pelts still draw some of the highest prices among trapped furs, recently commanding as much as $550 for a single hide.
Federal officials say they are not concerned about bobcat numbers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are at least 1.4 million to 2.6 million bobcats nationwide.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12704420
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
Associated Press Writer
Posted: 06/27/2009 01:37:09 PM PDT
Updated: 06/27/2009 03:38:45 PM PDT
RENO, Nev.-Nevada wildlife commissioners voted Saturday to shorten the state's bobcat trapping season amid concerns by wildlife advocates that the fur's popularity may be causing overtrapping of the species.
Commissioners unanimously accepted a Nevada Department of Wildlife staff recommendation to shorten the season from Dec. 1 to Feb. 19, a 32 percent reduction from the current four-month season.
The action, taken at a meeting in Lovelock, comes as the Humane Society of the United States and other groups are urging Western states to scale back trapping, particularly in Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming, which have the region's highest number of bobcats killed and no trapping quotas.
They fear high pelt prices may be adversely affecting bobcat numbers. Pelts from the West are most prized because the region's high elevations and cold temperatures make their spotted fur softer and deeper.
Kevin Lansford, furbear-predator specialist for the Nevada wildlife
department, said his state's shorter trapping season is necessary because fewer kittens were born in the last two years.
He said the kitten numbers are down because of drought and lack of prey, not because of overtrapping. The cats are so reclusive that Nevada and most states don't know just how many exist.
"We're sticking to biology," Lansford said. "We're not trying to predict markets here."
Don Molde of Reno, a former board member of the Defenders of Wildlife, said bobcats have taken a "hammering" in Nevada because of high pelt prices, and trapping quotas would be more effective in reducing the number of cats killed.
Trappers in Nevada bagged 10,260 bobcats from 2006 to 2009, according to the state wildlife department. That includes 4,911 in 2006-07, a peak that coincided with a spike in pelt prices driven by demand from Russia and China.
"I'm doubtful that anything of use is going to happen as a result of adjusting the season length," Molde said. "For the last 20 years, trapping season length has had absolutely nothing to do with the number of bobcats killed in Nevada."
Joel Blakeslee, president of the Nevada Trappers Association, said his group's board of directors unanimously endorsed the shorter season.
He said bobcat numbers have fluctuated over his 35-year-plus trapping career depending on the wetness of the season, not harvest levels.
"We have no problem with the shorter season," Blakeslee said. "It's based on the data and that's what we work with—science. When you have rabbits you have bobcats, and when you don't have rabbits you don't have bobcats."
Other wildlife advocates have called for a complete ban on bobcat trapping.
"Trapping is an incredibly barbaric practice that has no place in a civilized society," said Brian Vincent of Big Wildlife based in Williams, Ore.
Wildlife commissioners agreed to review the issue in a year instead of the usual two years.
As pelt prices have gone up, the number of bobcat skins exported by the U.S. nearly tripled in five years, to 49,700 in 2006.
While prices have come down in the last year or so, bobcat pelts still draw some of the highest prices among trapped furs, recently commanding as much as $550 for a single hide.
Federal officials say they are not concerned about bobcat numbers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are at least 1.4 million to 2.6 million bobcats nationwide.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12704420
---------
Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org
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