November/December 2014 • Volume 58 Issue 6

January/February 2015 • Volume 59 Issue 1 TABLE OF NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 | VOLUME 58, ISSUE 6 contentscontents JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 | VOLUME 59, ISSUE 1

Features

We had a Wild Time at the Animal Keeper’s 6 Safety Conference! 33 Debi Willoughby reports on topics from 33 OSHA to USDA and more.

Three Cat Book Reviews 9 Pat Callahan picks out some oldies and goodies for us to read.

Tales from a Tiger Groupie 10 Irving Kornheiser introduces us to experiences that shaped his life.

Blast from the Past: News from Around the 18 Jungle FCF reprints margay and ocelot stories from the 1960s.

Wild Cats on Postage Stamps 23 Turns out Jim Sanderson is a cat stamp collector.

FCF Convention 2015 is Awaiting You in 24 Wichita, Kansas Mark your calendar for June 25 through June 27.

Bobcat Trail Camera Project 26 Debi Willoughby updates her findings on native Massachusetts wildlife.

Happy to be in Cougar Country 28 Peggy Jane Knight speaks for Mandala, a lucky lady puma. 2626 1818 1414 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 JOIN THE FCF IN ITS CONSERVATION EFFORTS WWW.FELINECONSERVATION.ORG A membership to the FCF entitles you to six issues of the Journal, the back-issue DVD, an invitation to FCF husbandry and wildlife education courses and annual convention, and participation in our online discussion group. The FCF works to improve captive feline husbandry and conservation. The FCF supports captive and wild habitat protection, and provides support for captive husbandry, breeding programs, and public education. Send $35 annual dues ($40 Canada, $50 international) to FCF, 141 Polk Road 664, Mena, AR 71953.

Features cont. Contact Us

Wild Species Registry Update: FOUNDER: DIRECTORS: 31 Phase 2 of the Initial Release Catherine Cisin Conservation Wild Species Registry Develop- Pat Callahan ment Team is partnering with EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: 1961 Connecticut Ave American Captive Exotic Feline Lynn Culver Cincinnati, OH 45224 Repository. [email protected] 513-304-7155 [email protected] Caspian Tigers and a Man called OFFICERS: 33 Mo President Chris Tromborg Irving Kornheiser retells the story Kevin Chambers 217 Baja Avenue of life with Caspian tigers at the 7816 N CR 75 W Davis, CA 95616 turn of the century. Shelburn, IN 47879 530-753-2763 812-397-2302 [email protected] [email protected] Animal Keepers’ Safety Confer- Robert Bean 41 ence, Dade City Wild Things Vice President 4633 Chandler Road John David Wagner fills in more Mindy Stinner Hermitage, TN 37067 details on this three day learning P.O. Box 882 615-974-9940 and networking event. Mebane, NC 27302 [email protected] 336-421-0065 [email protected] JOURNAL STAFF: Managing Editor: Species Secretary Lynn Culver Debi Willoughby Speculation on a Symbiotic 281 Albee Road Layout/Copy Editor: 14 Relationship between African Uxbridge, MA 01569 Eden Tran, [email protected] Lions and African Honey 508-380-4722 Badgers [email protected] Associate Editor: William H. Smith, Ph.D., discuss- Judith Hoffman es how these two predators may Treasurer benefit each other. Lynn Culver Membership Services: 141 Polk Road 664 Jennifer Kasserman The Caspian Tiger Mena, AR 71953 816-674-7277 33 The Caspian tiger flourished in 479-394-5235 membershipservices Central Asian riverine forest sys- [email protected] @felineconservation.org tems before it was driven into extinction. The Feline Conservation Federation publishes the Journal Addendum Organization bimonthly. The FCF is non-profit, (Federal ID#59-2048618) 38 Irving has more to tell of the his- noncommercial,and international in membership, devoted to tory of Caspian tigers. the welfare and conservation of exotic felines. The Journal publishes articles on exotic feline conservation 4 Letter from the President and husbandry, management, and regulatory and legislative Legislation issues affecting ownership for our members. The author’s point of view does not necessarily represent the point of view of the organization. Reproduction of any material in the Jour- If You are not at the Table, You From the Executive Director 12 are on the Table 5 nal may not be made without the written permission of the Mindy Stinner attended the NAIA original copyright owners and/or copyright owner, FCF. Conference and found the group Letters to the editor and guest editorials are also published. critical to staying informed on Display advertisement space is available at the following Registered Handlers legislative issues facing exotic 5 prices: $10 business card, $25.00 quarter page, $50.00 half animal owners. page, and $100 full-page ad. Submission deadline for articles and advertisements is the 10th of even numbered months. Pictorials 42 Donations Please submit high resolution photos and articles to the Journal Jamie Lucas Photography Managing Editor. Photos and arti- 20 Jamie Lucas presents rare cles may be emailed to felines from the zoos of the [email protected], or United Kingdom. send by postal service to: 141 Polk 664, Mena, AR 71953.

Copyright © 2014 Feline Conservation Federation. All rights reserved. Some material is reprinted with permission of other copyright holders.

3 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Letter from the President The results of the 2014 FCF Board of applications and awards FCF accreditation cats born during the breeding boom of the Directors voting, which took place on the to deserving facilities. This committee 1990s are getting older and passing on. FCF forums online from Dec 1- Dec 15, requires members with a very good We need volunteers to help make phone 2014, is as follows: All candidates ran knowledge base of husbandry and facility calls and contact individuals and agencies unopposed and were each elected with a construction. to retrieve the most recent information. total of 18 votes cast for each. Kevin • Feline Urgent Response Committee This will not only be for tigers, but for all Chambers, President; Mindy Stinner, Vice (aka the FUR Team) - Develops materials species that we can get information on. President; Debi Willoughby, Secretary; and a website to aid owners and law Please contact me if you are interested in Lynn Culver, Treasurer; Pat Callahan, enforcement agencies in dealing with the giving assistance in this most important Director; Chris Tromborg, Director; and escape of an exotic feline. project. Robert Bean, Director. Though voter In concluding, I would like to thank Dr. turnout was exceedingly low, we do wish Another very important project that I Jim Sanderson for his service on the to thank those who participated in the would like to see the FCF undertake this Board. He may not be on the Board now, election. year is to do a follow-up to our big cat but I am sure we can count on him for One of the first things the Board will be census that we did in 2011. It found there being our conservation advisor and sup- doing is making appointments to the vari- to be only about 2,800 tigers in captivity porting wildcats both in captivity and the ous committees and positions for the next in the U.S. Animal rights groups use the wild. coming two years. In order for the FCF to estimated figure of 10-15,000 when trying remain successful, we need everyone’s to get anti-ownership legislation passed. I support and help. If you are interested in firmly believe that the captive population Kevin Chambers serving on any of these committees listed is in a steep decline right now, since the below, please let me know as soon as pos- sible at [email protected].

• Journal Committee - Oversees pro- duction of the bi-monthly FCF Journal. • Conservation Committee - Awards grants from the FCF’s conservation grants fund, oversees the FCF feline registration program, and works to promote conserva- tion both in captivity and in the wild. • Education Committee - Enhances educational opportunities provided by the FCF. • Public Relations Committee - Writes press releases and works with the media for interviews, etc. Works on ways to improve the FCF’s public relations aspect. • Marketing Committee - Seeks out opportunities to advertise FCF and for other organizations and companies to advertise with the FCF and in our Journal. • Legislation Committee - Keeps members abreast of introduced legislation and spearheads lobbying efforts. • Development Committee - Applies for grants and explores other venues of fundraising to finance FCF projects. • Wildcat Safety Net Committee - Promotes the Wildcat Safety Net Program, fundraises for relocation projects, and awards grants from the Safety Net Fund. • Professional Membership Review Committee - Reviews online applications and approves professional members. This committee is restricted to professional members. • Accreditation Committee - Reviews

4 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 From the Executive Director By Lynn Culver ANIMAL FINDERS' GUIDE If you renewed by the October 1st Published the first of each month deadline, you have already received your annual FCF membership card. If you 12 issues – only $24 renewed late, your card is still being Informative articles on exotic mailed. This issue is a special double animal husbandry and what is issue and it means the FCF Journal is happening in the industry. officially back on schedule. In this Journal, we are proud to publish Exotic animals, a three-page color pictorial of felines in related products & services, UK zoos. Professional photographer auctions & shows advertised. Jamie Lucas is a native of the area and he brings us images of feline species rarely PO Box 99, Prairie Creek, IN 47869 seen in the U.S. phone: 812-898-2678, fax: 812-989-2013 Plans are underway for the annual Con- www.animalfindersguide.com vention in Wichita, Kansas, June 25 email: [email protected] through 27, with the Husbandry Course and Wildlife Educator’s Course offered Wednesday, June 24. We’ll be lodging at should protect all its tigers. reduced to just an estimated 40 individu- La Quinta Inn and Suites, and all the hotel In a perfect symbiosis, the tiger pro- als. In the case of Caspian tigers, the registration information is on page 24. tects its domain from the worst danger it species never recovered from this persecu- We’ll tour two great zoological parks. We ever faced; arrogant, meddlesome, greedy tion, and it was officially declared extinct cannot guarantee what kittens will be on humans. Could this realization happened in 1970. Tigers were eliminated, not hand this year, but I’m counting on some in other times and places? Could unher- because of an Asian medicinal market or snow leopard or clouded leopard cubs. alded Noahs have felt the call to repay the belief in their aphrodisiac properties, but Make your vacation plans now so you tiger for services rendered and shepherd it because they were large predators that don’t miss out on all the fun and felines. to safety? Those of us who have looked threatened the lives of humans and I am reminded of a quote from the into the eyes of a tiger know that it cer- domestic animal stock and were interfer- Mahabharata (circa 400 BCE) that says: tainly could happen. ing with a growing industrial society that Do not cut down the forests with its In this issue of the Journal, we take a failed to understand the importance of tigers and do not banish the tigers from long look back at Caspian tigers, a sub- tigers to the forest. the forest. The tiger perishes without the species of tiger that exists only in our his- To my knowledge, the FCF is the first forest, and the forest perishes without its tory books. Caspian tigers were systemat- to publish this account of the human- tigers. Therefore the tigers should stand ically killed by the Russian empire around assisted relocation of Caspian tigers from guard over the forests and the forest the same time as the Amur tigers were the eastern side of the Caspian Sea into Kazakhstan and Russia. Author Irving Kornheiser has carefully described what life at the turn of the century was like in Registered Exotic Feline Handler Program this region and how tigers were trapped, transported, and released using caravans The FCF board of directors congratulates the following individuals for called vardo. The efforts of one man, being accepted into the Registered Exotic Feline Handler Program since however, could not prevent the extinction the past Journal issue. of a species under relentless persecution. John David Wagner - Intermedi- Steven Sidden - Advanced Take some time to discover this fascinat- ate Leah Aufill - Advanced ing and unknown world by reading the story of Mo and his Caspian tigers, start- Basic Feline Handlers have documented at least one year of experience, Intermedi- ing on page 33. ate level is at least five years of experience, and Advanced handlers have more than ten years experience. Update your registration when you obtain additional handling experience or new species experience. The online registration form can be filled out directly in the members-only section of the FCF website. The $30.00 registration fee can be made through PayPal. Being a registered handler is the first step to becoming a Professional Member. Professional Membership application is also online on the Members-Only website. Congratulations to all of these members for their dedication to their cats.

Debi Willoughby, FCF Secretary

5 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 We Had A Wild Time At The Animal Keepers’ Safety Conference! By Debi Willoughby guided tours and animal swims. Reservations are strongly rec- I attended the Animal Keepers’ Safety ommended so that you can Conference in Dade City, Florida, in make the most out of your visit. November. It was held at FCF member They have a wide variety of ani- Kathy Stearns’s facility, Dade City’s Wild mals, from tigers, to monkeys, Things. The morning I flew out of to parrots. During the confer- Boston, there was snow on the ground, so ence, we were treated to a guid- flying into sunny warm Florida was very ed tour of the facility to meet welcoming! After arriving, it was won- the animals. The animals all derful to see so many FCF members looked healthy and happy, their cages touch the animals under close supervision attending. There were about 35-40 con- were nicely designed, and the grounds of an animal trainer. The public is not ference attendees and 11 of them were throughout the facility were kept clean allowed to touch the animals’ faces and FCF members – thanks everyone for the and landscaped. The tour guide shared the trainer keeps the animals’ faces and FCF presence; it is much appreciated! personal experiences about each animal claws faced towards the trainer to allevi- This was a three-day conference with we visited and gave valuable information ate risk of bites and scratches to the pub- numerous speakers and 11 topics being on each species. Everyone attending the lic. They understand that public interac- discussed. The topics ranged from OSHA conference is in the animal industry and tion creates a greater awareness about to USDA to transporting animals. Every we all enjoyed the tour and extra tidbits species, as well as increasing the respect topic was professional and had keeper about the cage building and diets. the public has for animals. The more they safety in mind. We received a wealth of Fellow FCF member John David Wagn- respect and care about wild animals, the knowledge jam packed into a three-day er was also at the conference and we more willing they are to help them in the event. Kathy mentioned she will probably decided to split up the topics discussed to wild. Their public interactions are profes- have another conference next year, so if write articles on them. I will cover a few sional, fun, and educational, and people you missed this one, plan on attending of the topics here and please look for John go away with an amazing experience that next time – you will not regret it. David’s article in this Journal for the top- lasts a lifetime! The trainer has the Dade City’s Wild Things is an animal ics he wrote about. ambassador animal in their control at all facility that is open to the public. They Two of Dade City’s Wild Things times and has the authority to end an offer a variety of educational encounters employees, Randy Stearns and Kelsey interactive session if they feel it is neces- including interactive animal encounters, Johnson, spoke to us about public han- sary. The most important things to dling, safety, and training. Randy remember when it comes to public inter- is the president of Wild Things and action are to stick to your protocol, do not Kelsey is an animal trainer at the let anyone persuade you into doing some- facility. They spoke to us about thing outside of the protocol, and always public interaction with exotic ani- keep your animals and the public safe. mals, how to do it safely, and how Legislation is always a topic at the fore- to train both the trainer and ani- front of our industry nowadays, and Kathy mals. To have a safe interaction Stearns’s discussion about it was honest with the public, a written protocol and straight to the point. She said if ani- is needed and one cannot waver mal rights organizations are not directly from that protocol or an incident after you right now, once they finish with could happen. someone else you may be next. And if They start training their ambassador animals at a young age, get- ting them used to being han- dled and desensitizing them to the public and sur- rounding nois- Debi Willoughby holds one of the Dade es. The public City Wild Things, a tiger cub. is allowed to

6 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 you are not next, they will push hot, so the comfort of the animal is through banning laws that will better. Vernon pounded into our directly affect you. Hiding is not the heads that if we would not be com- solution to this problem; we all need fortable in the transport cage being to ban together and go after them used, do not put an animal in there. like they are going after us. We Lastly, before you transport any- should also be proactive and submit thing, do your research and make legislation that will help protect us sure you are transporting them cor- and our animals. In order for us to rectly. be strong, we need to collaborate Fellow FCF member John with our legislators and explain to David Wagner presented informa- them how a majority of private own- tion on managing difficult people ers practice safe animal husbandry and the press. This is a new FCF and let them know that the private workshop that we will be offering sector holds a more diverse blood- soon! John David has worked at line than the AZA sector. Without Cynthia Baird takes a swim in the pool with one the Conservators’ Center in North this strong bloodline, the captive of the tiger cubs. Carolina, for seven years. He is an species will eventually fade out. animal keeper and the Director of Also, inform them of how we are all edu- water, and make sure the area is not too Operations. He taught us how to identify cating the public and creating revenue. drafty. Exotic animals can easily become and handle people who may disrupt the Kenny Stearns, president of Stearns stressed in these situations, so take the positive flow in our environment. It is Peat & Trucking, has been involved in time to stop somewhere and let them eat always better to identify these types of intrastate transportation for 40 years and while the vehicle is not moving. This will people and “nip it in the bud” before has been transporting animals across the give the animal time to relax and eat com- things get out of hand. We also learned U.S. for 15 years. He spoke to us about fortably. As a rule of thumb – if you how to notice changes in a persons atti- transportation equipment safety and train- would not be comfortable during the tude that tells us their time working with ing. The most important tip he gave us transportation process, the animals proba- us and our animals needs to come to a was to check your equipment BEFORE bly will not be either. Make the situation close sooner rather than later. The last you load up and go. Put the empty trans- as stress-free as possible for the animals. part of his lecture was on how to speak to port cages and accessories in the transport This will help their transition into their the press. The press can be very intimi- vehicle and go for a short ride. This will new home. dating with the bombardment of questions enlighten you as to unusual noises or cage The next speaker was Vernon Yates, they like to ask. Most importantly, have a shifting you may not have thought about. founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabili- game plan before you speak to the media Both of these items can affect the animal’s tation, located in Florida. Vernon has and stay in control of the interview. The psychological well-being. Also, have a been working with animals for almost 50 FCF will be offering four-hour workshops written protocol on all travel emergency years, provides educational exhibits at on this topic as well as many others in the procedures so you are prepared to handle FWC functions, and is a holding facility near future, so stay tuned for more details! just about anything. These procedures for native and non-native animals. He To spice it up a little bit, the Stearns put should include getting a flat tire and being specializes in animal captures and holds on a luau one evening to let us unwind stranded on the side of the road, to animal animal evidence for the State of Florida. and enjoy ourselves. It was a much appre- safety, animal comfort, delays, and traffic He spoke to us about his work capturing ciated break from all of the learning. The jams. Always have the correct equipment escaped or “nuisance” native wildlife. trolley that brings people from the gift in case you are stuck on the side of the Vernon urged us to have road; this equipment can include flashers, the right equipment to flares, and cones. It is the law that if you handle escaped animals are stranded for more than ten minutes, and know how to use the you have to put these things out to warn equipment properly. He oncoming traffic. Always secure your also told us to be sure the transport cages in a fashion that is secure, holding and transport is out of your animal’s grip, and is easily cages are adequate for the accessible to tighten and release when species that we are trans- needed. Always act professional when porting. For example, working with the people you are transport- deer should always be put ing animals to or from and take control of in a transport the situation so you can ensure the trans- vehicle/cage that does not porting goes smoothly. One area that is allow them to move commonly overlooked is the comfort of around freely, otherwise the animals being transported. Stop every they will hurt themselves. FCF Education director Debi Willoughby presents three hours to check on them to make sure His tip was to drive at an advanced training seminar on Sunday as part they are not too hot or too cold, offer them night when it is not as of the Keeper Safety Conference.

7 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015

Plenty of FCF members attended the Keeper Safety Conference. Pictured in front row, from left to right: Debi Willoughby, Kathy Stearns, and Kenny Stearns. Back row, left to right: Mario Lawrence, Aashish Patel, Carl Nicholson, Liz Felton, John David Wagner, Cynthia Baird, Kim Wysong, and Randy Stearns. the fire dancers perform. It was amazing For those who did not win the swim, they how the dancers entertained us with fire could purchase the encounter. Our very To spice things up a bit, Kathy without being burned! It continued the own FCF member, Cynthia Baird, did just Stearns arranged for fire dancers to “safety” theme of our conference! The that and the look on her face after her follow the authentic luau buffet. dancers delighted us with their dancing encounter was priceless! I could tell she and integration of fire into their routines. really enjoyed herself and will remember shop to the zoo dropped us off in the After the show, we sat around talking with that experience forever. evening and we were greeted by staff that everyone about animals, the things we had The topics presented at the conference placed flower leis around our necks. They learned, and where the animal industry is were all geared around keeper safety and then brought us to a decorated area of going. We were also delightfully sur- there were numerous valuable tidbits their facility to make us feel like we were prised by the presence of a few of their throughout the conference for us to learn at a luau! There were decorations, light- animal ambassadors that joined us. We about and share. I urge you to attend the ing, festive food, and music for us to were able to get pictures taken with them next conference they put on, because enjoy. They put on an enormous array of and learn about them. those tidbits we learned will make a world luau-themed foods all displayed on a long As if meeting new people, learning of difference for us and the animal indus- table for us to sample. The music put us about important animal topics, enjoying a try. in the luau-party mood and we all enjoyed luau with animal encounters, and fire A special thank you goes out to all who talking with each other while we feasted dancers was not enough, there was also a attended and shared their stories, to the on the delicious buffet. After we filled raffle with lots of prizes! I think the most staff at Wild Things, the speakers, and the our bellies, we went into an area to watch sought after prize wonderful animals we all met and was the swim with a enjoyed. I cannot wait to do it all again tiger cub encounter! next year!

Join the Zoological Association of America

Several levels of membership include commercial, educational, facility, and individual. Facility Accreditation is also available.

promoting the P.O. Box 511275 responsible ownership, Punta Gorda, FL 33951 management, and propagation 941-621-2021 of animals in both info@zaaorg Puma at Dade City’s Wild Things. In addition to all the private and public domains www.zaa.org conference speakers was a tour of the zoo.

8 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Three Cat Book Reviews By Pat Callahan is good reading for cat people, both large and small cat species. I have to Collecting books about wild cats is a mention, the margay photo appears to meaningful, rewarding, sometimes chal- be an excellent taxidermy mount! lenging pastime. It has been a while since Small Wild Cats: The Answer I reviewed any books (I did some reviews Guide by Jim Sanderson and Patrick of Alan Rabinowitz books.) and I hope Watson (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press these reviews are helpful to members 2011) is next and, yes, it is by FCF choosing volumes to seek out. The titles Science Advisor Jim Sanderson and this time range from informative yet is a book anyone can enjoy. I recom- folksy, to the cerebral and tedious/scientif- mend it for members who need some ic. Availability of the books varies from way to explain to friends and family very difficult out-of-print volumes to why small cats matter, fascinate, and those easily found on the internet or in generate such passion! This book is used booksellers’ inventories. available via a link on Jim’s Small My copy of C.A.W. Guggisberg’s Wild Cat Conservation Alliance website Cats of the World (Taplinger Press) was (www.smallcats.org) and other obtained in a second-hand bookstore in sources. (Note: if you are so moved, you can contribute to Jim’s work from that site.) The format of this book is not a small cat species guide, but a broad discussion of cat character- istics and biology. Included are plenty of photos, plus sections on cats in literature and in conflict Small Wild Cats: The Animal Answer with humans. And as well are the Guide, by James G. Sanderson and whys and hows of small cat biolo- Patrick Watson (Johns Hopkins Univ. gy and social function all in one Press 2011). book. Next is a hard to find book, Wild Cats: Status Survey and Con- servation Action Plan by K. Now- ell and P. Jackson (IUCN Cat Spe- cialist Group Gland Switzerland 1996, although some copies are printed by Island Press). This Wild Cats of the World, by C.A.W. Gug- book has been out of print for a gisberg (Taplinger Press). while and will be hard to find. The format is a species by species account with excellent Chicago, circa 1990. This book, from maps and photos. There are also sec- 1975, is the oldest I’ll review this time tions on trade-commerce in furs and and is a favorite of mine. Written in a body parts, cats in captivity, and pleasant English naturalist style, it will prospects for reintroduction. The appeal to any age group, young adults to “Action Plan” section discusses priori- older folks. In this book, you can learn ty projects and individual species pro- the first scientific description of a cat or jects for conservation. This book has when the last wild specimen was extensive references. It is not a curl up seen/killed. All photos are black and with and read book. white and, instead of range maps, the The last time I tried to buy a copy author carefully lists the range countries of this book was circa 2005. I bought and regions where each cat is reportedly both copies available from a private found. You may need to consult an atlas seller. I re-sold the second copy for for some of the obscure regions; I know I more than it cost me. Sometimes that’s Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conser- did! Each cat species gets a chapter, and, the way it goes in hunting books! vation Action Plan, by Kristin Nowell of course, the taxonomy is out of date. It and Peter Jackson.

9 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Tales from a Tiger Groupie By Irving Kornheiser rounded by many types of ball fields, a neighborhood, was a very important citi- deep grove of trees with a stream running zen of VS, he was a WWI War hero and As I start this journey of childhood past, through it, and a large lake, all being U.S. Air Force Flying ACE, as well as a I am drawn back to my mother’s wisdom located next to the Valley Stream State keeper and trainer of wild animals that he and wit. I always get apprehensive at this Park. Only a few houses were built by the allowed to live within the rooms of his time of year, because her birthday and her school's property, and they were consid- house with his wife and two children. Mr. death date are the same, which I often ered to be special in terms of their location Ed would also be a regular on the TV vari- think as a “blessing,” but I still get very adjacent to the school in a very small sec- ety shows such as The Tonight Show with sad and miss her, my father, my brother, tion of a neighborhood that was surround- Johnny Carson, The Merv Griffin Show, and my girlfriend very much. ed by VS State Park, and As this article begins, I feel this little the senior high school, antidote will help the reader to fully named Valley Stream Cen- understand the inherent nature of my deep tral High School. As the feelings and concerns about animal wel- school year opened, I fare in captivity. These concerns have joined the JHS junior varsi- been my life-long pursuits even though I ty football team, which had realize that animals and their welfare practice sessions after appear only as secondary characters in school. these stories. For me, it should be known, After the practices were as well as understood, that my true finished each day, the favorites are, and always has been, the coach would send the JV tigers themselves who learned to adapt, squad on a mile run around survive, and even conquer captivity in the VS State Park lake spite of human intervention and institu- which was next to the tionalized cruelty. school’s property, but you I wish to speak about my own personal had to travel through a human feline heroes whom I encountered small section of the resi- before I turned 18 years old; individuals dential neighborhood to get of whom I write have long been gone. there. Since I was heavy Edwin J. Ferrar posed here with one of his lions However, as I grew to that age when my and out of shape for run- that he could be seen with on various tv shows or memory has started to fail, I truly felt the ning, I often was well riding around in his “Wild Cargo” wagon on the need to get their stories onto paper so behind my teammates in streets of Long Island, NY. In 1962, Ferrar was someday someone would find more than the run, and many times for charged with harboring a wild animal in his home, just numbers on the page. me it was just a long walk, a lion named Congo, but charges were suspend- followed by a cold shower ed by the judge after he met the animal in the Mr. Ed and his “Wild Kingdom” if I was lucky. This routine court’s parking lot and Congo licked his hand. and regiment was the basic At my mother’s funeral, one of her form of sports conditioning back in those and many other local news and entertain- close friends told me this story which sort days and not viewed as a punishment. ment programs. of explains why I have written this piece. I played sports all during junior and It all started for Mr. Ed after he had a The woman told me that my mother often senior high school, and all I can remember guest appearance on the I Got a Secret referred to me as a “tiger groupie.” When were the many coaches at the end of the game show. This appearance was a major asked what she meant, mom related that at practice sessions yelling out my favorite story of the day in New York City and 13 she saw me encounter a man on the phrase, “Once around the lake and home Long Island, as well as an event which street walking a tiger with a chain leash. you go!” You see, I had a secret. During lead Mr. Ed to great levels of notoriety My mother’s friend then asked her, "What these runs when I fell behind my team- worldwide. In fact, I remember that it was did Irv do?” Mom, with only the pride of mates, I made a detour. During one of the panel members of the I Got a Secret a mother, answered the following… these run/walk sessions back in the sev- show that gave him the name “Mr. Ed” Instead of running or moving away from enth grade during the winter of 1964, I during the show’s questioning on air. the man and tiger, he went right up to first encountered a man who was walking Ed never had a secret while living in them and began to pet and play with the a tiger with a steel chain leash in my path Valley Stream. Both prior to and after his tiger, and he started talking to the man. back to the school’s locker room. This appearances on TV, and even in the years Back in September 1964, the 1964 man was not a stranger to me, but a well- that followed, he was routinely seen in the World’s Fair was the hottest event of that respected local celebrity who lived in my neighborhood driving his pet lion in the day. I had moved to a new school and home town of Valley Stream, New York, back seat of his vehicle that we all knew started the seventh grade. Valley Stream and who was a well-known wild animal he called “Wild Cargo,” or swimming in Memorial Junior High School was a huge trainer and circus/fair performer. “Mr. his backyard pool with his pet jaguar. His building compared to my old school, sur- Ed,” as we would refer to him in the house was famous as well; in the small

10 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Valley Stream community, everyone who enced my teenage years, as well as my chapter by Monika Meyer-Holzapfel, walked and/or drove past the house saw whole life, were an author of a chapter in Ph.D., a pioneering director of the Berne Ed’s signs, such as the large pair of a book (Chapter 25) concerning animal Zoo in Switzerland, whose article was mounted animal horns on his second floor behavior, and Dr. Michael W. Fox, the entitled “Abnormal Behavior in Zoo Ani- outside flashing which he lit up at night noted vet and animal care expert of my mals,” (Chapter 25, pgs. 476-503). year around, and the sign at the front door generation, who was the editor of this As the vet turned pages in the book reading, “Welcome to Wild Kingdom, classic text. If you do not know of Dr. regarding this chapter, he then told me to Enter at Your Own Risk.” While I only Fox’s work with animals, just pick your read it and his attitude quickly changed. meet Mr. Ed three times, of note here was daily newspaper up and read his columns. Obviously the title of the book gives away that my mother's seeing me with Ed and As the story goes, back in 1968, my the situation and his change in demeanor. his tiger walking was the second time I family adopted a puppy who was, as we As I remember this incident some 45 met Ed and his tiger in the street. I was later learned, seriously sick. My family years later, the look on the vet’s face told the last one returning to the school locker rushed the poor sick dog to my family’s the story. Dr. Baum, a professional veteri- room to be picked up that day, and Mom vet, who determined that an immediate narian of many years in practice as a zoo- had started searching for me when she operation was needed. So, he scheduled logical vet, appeared somewhat embar- saw us in front of Ed's house playing on the surgery to be done during the night rassed as to his view of the “pacing in his lawn with the tiger. when the office was closed. My family captivity” issue as “positive and healthy I spent many hours of my high school and I stayed in the office section of the for the animals.” He then left to do his sports recreation time traveling to Ed’s animal hospital during the procedure and rounds in the clinic. backyard to visit with his big cats, who the dog's recovery. During the night as I read this chapter as a 16 year old roam freely within his backyard enclo- my family members slept in office chairs teenager with poor reading skills could sures next to the fences adjacent to the VS and on the floor, I spent four to five hours only comprehend, but it gave me a State Park. I simply got lost being around talking to the brother of the vet who was renewed sense of determination and dedi- a massive male lion or a huge Bengal tiger doing the operation, who was also a vet cation to the plight of big cats and other parading around a Valley Stream backyard who specialized in large and exotic ani- carnivores in captivity among the vast like he was at home in the jungle. mals, and who worked part-time at the zoological settings. It also instilled in me And, over the six years of my high Bronx Zoo. Dr. Baum and I started a long the concept that pacing of animals in the school education, I must have viewed conversation about the big cats at the zoos that I witnessed as a teenager was a more than two dozen of Mr. Ed’s exotic Bronx Zoo. In particular, the view that I pattern of abnormal behavior, and not that big cats, including lions, jaguars, leopards, had that the large carni- of a normal behavior pattern servals, ocelots, and my beloved Bengal vores seemed to be doing of territorial diligence that tiger. Some were there for many years, nothing in their exhibits would be found among wild while others just visited for a day or two, but “pacing endlessly co-species as indicated in but all of them were greatly appreciated around the enclosures in zoological circles at the time. and loved by all members of the Ferrari the figure eight direction.” So here is one for Monika, family. But Ed’s external family were the A question which, a true pioneer of zoology and children of Valley Stream who grew up to throughout my life, I have animal psychology. Also, be adults like me, who learned from Ed asked of more than 100+ kudos to Dr. Baum for teach- that love, respect, and appreciation of big individual zoological pro- ing me an important part of cats were the fruits which would allow the fessionals over the course being human. And I cannot big cats to be accepted as honored mem- of the past 45 years or so. forget here the other Dr. bers of the community and this neighbor- After many hours of Baum, who saved the life of hood. debating this behavior my dog, Lady. I truly wish to thank Ed Ferrar for with me as positive and a I never knew Monika bringing them into our lives, and, as I healthy situation for the Meyer-Holzapfel. She was remember this tale, I find myself again animals while in captivity, of German background and lost in Mr. Ed’s jungle, Valley Stream’s because no known big the body of her research and own “Wild Kingdom.” cats in captivity had been Just one of several pub- other writings are in that lan- Rest in peace, Edwin Ferrar. He died removed from the wild lications by Dr. Michael guage. If you search out her July 16, 2010, at the age of 90. Thank and, thus, this behavior W. Fox. works in the virtually you for your service to the country, as could be considered “nor- unknown field of Animal well as the children of Valley Stream, mal” in captivity, Dr. Baum had a break- Psychology (circa 1930-1965), you will New York, who grew up learning that big through of thought in that he remembered find a unique “giant” in the understanding cats are creatures who may need love and briefly seeing an article in a new book on of animal captivity and the role of zoos in respect from humans, not a jungle . animal behavior. He called out the name establishing healthy environments for ani- “Monica” and ran into his inner office and mals. Monika Meyer-Holzapfel, Ph.D., and retrieved a new book from his pile of For many years into my own research Dr. Michael W. Fox mail. The book was Abnormal Behavior on big cats in captivity, I was not able to in Animals, ed. Michael W. Fox, Saunders locate this book or any listings on Dr. The next individuals who greatly influ- Company, 1968. And in this book was a Meyer-Hozapfel’s writings and research

11 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 because this book was long out-of-print. ited run without any follow-up editions. Amazon, for finally providing me a copy According to an email response from Dr. And at that time (circa 1968-1969), the of it, so I can finally finish reading Moni- Fox himself, he believed that the book public view of animal welfare, care, and ka’s chapter that I started reading approxi- was ahead of its time and extremely “con- cruelty was very limited at best. mately 46 years ago, but never got to fin- troversial,” especially in the veterinary Searches of many libraries proved fruit- ish! and zoological communities. He believed less over the years. It was only after my By the way, the rest of the book is cool the book’s distribution, marketing, and learning to search out reference materials as well, and very, very important to any sales was suppressed for many years, by on the computer in 2007, that I was able person who cares about animal welfare in that only one edition was printed in a lim- to locate his book online. Thank you, captivity. If You Are Not at the Table, You Are on the Table By Mindy Stinner [This language is directly from page 1 To gain a better understanding of the of the NAIA booklet: “Our Confer- many legislative concerns affecting the ence”] captive animal industry, my assistant “The National Animal Interest director, Julia Wagner, and I attended the Alliance (NAIA) is a charitable annual National Animal Interest Alliance 501(c)(3) educational organization of (NAIA) conference, which was held this recreational, business, agricultural, and year in Orlando, Florida. After two full scientific interests founded in1991, to days of listening to incredible speakers, support and promote best practices in meeting new friends from all areas of the responsible animal ownership and use animal industry, and gaining new perspec- while providing a viable alternative to tive on the challenges we are collectively animal rights extremism. NAIA’s confronting, we determined that NAIA is membership consists of pet owners, a critical group for helping anyone who is dog and cat clubs, rescue groups, concerned about captive exotic felid own- breeders, veterinarians, research scien- ership stay informed about legislative become active with this group. tists, farmers, fishermen, hunters, and changes. As the leading animal welfare lobbying wildlife biologists. NAIA was founded in 1991, “to support group in the nation, NAIA is positioned to “NAIA is committed to preserving and promote best practices in responsible be a powerful voice for us all. This year’s the human-animal bond, the special animal ownership and use while providing conference was heavily focused on lobby- bond that exists when people live and a viable alternative to animal rights ing in order to counteract the activities of animal rights groups, making the work with animals, and supports every- topics widely applicable. The one from beginners to professionals as speakers represented a spectrum of they strive to learn more about animal views and backgrounds, and we care and husbandry.” were honored to have the opportu- What does NAIA do? nity to hear such powerful voices “NAIA supports animal welfare and from across our industry. the rights of animal owners by: Most pertinent to wildlife own- Providing factual information to the ership was the illuminating presen- public about animals and animal wel- tation by attorneys John Simpson fare issues, and Michelle Pardo, who repre- Creating programs to improve the care and welfare of animals, extremism. NAIA’s membership consists sented Feld Entertainment, the parent Helping local animal welfare groups of pet owners, dog and cat clubs, rescue company of Ringling Bros., in their more achieve their mission, groups, breeders, veterinarians, research than decade-long battle against HSUS, Helping local authorities write laws scientists, farmers, fishermen, hunters, ASPCA, and other claimants. Their land- that target irresponsible ownership and wildlife biologists.” (See related mark total $25 million settlement has practices and inhumane treatment of sidebar.) It is time that wildlife owners brought much-needed attention to the manner in which HSUS and other animal animals while safeguarding the rights rights groups have been conducting them- of responsible animal owners, and When the activists were informed that selves. Their fascinating presentation Supporting the enforcement of state parts of their case were no longer con- included a detailed view of the complex and federal laws that mandate the prop- sidered valid by the courts, they and arduous process of defending their er treatment of animals and provide attempted to reframe the case as a client and then pursuing redress in the penalties for animal abuse.” morally justified action. The response: case, as well as specific examples of the “There is no ‘Robin Hood’ defense to compelling evidence that resulted in this David Jentsch, a UCLA neuroscientist illegal and wrongful conduct.” verdict. who endured and witnessed years of

12 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 harassment by activists attacking himself Cindy Buckmaster, PhD and Director relevant to the ownership and use of ani- and his colleagues, gave a rousing presen- for the Center for Comparative Medicine mals from carriage horses in NYC, to tation on the psychology of extremism, at Baylor College of Medicine, continued keeping farming of animals legal. and he gave insight into the deleterious this theme by emphasizing that we need to The last speaker was Robert Guyer, impact of the animal rights groups on the be having this discussion, framing the President of Engineering THE LAW (a UCLA scientific community. Over the argument, and defining the language. She training school for lobbying activity) and course of several years, Dr. Jentsch and indicated the concern that the language author of texts like Guide to State Legisla- his colleagues were confronted, harassed, surrounding these issues has been effec- tive Lobbying. His comprehensive pre- and even physically attacked. On more tively “hijacked” by people with a strong sentation included a broad overview of than one occasion, attacks aimed at agenda in a way that is not helpful to our how the system really works, how interest researchers’ homes were accidentally mis- goals, and she is an advocate for us groups can make the most impact, and directed to a neighbor’s home, including reframing the conversation using our own how best to allot your time and effort if activists setting fire to an elderly man’s language. She had some excellent sugges- you wish to make an impact on the legal house. Eventually, Dr. Jentsch had his tions for replacing certain emotionally process. The overview was very compre- own car firebombed in his driveway, iron- packed “trigger” words and phrases with hensive and well organized. Mr. Guyer’s ically also setting fire to the local hillside others that will help the public perceive newest book is just off the press and his where endangered cougars reside. He more accurately how we work with ani- workshops come highly recommended by helped rally support of the scientific and mals as an industry. Her focus on animals previous attendees. To learn more, visit student community on campus into their involved in research activities kept her his website at www.learn-to-lobby.com/. own pro-science movement that resulted suggestions in that realm; replacing With a lineup of speakers like this, in turnouts outnumbering and overwhelm- “experiment” with “study,” and “animal NAIA has demonstrated a commitment to ing the opposition and reframing the dis- rights activist” with “animal rights protecting legal ownership of animals cussion around the progress in medical extremist,” can be extended to replacing across the board, without a specific focus care that has resulted from research with “cage” with “habitat” or “enclosure,” and on just pet or agricultural interests. Their animals. His actions also helped compel “facility” with “park.” The object is not annual conference is held in the fall, and the university itself to address these issues to cloud the issue, but to use our own lan- more information is available on their more directly, including providing securi- guage that has not been shaped by extrem- website at www.naiaonline.org/. ty for his family and those of other high ists into harmful subtext. profile researchers. Other speakers addressed diverse issues

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13 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Speculation on a Symbiotic Relationship between African Lions and African Honey Badgers By William H. Smith, Ph. D. Europe, images of lions exist dated to This paper seeks to show the nature and the end of the Pleis- mutual benefit between two of Africa's tocene epoch (also most powerful and fearsome terrestrial referred to as the predators. For thousands of years, lions Upper Paleolithic and honey badgers have evolved together period, 40,000 - in a symbiotic relationship that is mutually 10,000 years before beneficial. Lions kill or deter predators of present). Lascaux young honey badgers, and honey badgers and Chauvet caves, kill or control poisonous snakes, which located in southern may venomize adult lions and lion cubs, France, are a few of and eat very young lion cubs. the sites of this period African Lion containing lion draw- Many male lions will often exceed 250 ings or images. One kg in weight, making the lion the second of the most famous largest feline in the world after the tiger. and unusual examples The lion (Panthera leo) has been subdi- of Upper Paleolithic vided into six recognized African sub- “artwork” is the The lion was the most widespread large land mammal species, based on regional differences, depiction of the lion after humans, until the late Pleistocene. with West and Central African lions more “Lowenmensch” (also closely related to Asiatic lions than to the referred to as the Lion Man of Hohlen- ing all present living sub-species) are cur- southern and East African lions. Recent stein) statue that combines a lion and a rently in wildlife parks and zoos through- genetic analysis (O'Brien et al. 1987, human together. Found in a cave in Ger- out the world. Wild lions live 10-14 Dubach et al. 2005) has shown all African many, the statue is 32,000-40,000 years years, while in captivity they may live as lions to be the same and only the Asiatic old. long as 20 or more years. Males in the lion, Panthera leo persica (Meyer, 1826), From about 200 years before Christ, wild normally do not live more than ten is recognized separate from the African until about 400 years after Christ, lions years, primarily because of battles with lion, Panthera leo leo (Linnaeus, 1758). were the most popular animals to “per- other males. Apollo, a male lion which The lion was the most widespread large form” in the numerous Roman arenas resided in the Honolulu Zoo, lived to be land mammal after humans, until the late (such as the Coliseum in Rome) stretching 22 years old. Pleistocene. The largest lion known (400 across the vast Roman Empire. Lions Lions usually inhabit savannah and kg) Panthera leo atrox, lived in North were primarily used to fight each other, grasslands, but will sometimes find their America, until its extinction at the end of gladiators, bears, tigers, leopards, and to way into forest and bush. Lions are nor- the Pleistocene. Perfect skeletons of atrox execute criminals. Thousands of lions mally nocturnal, but at times they become and saber-toothed cats may be seen in the were killed during this long period of crepuscular. Lions are apex and keystone Page Museum at the site of the La Brea Roman domination. predators, although they are also scav- Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. In In Europe, Africa, and Asia, lions have engers. They may obtain over 50 percent long been icons for of their food from scavenging. Lions’ humanity as symbols of principle large prey includes herbivores nobility, strength, roy- such as wildebeest, zebra, and buffalo. alty, and bravery. The Lions commonly use several hunting lion is the mascot for strategies, some of which incorporate sev- the MGM Movie Com- eral lions in the hunt and capture of prey. pany and a symbol on These cooperative lions are often geneti- national flags and coats cally related females. Males may do a of arms. considerable amount of specialized hunt- Throughout history, ing in some prides. In the majority of lion captive lions have been prides, females do all the hunting of prey. commonly held in Lions are unusually social compared to zoos. One of the most most other cats. The pride may consist of famous modern Euro- many females, young males and a small pean collections was number of adult males. A pride’s territory the Tower of London may be as large as 100 square miles. The Menagerie. More than majority of African lions survive only in The present range of African lions. 1,000 lions (represent- sub-Saharan territory, usually referred to

14 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 as the “savannah.” Because of back or dorsal side. The scope its size and ferocity, which are of this paper is concerned with seen as major threats to the following subspecies of humans and their livestock, the African honey badgers: cape wild lion appears to be a seri- ratel, Ethiopian ratel, black ously threatened species. ratel, and Lake Chad ratel. There has been a dramatic Honey badgers have devel- decline in its African range oped several distinctive and during the later half of the 20th effective characteristics for sur- century. In 1950, the popula- vival. The honey badger can tion was estimated to be only turn within its loosely connect- half of the four hundred thou- ed skin. This is probably an sand African lions living wild adaptation for defense and at the turn of the century; fighting. Ears appear as low today there are only about ridges on head skin, another 20,000 wild African lions adaptation for fighting and for remaining. Before 1900, they digging tunnels. They have were found in almost all of Leopards are a major enemy of both young lions and five toes on each foot, and Africa, and from Southwest young honey badgers. have enormous claws (up to Asia to India. Two centuries four inches long) on the front ago, lions even populated Eastern Europe. region. The honey badger is a keystone feet. The honey badger's dental formula is In the Pleistocene epoch (0.34 million to African predator, but small by comparison - 3131/3131. The teeth are remarkably 11,000 years ago), the New World lion to the largest keystone African predator - thick, but the canines are relatively short eventually made its way north to the the lion. for such a fierce predator. Males typically Canadian Yukon and south to Peru. African Honey Badger weigh 9-16 kilos, while the smaller Wild lions are considered vulnerable to The honey badger (Mellivora capensis) females weigh 5-10 kilos. The females extinction by the International Union for is locally known as “ratel” throughout usually have two pairs of milk producing the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). southern Africa. Ratel is an Afrikaans organs referred to as mamae. Habitat loss, conflicts with humans, word derived from the Middle Dutch Along with other distinctive specializa- poachers, big-game hunters, diseases such word for honeycomb. The honey badger’s tions, the honey badger has a reversible as tuberculosis and feline immune defi- genus is Mellivora, which means honey anal pouch, with a specialized odor gland ciency virus, and decreasing genetic eater. Unlike the other African predators, capable of producing a very irritating diversity are the greatest threats. The pre- it is not considered fully endangered. smell. This smell may be detected more sent range of the greatest number of wild Honey badgers are classified as “least than 40 yards away, and may help repel African lions stretches between sub-Saha- concerned” or least endangered by several other predators. This noxious smell may ran south central Africa, east to the Sudan. conservation organizations, probably also assist in calming bees when the Presently they are most concentrated in because of its extreme range, small size, honey badger raids hives. Kruger National Park. Honey badgers and adaptability. Honey badger fur is generally less also occupy this same savannah area. The very earliest evidence of honey dense and shorter in the summer and Honey badgers have had a long evolution- badgers is from Asian fossils dated to the thicker and longer in the winter. Unusual- ary co-history with African lions in this mid-Pliocene. Despite its name, the ly thick skin and dense hair make the bad- honey badger is not ger difficult to kill. The honey badger is closely related to considered by many researchers to be one other badgers such of the most ferocious and tenacious preda- as the American tors in the world. It took over one hour badger (Taxidea for a leopard to kill an old toothless, blind, taxus), but are most honey badger female. Honey badgers are closely related to said to have endured repeated machete the martin family strikes to the back. They are usually soli- of mustelidae tary, but they may hunt in pairs during weasels. Twelve mating season. species of honey Gestation of cubs lasts about seven to badgers are gener- ten weeks, with two cubs usually being ally recognized. born. By 18 months, honey badgers are They are usually usually ready to fend for themselves and differentiated by separate from their mothers, but may stay geographic distrib- as long as two years. Honey badger males ution, size, and the may occasionally kill young badgers, extent of grayness which hasten the females to go into estrus The claws of a honey badger may be four inches long. or whiteness on the sooner. Honey badgers develop excellent

15 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 tree climbing skills as they mature. The Honey badgers eat life span of the honey badger is around 24 insects, scorpions, frogs, years. They live alone in self-dug holes tortoises, rodents, lizards, that are one to three meters long and use eggs, birds, snakes, and no bedding. Additionally, honey badgers honey. Poisonous snakes may sometimes occupy abandoned comprise about 25 percent warthog dens and old termite mounds. of the honey badger’s diet. Scent markings indicating identity are left Honey badgers also have a at common badger urinals. African honey fondness for bee larva badgers live in an environment inhabited incased in honeycombs. by numerous, much larger predators, Honey badgers seem to rec- including lions, leopards, hyenas, and ognize the distinctive call cape hunting dogs. These predators are of the honeyeater bird, the main threat to young honey badgers. which helps it to locate bee- Honey badgers are one of the few ani- hives. Honey badgers are mals to use tools. Other tool-using ani- sometimes followed by mals include various birds, sea otters, and jackals (Canis simensis) chimps. In captivity, honey badgers may and birds of prey, which use sticks, rocks, heaps of mud, and attempt to catch escaped stones to escape from their walled pit honey badger prey. The enclosures. If necessary, they move large honey badger can some- pieces of wood on their backs with which times be a very wasteful to build a scaffold. They can easily predator and surplus killing endure beestings, porcupine quills, and is common. Male badgers snakebites. Most of these never puncture can cover over 25 miles in a the skin. If herds of cattle or Cape buffalo day as they forage. In an intrude on a ratel’s burrow, the badgers incident reported by one will usually attack the intruders. African farmer, in one Lions may be very reluctant to attack a healthy There is speculation that the counter- evening a honey badger adult honey badger. shaded coats (the gray and white back killed seven Muscovy stripes of the honey badger) evolved in ducks and 36 chickens. cobra or mamba. Lion cubs have been cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) cub coloration Symbiosis between African Lions and killed or venomized by snakes in Africa, as protective mimicry when the cubs are African Honey Badgers but they are not always eaten. This is most vulnerable. Seeing this particular A healthy adult lion has almost no known to have happened to every litter marking pattern, which some animals threat from other animals in its range member when the mother and pride were associate with the fearsome honey badger, except for poisonous snakes and other hunting and absent. Lions have no physi- may help to ward off or deter potential lions. Lions usually avoid snakes. Honey ologic protection from the venom of poi- cheetah cub predators. badgers do not avoid snakes, but avidly sonous snakes. Honey badgers have a eat them. Bad- physiologic immunity or resistance that gers may reduce can negate very large amounts of snake or eliminate venom. The skin of the honey badger is snakes from a very thick and dense as to make veno- particular area mization difficult. The dorsal hair is also (25 percent of specialized to be very course and thick, the honey bad- which is a first line of defense against the ger’s diet is bites of poisonous snakes. comprised of The honey badger is small enough to poisonous pursue animals such as venomous snakes snakes). This through the thickest brush and thorns or in element of con- holes. Snakes typically hide their nests of trol of poisonous eggs in areas of thick brush and thorns. snake popula- These hidden nests are often accessible to tions by honey the honey badger, which eats young badgers may snakes and perforates eggs, which reduces benefit both lion snake populations. They often pursue cubs and adults. snakes through the trees in order to make Even an adult them fall to the ground, where they are lion may die or then dispatched by the honey badger. Honey badgers are avid consumers of poisonous snakes, become very ill Lions usually do not climb trees, but they which may comprise 25% of the honey badger diet. if bitten by a may occasionally lounge on larger, lower

16 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 moving snake in the Conclusion world. Excellent sense Honey badgers have had a long evolu- of smell and night tionary co-history with African lions with- vision make them in eastern sub-Saharan Africa. The honey some of the deadliest badger is a keystone African predator, but animals in Africa. small (which it uses to advantage) in com- Locally referred to as parison to the largest keystone African the “kiss of death,” predator - the lion. Primarily because of humans have been the size differential, lions and honey bad- known to die within 20 gers do not ordinarily compete for the minutes after being bit- same prey species. Honey badgers are not ten by a black mamba. a usual prey species for lions. Cobras are considered Lions tend to repel or eliminate leop- by many herpetologists ards, hyenas, and cape dogs from their to be the most intelli- local area. These predators are major gent snakes. The word enemies of both young lions and young cobra actually refers to honey badgers. By controlling these rival The black mamba may be very aggressive. a variety of hooded predators the lion may help to diminish snakes. King cobras danger to young honey badgers and lion trunk branches. They do not normally (native to India) can reach over 18 feet in cubs. pursue snakes on the ground or in the length and can lay 20 to 40 eggs at a time, A healthy adult lion has almost no trees. Lions are too large to pursue snakes which take 60-80 days to incubate. threat from other animals in its range or other prey through dense brush or thorn Cobras will remain near their eggs and except for poisonous snakes and other thickets. They are also too large to easily defend them until they hatch. lions. Lions lack physiologic protection pursue honey badgers in earth dens or Poisonous snakes are opportunists, from the venom of poisonous snakes. smaller rock caves. Lions may occasion- hunting birds, small mammals and their Conversely, honey badgers have a physio- ally kill honey badgers that are young or young, lizards, and other snakes. Hunting logic immunity or resistance that can weakened, but usually will not engage a is primarily done at healthy adult honey badger because the night, but they risk of bodily injury to the lion may be too sometimes go weeks great. without feeding. Lions tend to repel or eliminate leop- The amount of neu- ards, hyenas, and cape dogs from their rotoxin held by a local area. These predators are major king cobra can kill enemies of both young lions and young 20 people or one honey badgers. By controlling these rival adult elephant with predators, the lion may help to diminish just one bite. Small- danger to young honey badgers and lion er cobras and mam- cubs. Male lions have been known to bas inhabiting the relentlessly pursue the dominant female same African range hyena and kill it by crushing its skull. as the lion and This action disrupts the social structure of honey badger can the hyena group. Leopards avoid lions produce enough because they are seen as chief competition venom at a time to and a great danger to leopard cubs and kill six people, or adults. If given any opportunity, lions will several adult lions. kill leopards. Leopards have been known The honey badger Adult female and male lions. to kill honey badgers - especially young or has been known to sick and weak individuals. survive more than one of these venomous negate very large amounts of snake African Venomous Snakes bites. Snakebites may tend to happen at venom. Twenty five percent of the honey Africa is home to a variety of poisonous night when both lions and poisonous badger’s diet is comprised of poisonous snakes. Most of these reptiles are catego- snakes are hunting. snakes. Large snakes may prey upon very rized as lapeds, a type of venomous snake The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes young lion cubs. Badgers may reduce or that have hollow fangs fixed to the upper ichneumon) is also an avid snake killer. eliminate snakes from a particular area. jaw at the top of the mouth. The most The mongoose has a certain limited This element of control of poisonous snake numerous and dangerous African snakes amount of immunity to snake venom. populations by honey badgers may benefit are the black and green mambas, vipers, Mongooses avoid contact with honey bad- both lion cubs and adults. cobras, and rinkhals. The black mamba gers. Because of its small size (2-3.5 kg), (Dendroaspis polylepis) is the largest poi- the mongoose is a potential prey species sonous snake in Africa, and the fastest for both honey badgers and lions.

17 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Blast from the Past: News From Around the Jungle Long Island Ocelot Club Newsletter cats are not as “fragile” Volume 6 Number 5 as most people you’d September 1962 have you believe. All our cats live outdoors “SHE ALSO BITES” in good weather and Mrs. C. V. Chester bad, and thrive. Clinton, Tennessee In the March Newsletter, a reader had Conrad and I enjoy reading the written that these cats Newsletter. More than once the informa- are surely better off in tion on feeding and medical care has been their native habitat than priceless. For example, when Kelda, our in captivity. If she margay, was much younger and we were could see the way these less “initiated,” Kelda ran into the thicket cats are brought in to us Conrad was clearing with a machete. The (we are exporters), she result was an ugly cut that did not quite would change her sever the muzzle, but fortunately missed mind. the eyes. Of course, our Dr. Robinson’s They are usually so first reaction was to reach for the sodium thin, mangy, and flea- pentothal. This might have been fatal, ridden that it is hard to but, warned by the Newsletter, we asked describe their condi- him not to give the shot. In the interest of tion. Three weeks of minimizing blood loss and trauma, we care, vitamin shots, and told Kelda to grit her teeth and Conrad Long Island Ocelot Club members would get togeth- good food renders a and I held her down while Dr. Robinson er for chapter meetings and bring their jungle born sleek and beautiful ani- stitched. Today, thanks to the Newsletter, ocelots and margays to share. mal. Kelda is a healthy, happy margay with One margay arrived absolutely no trace of a scar. but SHE BITES. We love her very much, with a broken front leg that was rotting Incidentally, the grit-your-teeth method even though SHE BITES. and gangrenous; it had to be amputated works excellently once a cat trusts you. from the shoulder. Her chance of pulling With my un-showable male Persians who “MEXICAN EXOTICS” through such an ordeal, considering her are allowed to run freely, we get remark- Victoria and Tom MacBean sorry plight and poor condition, was able cooperation. We put in and take out Jalisco, Mexico slight. But pull through she did, to the stitches and lance and clean up wounds amazement of the veterinarian who felt with little or no restraint. The animals We live right on the edge of the jungle, that a well-cared for domestic cat would seem to understand what we are doing. so to speak, and what we have learned have had a problem. Today, she is one of Kelda is an ocelot we bought who grew from experience with ocelots, margay, our most beautiful cats and ready for up into a margay. Her only fault is that puma, jaguar, and many other exotics, I breeding. SHE BITES. She knows that she should- am sure can be of help to Newsletter read- I believe our Mexican margays and n't and, all things considered, she does ers. It has been our experience that these ocelots are smaller than the South Ameri- remarkably well in control- can varieties. From what I ling herself. We have been have seen of the South trying to buy a male margay American ocelots in Califor- so that Kelda might enjoy nia, ours are definitely the company of a creature smaller. Our margays are no who won't hold the biting larger than a small Siamese. against her. We take orders for ani- Kelda is extremely devot- mals, requiring a small ed and is always at our heels. deposit on order, and ship During the day, we tell her to them either from California go up to the woods like a or Arizona, to various parts good jungle bunny. In the of the U.S. We make the evening, we have only to three-day trip to the States walk into the trees and call by car from here, making her name and there she is. A sure they are in good condi- good romp with the Persians tion before shipping. Wher- and she is ready for her cage. ever possible, we ship direct She would prefer the bed, so that the animal is not left

18 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 overnight waiting for connec- became worse four days later -- tions. All our animals are de- he wouldn't eat, had a fever, and fleaed, de-wormed, and given no bowel movements. I took shots before they leave us. him back to the vet. He was X- We like to keep them two or rayed. This revealed something three weeks after their arrival in his small intestine. The vet- here to make certain they are erinarian said he was just healthy. stopped up and to take him There seem to be many home. If he wasn't improved by misconceptions concerning evening, he would open him up. exotic cats running riot in the After we had been home about United States. The rumor that an hour, the ocelot began vomit- they HAVE to have chicken ing and choking. I ran into the and rats in their diet (other- den and could see he was chok- wise they won't breed, will ing to death. I ran my hand into die, etc.) is sheer nonsense. his mouth and felt something. I My cats have never tasted started pulling and to my horror, chicken and when given rats, out came a rope -- the foulest which are certainly abundant thing you ever saw. I took here, they have done nothing Pokey and the rope back to the more than to bat them around hospital and he was given and have left them. They are antibiotics to keep down infec- as keenly interested in birds tion as I had torn him a little. as any domestic cat. In an We measured this rope. It was effort for a margay or ocelot 32 inches with a knot in it, all in to catch a chicken here, they one piece. Dr. Pfost said he have not only to come a long would not have believed this way from the jungle, but have had he not seen it. to come dangerously close to Well, Pokey is fine now, but, man. Chickens are a prime In the 1960s, margays such as this one were often believe me, there is nothing food in Mexico, and are raised imported from Mexico, to be raised as pets in America. loose lying around this home! by people in their back yards. Photo by Gerard Lacz. I will be happy to answer any queries Newsletter readers might have was down to 15 pounds and he was a concerning animals of the exotic variety. blue-nosed cat. Ocelots are tropical. He “LOVER CAME BACK” was pretty cold. “I never expected him to survive so Since ocelots missing from home are so long in this climate,” Miller rarely later found, this rewarding little said. His neighbor shared story which appeared in a Portland, Ore- his enthusiasm about gon, newspaper is reprinted here. The Lover's return despite the clipping on hand is not dated, nor is the loss of chickens. “That cat name of the newspaper available. The means more to you than a item is captioned, “Ocelot Turns up in few lousy chickens, so for- Henhouse.” get about them,” Miller Clyde Miller learned Monday that his said his neighbor told him. long missing “Lover” had returned when a neighbor called and reported, “Your ocelot ''POKEY SWALLOWS is in our chicken house.” Lover’s discov- MORE THAN HE CAN ery, already bad news for several chick- CHEW” ens, was good news to Miller, who has Margaret Carol Trevillian been franticly scouting the countryside Charleston, WV around his home, at 9400 SE 151st Avenue, since Easter for his pet cat. Five weeks ago, Pokey When Lover wandered off four weeks my ocelot, now nearly a Ocelots, like most exotic felines, must be careful- ago, he weighed a sleek 35 pounds and his year old, became sick. I ly watched if living in a home, as they have a ten- nose was as pink as a new ink eraser. But took him to the veterinarian dency to eat inappropriate items, which can Miller said when found in the chicken who couldn't find anything cause blockages in the intestines that may house near a pile of feathers the ocelot wrong with him. Pokey require surgery.

19 Jamie Lucas is a young, multi-award winning photographer based in London, England. He has worked on a variety of pro- jects with landscape, lifestyle, and event photography, but also with wildlife photography both in the wild and in captivity. He's been involved in projects in the UK, as well as abroad in Kenya, South Africa, and Canada. He's experienced with macro photography, telephoto photography, and wide angle photography, and has photographed insects, reptiles, birds, and various mammal species. He's been commended for his work in such awards as the Marwell Photography Awards, and has been awarded as the photography competition winner for the Wildlife Heritage Foundation many times. The FCF is honored to reproduce this sampling of his feline photography from various zoological parks in the United King- dom. currently hold are not present in any the smallest species of cat in the wor are found in five collections across th Jamie Lucas both on and off-exhibit, many of wh glass enclosures indoors, as well as Photography rently has fishing cats, clouded leopa

Scottish Wildcat - Port Lympne Wild Ani- mal Park, Kent, England Scottish wildcats were once present Carpathian Lynx - Port Lympne Wild Ani- across Britain, but now are listed as a crit- Margay - Port Lympne Wild mal Park, Kent, England ically endangered species, their numbers land Port Lympne has one of the largest cat of wild individuals having dropped dra- At the bottom of Port Ly collections in the UK, currently holding matically. In the UK, we currently have 21 Territory” zone, they have 14 different species of both large and captive facilities that currently hold this and off exhibit to the public. small cats. This photo was taken in one cat species. Port Lympne is home to eight difficult to spot, mainly beca of their larger small cat enclosures, individuals, most of which are kept off- species, but also because th which holds two lynx, a male and a exhibit from the public, mainly for breed- bushed with lots of hiding o female, called Klementyna and Luca, who ing purposes. This individual, in the full- Port Lympne has, however, bred this year and now have kittens that body photograph, shares a large and showing the indoor facilities are on exhibit, but still very shy. The densely bushed enclosure with plenty of can see them live in there if enclosure is very large, with plenty of tall climbing opportunities with two other took this photo very early in climbing opportunities for the lynx, and wildcats. The close-up shot was taken at the individual went back insi scattered logs and fairly dense vegetation one of their off-exhibit enclosures, which and I also then managed to for them to hide in, which also provides a one of the keepers was very kind in taking just before closing time. lovely backdrop for photography. me to. Rusty Spotted Cat - Gordon’s Wildcat - Rare Species Conser- Cat Survival Trust, vation Centre, Kent, Herts, England England The Cat Survival The Rare Species Trust is home to two Conservation Centre Gordon’s wildcats. is a conservation I’d never seen them breeding center open before on previous to the public between visits; they usually March and October. hide themselves in They aim to educate their indoor enclo- people about lesser- sure and rarely ven- known rare and ture out. With endangered species, warmer weather, I and breed these managed to get the species. Some of the right shot whilst they species which they had a sunbath! They other collections in Europe. This photograph is of are currently the only rld, the rusty spotted cat. Currently, in the UK, they two in the UK, he country. The RSCC holds many pairs of this cat, although in the rest of Europe there are a number of institutions hich regularly breed. These cats are displayed in that exhibit them. s outdoor mesh exhibits. The collection also cur- ards, and jaguarundis.

European Wildcat - Cat Survival Trust, Herts, England The Cat Survival Trust holds a small col- lection of cats that have come from a variety of backgrounds. They currently house 11 Animal Park, Kent, Eng- species of cat and have had a great year of d Indo-Chinese Golden Cat - Cat Survival breeding success, with new serval kittens, ympne, in the “Carnivore Trust, Herts, England as well as three puma cubs. They have many margays, both on In the UK, we currently have five differ- been featured on a seven-part documentary Margays are particularly ent institutions that hold Asian golden series called “Snow Leopards of Leafy Lon- ause they are a nocturnal cats; the Chinese, Southeast Asian, Indo- don,” which was released last year on Ani- e enclosures are densely Chinese, and Tibetan subspecies live mal Planet. The Cat Survival Trust is a char- pportunities for the cats. here. This specific golden cat is a sur- ity, but houses different species of wild cat placed a live TV stream plus male who, like the European wildcat, for education as well conservation purpos- s for the margays, so you came over from the Parc des Félins. On es. They are not open to the general public; they are not outdoors. I previous visits, he was very hard to see, you can only visit as a member, but they the morning, just before but now with time he has gotten much also run various photography workshops as de for the rest of the day, more used to his environment and is well. This image is of their male European o see another individual gradually becoming less shy about hav- wildcat, which arrived earlier in the year ing his photo taken. from France’s Parc des Félins. Oncilla - Hamerton Zoo Park, Hamerton, United Kingdom The park hosts a collection of small cat species, including oncillas, jaguarundis, Canadian lynxes, and servals. This photograph is of one of their two oncillas, also known as little tiger cat or little spotted cat. These are the only two individuals kept in captivity in the UK, and just a handful of other collections in Europe current- ly have them. This individual was particularly difficult to photograph; it spent most of its day inside and when it Pallas’s Cat - Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Kent, Eng- appeared, it shot straight back inside. Finally, after much land persistence, I managed to get the right shot. The enclo- The Wildlife Heritage Foundation is a big cat sanc- sure was fairly small, but had climbing opportunities and tuary in Kent, closed to the public with exceptions of plenty of vegetation for the cat to hide in. occasional open days, as well as photography and keeper workshops. They keep everything from tigers to rusty spotted cats, and last year they had great breeding successes with both Amur leopards and Amur tigers. This is a photo is of a Pallas's cat, a fair- ly common small cat species in Europe, that I took at WHF on one of their photography days. In July 2014, they bred these Pallas’s cats and had two kittens from the same mother who bred there previously in 2010. Both of WHF’s Pallas’s cat enclosures have lots of climbing opportunities, with fairly dense bushes although they tend to be relatively easy to see.

Jaguarundi - Rare Species Conservation Centre, Kent, England The RSCC is home to a number of jaguarundis. The main exhibit in the indoor section of the center features climbing opportunities on large rocks, as well as a tree erected in the middle of the enclosure where the cats often spend time sleep- ing. They were relatively easy to get photos of through the glass when they were active, and they also positioned them- selves well when they were climbing around up on the rocks. There is also a separate pair opposite the adult clouded leop- ards; these particular jaguarundis are incredibly feisty and skittish, and therefore much harder to photograph! Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Wild Cats on Postage Stamps By Marci Jarvis and Jim Sanderson, Ph.D. stamps depicting domestic cat breeds than since its description in the late 1800s, no wild cats. Moreover, and not unexpected- new cats have been discovered. The world’s postage stamps feature ly, big cats have been featured on far more This lack of awareness also holds true many subjects. Wildlife of all kinds is postage stamps than small cats. for the scientific literature. There are far often depicted. North American wildfowl Lions have been featured on more than more publications on the big cats than on featured on U.S. stamps are particularly 900 postage stamps, followed by tigers on the small cats. The analysis of wild cats colorful, very accurately depicted, and are more than 700, leopards more than 600, depicted on postage stamps tell us what popular collectibles. Many countries have jaguars 220, and cheetahs more than 200. we already know: the big cats are widely issued postage stamps featuring native Only ocelots and Eurasian lynx separate recognized and the small cats suffer from wildlife. There is no rule, however, that pumas and snow leopards in the top nine. a lack of awareness. What else is new, says local wildlife is all that can be illus- The critically endangered Iberian lynx is right? trated. For instance, Madagascar issued a 21 on the list. Rather than go through the snow leopard postage stamp. Pumas have entire list of cat postage stamps, let’s appeared on postage stamps issued by sev- focus on those six wild cats that are IUCN eral African nations. Red List Endangered: Andean cat, Many people collect postage stamps of bay cat, fishing cat, flat-headed one kind or another. For the last two cat, snow leopard, and tiger. decades, we have been collecting postage The two big cats, tiger and snow stamps featuring wild cats. We get them leopard, are depicted on more than from colleagues and friends all over the 700 and 131 stamps, respectively. world. Whenever one of us is out of the Far down on the list is the fishing country, we visit the local post office to cat, depicted on 14 stamps, flat- inspect their offerings. It is almost impos- headed cat on eight stamps, sible to collect all the wild cat postage Andean cat on six stamps, stamps, but our collections are substantial. and the bay cat that stands One of us (MJ) is the editor of Cat Mews, alone as the only wild cat a biannual newsletter devoted to cats, that has never appeared on including domestic cats, on postage a postage stamp. The bay stamps. Not sur- cat holds a second dubious prisingly, there are distinction: it was the last far more postage cat to be described and,

This is just a sample of postage stamps from around the world featuring wild cats of many dif- ferent species. 23 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 FCF Convention 2015 is Awaiting You in Wichita, Kansas! When: Thursday, June 25, through Saturday, June 27, 2015

~~On Wednesday, June 24, 2015, both the Wild Feline Husbandry and Wildlife Educator’s Courses will be taught.~~

Where: Wichita Airport La Quinta Inn and Suites, 5500 West Kellogg Drive, Wichita, Kansas 67209

About La Quinta: La Quinta Inn and Suites provides free airport shuttle and transportation to local destinations within three miles. There’s plenty of parking, high speed internet, the Flyers restaurant, a After a day of networking or field trips, take a dip fitness center, indoor pool and Jacuzzi spa. We’ll dine on the in the indoor pool or take a relaxing soak in the hot tub.

complimentary hot buffet breakfast each morning to get us started. The FCF room rate is $95, good three days before and after Convention. Reserve your room now, as space is limited and our block is only guaranteed until June 10th. Call 800-255-6484 and mention FCF to reserve your rooms at our group rate.

Kittens on Exhibit: Arrangements have been made with our hotel and La Quinta Inn and Suites is conveniently located near the city of Wichita the Wichita airport and interstate. for exotic kittens to join us at Con- vention. Members planning to bring kittens will need to get with Lynn Culver for proper Wichita city permits.

Speakers: We’ll be covering speakers in our next announcement, but you can count on updates from Dr. Jim Sanderson, as well as other authorities on husbandry and conservation of our beloved felids.

Field Trips: We’ll be visiting Tan- ganyika Wildlife Park, voted by Wichita Family Magazine as the #1 “Best Place for Family” in Wichita. The Park is home to over 300 ani- Last year’s Convention featured mals, including birds, serval, bobcat, Geoffroy’s cats, and mammals, reptiles, this Eurasian lynx kitten on display amphibians, and animals during the Thursday ice breaker. you can directly interact Photo by Fred Hood. Tanganyika has the largest breeding collection of with. From black-footed clouded leopards in the world and has been a penguins to red panda and black rhinoceros, the park boasts some leader in breeding this species for several years. of the most rare, endangered, and interactive animals in Kansas.

24 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015

Tanganyika has the largest population of snow leopards in captivity and has produced a number of cubs since they were added to the collection in 1989. Tanganyika’s cheetahs are part of a joint conservation And there are plenty of feline species to satisfy the FCF, project undertaken by the Savannah Cheetah Foundation including snow leopards, clouded leopards, white tigers, and the Species Survival Fund. Many of the cubs born at Eurasian lynx, caracal, cheetah, serval, jaguars, and the park will be released into a large preserve in South Amur leopards. Africa. Home to 3,000 animals of 400 species, the Sedgwick County Zoo is a major attraction in Wichita, and we will be visiting it as well. Lions, Amur leopards, Amur tigers, cougar, and jaguar can be seen on exhibit. Other noteworthy mammals include red panda, African painted dogs, red river hogs, Sumatran orangutan, and African elephants. Sedgwick offers feeding and training demonstrations, and we will be learning from their keepers as well.

While you’re in town, don’t forget to visit some of the interesting sites and attractions in downtown Wichita, such as Exploration Place and the All-American Indian Center.

96% of travelers ranked Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, the #1 attraction. The zoo features exhibits that are the modern "habitat" style enclosures for its wildlife, such as these lions pictured.

The Keeper of the Plains, a 44-foot tall sculpture where the Big and Little Arkansas Rivers join together, is a Wichita icon that looks over the water cascading onto boulders into the river. This land is sacred ground to the Native American people and home to the All-Ameri- Exploration Place is Sedgwick County’s science and can Indian Center. discovery center.

25 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Bobcat Trail Camera Project By Debi Willoughby their favorite pictures is of a mother moose Almost three years ago, I with a baby moose wrote an article about using walking behind her. trail cameras, also known as While speaking about camera traps. I want to give favorites, one of my you an update on how our trail favorite experiences camera project has progressed. so far is of walking It has gone in a direction not through the woods even thought of when I first collecting my cam- began. eras and looking up to It all started out as me being find a baby porcupine jealous of people in tropical sitting on a tree places doing wild cat field branch about ten feet research using trail cameras. above my head. It Then I asked myself, “Why be was adorable and I jealous? Why not set up trail made sure not to star- cameras in my own area to get tle it or disrupt its images of our native wildlife, daily activities. I with the hopes of getting stayed quiet and low images of bobcats?” Well, it to the ground, has been almost three years watched it for a few and now I can say, “Been An apple orchard bordered by woods provides year-round food minutes, and then there, done that, loved it, and (apples) for bobcat prey to eat. moved on. still doing it!” The first location My last article was written after only do’s and don’ts of the trade. This project chosen to put my cameras was my friend’s having cameras in the woods for one or has turned into so many things since then, apple orchard, which is surrounded by two months. I had beginner’s luck with all of which I am glad to have experi- woods. Periodically, his crew goes that area, getting pictures of a wide vari- enced. through the orchard picking apples and ety of wildlife, including images and Over the past three years, I have accu- trimming trees, but other than that, it is video of bobcats. The article gave tidbits mulated thousands of images of our local pretty much left for the wildlife to enjoy. on how to set up a trail camera and the wildlife and have met many people who It is a great location because there is year- do the same thing round food (apples) for bobcat prey to eat. with their cam- It also has easy walking trails in the form eras. Here are a of tractor paths. Because of the good luck few things that with getting bobcat images in that area, I have come out of have left a few cameras there over the this project. years to keep up-to-date on what the resi- I incorporated dent bobcats are doing. In the first year, I the images into got video of a mother and her two cubs my educational bouncing through the tall grass. Later that conservation year, I heard on the news that a male bob- shows to the pub- cat in that area had been put down due to lic. People, espe- rabies. I assume it was the father of the cially kids, really cubs in the video, but I cannot be sure. I enjoy seeing pic- wondered if there would be any more cubs tures of animals in future years and what would become of that live in their the family of bobcats secretly being own woods. I watched. During the second year, I have also turned it learned about these bobcats’ activities and into a sort of lifestyle through various pictures. I felt game, where the like I knew these bobcats and began to kids have to iden- grow fond of them. By the end of the sec- tify the species in ond year, I was greeted with both good the picture and and bad news. I obtained video of a bob- figure out what it cat with a badly broken leg. It was video One of the images captured by Debi’s camera traps was eats and how it shot at night and it was hard to identify this bobcat stalking turkey. survives. One of

26 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 which bobcat it was. I felt complete the task. I helpless; the video had have reached out to dif- been taken two weeks ferent groups (colleges, before I got there to down- gun clubs, Audubon load it, so I had no idea if locations, etc.) to that bobcat was still alive. recruit people and hope And if it was, too much to write an article about time had passed for me to this after the project know where it was located has produced more in hopes of capturing it for results. You can learn rehabilitation. I was more about this project unpleasantly reminded that on my website, I was getting a glimpse www.BobcatProject- into their secret world and MA.com. I should not do anything to The last thing that disrupt it. It was a sad day has changed with my for me, but I kept on with bobcat project is meet- the project and was happi- ing the many people ly surprised to see that the who claim to have next two weeks of images sighted cougars in our were chock-full of bob- state. Massachusetts cats! There was an image Department of Wildlife of a bobcat stalking turkey, Debi’s camera trapping efforts have been expanded into a Citizens’ does not currently rec- a yearling spraying its ter- Bobcat Field Research Project. ognize cougars as hav- ritory, and numerous other ing an established bobcat images. They all looked very I live in the small state of Massachu- breeding population in our state. The last active and healthy, which always makes setts, but have realized it is too big of a cougars seen here were in the late 1800s. me happy. state for me to tackle on my own with just Cougars are making a comeback and there Due to the excitement of catching a few trail cameras. So my project has are a few living among us, but most peo- glimpses into wild cat lives, I recruited a been expanded into a Citizens Bobcat ple have not been able to prove their exis- group of people to go to Belize last fall to Field Research Project. Currently, volun- tence because they do not have any learn about the wild cat conservation teers who live in Massachusetts are being images. I am currently researching any going on over there and to be directly recruited to work with me. A grid of the claimed sighting that comes my way to involved with their trail camera project. It state helps me plot in which areas volun- prove or disprove its validity. By keeping was a trip of a lifetime that has encour- teers can set up their own trail cameras. track of all of this data, at some point our aged me to continue with Belize conserva- The cameras will be set up for three-week state will have to accept their re-estab- tion efforts. There are five cats native to periods and the data collected will be for- lished presence here. Belize; the puma, jaguar, ocelot, margay, warded to me for logging and analysis. What started out as a simple, fun hobby and jaguarundi. The facility we stayed at This will be a two-year project and volun- has turned into more than expected. I am has obtained many images of all five teers will be given the tools necessary to keeping track of everything we are finding species on their trail cam- so it can be used in future eras. I look back on that research within our state. trip and remember the And I am sharing this whole reason I started information with our local with trail cameras was public to teach them about because I was jealous of their native wildlife and those who go to tropical how to co-exist with them. places to do this type of Using trail cameras is an research. Now, I realize affordable, fun, and one of those people is me! rewarding hobby that we I do year-round trail cam- can turn into useful era research in my own research information. state and periodically go Why not try it? You will to Belize to do the same. be excited about what you Three years ago I never see and enjoy getting a would have guessed that glimpse into the secret my bobcat trail camera lives of your local project would have taken wildlife! me to this point. Amaz- Debi shares images with the public in her presentations on how ing! to coexist with native wildlife.

27 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Happy to be in Cougar Country By Peggy Jane Knight (writing for rather than stalk you, I pre- Mandy) fer basking in the sun while I groom my coat with gen- Hello, my name is Mandala (nick- tle strokes of my tongue, name "Mandy"). I am a 15 year old keeping myself clean and cougar (mountain lion or puma) and I quite beautiful, even if I live at the foot of the Blue Ridge say so myself. This devot- Mountains, Wilkes County, North ed hunter went home with a Carolina. This is just a few miles look of joy on his face from the famous North Carolina because he had the pleasure Stone Mountain State Park and the of seeing a cougar up close, Stone Mountain Golf Course. I hap- which is something few pily made this neck of the woods my people experience. home when I came to live with the Now, there are stories Steven Sidden family as an adorable floating around that I and kitten, at the age of about one year. my kind are a force to be You may think I am not comfort- afraid of these days. The able living in a compound, that I truth is, out in the wild my would rather roam the countryside, cousins are quite reclusive but I am truly a happy feline. The and usually avoid being Sidden family provides me with a Mandala has spent her whole life in an idyllic Cougar around people. Yes, I safe place of comfort to live. I have Country habitat. know you heard about the a spacious, two-acre enclosure of jogger that got attacked by natural habitat to wander around in with- ability to blend in with the surroundings a cougar. Did you ever stop to ask if the out being afraid of predators that would and to become the allusive hunter of the jogger was running in the wrong place? try to attack me, end my life, and decrease forest gave me the advantage at this time. Would you like someone invading your the number of my species. You might My handler kept calling my name over land and taking over? Perhaps the jogger think my predators would be of the four- and over to see if I would respond. That's unknowingly came too close to the legged kind, such as dogs or bears. But right; I could be close enough to reach cougar’s young? Fatal attacks are rare, my greatest predator is man. Hunters and out, touch you, and you would never but more and more people are encroach- farmers would be my greatest enemy in know that I was there. Finally, the hunter ing in on our turf and sometimes my my natural 20 to 25 mile hunting range, caught a glimpse of me as I started to cousins just have to stand their ground which I could cover in one night of forag- swish my tail as he looked through the and protect what belongs to them, their ing. Within this range, there are many chain link fence, and you should have natural territory or hunting range. Fortu- farmers that raise cattle and some who seen the surprised look on his face. Yes, nately, I do not have to worry about these raise sheep. If I would be discovered mister hunter, you were right in my grasp kinds of intrusions, because the Sidden stalking these calves or lambs, it could and I only let you see me because I want- family provides me with a well-protected shorten my natural life span, which is ed you to know of my presence. But, habitat that is enclosed by a 16 foot high about 12 years. The Sidden family’s provisions have kept me safe from harm’s way so that I have already out- lived my wild cousins’ expected lifes- pans by three years. I would like to describe myself to you as being a sleek and graceful creature of about seven feet in length, with a long curving tail. I am about 24 inches tall and weigh about 100 pounds. I have a beautiful, fawn colored coat, which makes me hard to detect in the wild. By the way, my handler, Steven, brought an avid hunter to the compound the other day to see me. I could see this experi- enced hunter, but he could not see me. I was lying motionless in the brown, dried grass, watching the two men who were looking and searching for me. My Mandala hangs out by the corner of her compound, waiting for the Siddens to sit on the bench under the shade of the white oak tree and visit with her.

28 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 chain link fence that keeps of how I was crying with me safe. Even though on such a blood curdling sound occasions a wild male for days on end, and this was cougar shows up outside upsetting to the Sidden fami- my enclosure during mat- ly. They missed Natchez, ing season, I am safe, even also. Peggy told me anytime from him. that I started missing my My compound is luxurious. playmate, all I had to do was Now, you are probably call to him and his spirit wandering what makes my would appear to me. I found compound so special. I comfort in what this lady have an abundance of trees was telling as she sat outside that shade me from the hot my compound along the summer sun. There is a fence on the ground. I manmade cave to protect stretched out in the grass me from the freezing tem- along inside the fence and peratures in the winter. I listened to all she had to say also have a small manmade Mandala and Sable greet each other at the fence before they that day. I saw she was sin- water feature to cool my begin a game of chase. cere in her belief and this parched mouth whenever I eased my pain and I stopped need it. I have an area that is cleared of fine dining is served. grieving. obstructions which gives me a very good Now, I must not to forget to tell about Today, I have new playmates, two Great view of the Sidden family's house and my playmates. When I came to Cougar Dane dogs, who came into my life about a yard, which makes me feel like one of the Country, there was a 14 year old male year ago. The female is named Sable, an family. I can sit under the canopy of a cougar already here by the name of 80-pound, fawn colored, energetic Dane, huge white oak tree just outside of my Natchez. We were best of buddies for and a male named Harley, a 103-pound, compound. From here I can observe the about three or four years when Natchez's black Dane with a white chest, who looks Siddens play and work in the yard. Under passed over to the other side (died). I regal as if he was wearing a formal tuxe- this white oak tree is a red wooden bench grieved and grieved for my friend. I do. They love to run and I love to chase. and some green yard chairs where the missed him so much, until a lady, Peggy They run along outside the compound family comes to sit and take a break from Knight, whom is now becoming an assis- fence and I run along on the inside. We their activities. This is their way of tant handler, came to the compound to talk run and run and run some more. We are spending quality time with me. to me. She had heard of the distress I was safe from harm or mishap, but most of all My compound is attached to a security in over losing my playmate. She sat out- we have such a good time. run, which has a covered shelter for pro- side of the compound and talked to me. I Life is kept interesting for me because tection from the elements. The security remember the conversation just as though the Sidden family brings visitors to see me run is adjacent to a storage building where it took place yesterday. She told me that throughout the year. Church groups, my food is stored and when I get hungry, I she understood how I was feeling about scouts, and families who are cat lovers just come to the side of the compound and losing my companion. She had been told come on a regular basis. The other week, a family, friends who are moving out of town, came by to see me before they left. They could not help but admire my beau- ty, but most of all they loved watching me play ball with Steven, my handler. I'll let you in on a secret; I enjoyed putting on a show for them. Chasing the ball is a lot of fun, but it is more fun to watch the expres- sions on people’s faces as they watch me play. As you can see from my story and the pictures that are included, the Sidden fam- ily takes good care of me. I am safe and well fed. I have playmates to occupy my time. I have visitors that stop by to see me. I am truly a very happy feline living here with the Siddens at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wilkes County, North Carolina. Great Danes Sable and Harley have become Mandy’s best friends since they came to live at Cougar Country about a year ago.

29 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015

30 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Wild Species Registry Update: Phase 2 of the Initial Release By Wild Species Registry Development As with the previous update, this one database). The site is currently in a Spar- Team will highlight the work completed and tan, no frills design as the components are ongoing in the various high-level compo- being tested, but upcoming fairly immedi- The Wild Species Registry team has nents of the project; ARTHUR (the man- ately will be the production design work been busily coding, testing, integrating, agement tool used by WSR operators and (the “look and feel” of the site), as well as documenting, and doing the wealth of species coordinators for maintaining reg- the generation of the content which will work it takes to launch a project of this istry information); ROLAND (the report- fill each of the pages (“content” here scope, and we are very pleased to report ing system for WSR operators and species meaning the informational text that will that the project continues to move forward coordinators); SAVIK (the underlying be provided by the customers who come as expected with the first phase of the ini- framework of the system); and WILLOW to the site). tial release having been completed. The (the public-facing website for the WSR). And last, but not least - lawyers. The second phase is now well underway. ARTHUR: The coding of the ARTHUR WSR team is also in talks with lawyers to The WSR team would once again like tool has been completed and craft the legal documents to ensure that to extend their thanks and gratitude for the testing/refinement is underway. As this is each and every individual and organiza- support, financial and otherwise, which the management tool for entering and tion that chooses to do business with the continues to make the work on this managing the data in the registry, exten- Wild Species Registry is guaranteed com- endeavor possible. sive testing is critical to ensure the relia- plete transparency as to the processing bility of the tool, as well as the process of and sharing of data within the registry, as creating the data entered into the system. well as making explicit the customers’ The Registry is pleased to announce The integrity of the data is, of course, of control over their data, both personal and its collaborating partnership with the paramount concern to all involved, and a as related to the animals they own. American Captive Exotic Feline large focus of the upcom- Repository (www.acefr.org). This ing work will be on ensur- group is comprised of individuals ing a robust, reliable sys- working across multiple labs, including tem. Dr. Brian Davis at NIH, and Dr. Jan ROLAND: The report- Janecka of Duquesne University. ing framework has been Their goals include continuing to designed, implemented, study felid genetics, and also storing and initial testing per- genetic samples from any other species formed. The WSR team is submitted for future study. Many of pleased with the solution you may have met Dr. Janecka at a past and will be working on FCF conference. Several FCF mem- writing the production bers have provided critical research reports in ROLAND dur- materials in the form of your cats’ ing phase three of the pro- DNA samples to both of these labs and ject. another laboratory, Texas A&M, from SAVIK: The WSR team which both of these researchers origi- has been pleased with the nate. performance of the SAVIK The Repository has been hampered underpinnings of the sys- from moving forward more quickly tem. As work has pro- while seeking a way to contact animal gressed, small tweaks and owners who will donate samples, and changes to the data-model, to securely store data on the animals’ web services, and security ownership, location, and breeding his- model have been needed, tory in a location separate from the and SAVIK has proven to actual samples. The Wild Species be very easy to change and Registry can track this data securely adapt to any alterations in and maintain it in perpetuity, with the requirements or technolo- stored DNA sample permanently gy presented to it. linked to the Registry’s unique identifi- WILLOW: The frame- er. In addition, our partnering organi- work of the WILLOW zations can help solicit participation in website has been created, scientific studies. and has been integrated We are delighted to be able to pro- with the SAVIK system Geoffroy’s cat Renato will be entered into the Wild vide this service for scientific (through which it Species Registry so that the small population of researchers whose work will benefit all sends/retrieves informa- this species can be more carefully managed for wild cat species. tion from the registry’s genetic diversity. Photo by Taylor Hattori.

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©2014 PMI Nutrition International. All Rights Reserved. Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Caspian Tigers and a Man Called Mo By Irving Kornheiser pm. There were only 25-35 students liv- cool at that time back in 1969. ing in the dorm at the time and most of During my almost daily visits to “Ital- In June of 1969, I graduated Valley them where out-of-state students like me. ian Village,” I befriended the people who Stream Central High School and enrolled A lot of us frequented the local pizza owned and worked at the restaurant as a freshman at Vincennes University, parlor in the evenings after dinner enough to get a tab and student discount Vincennes, Indiana. In order to enroll, I (brunch) in the dorm's food services. set up, because I had very little money; was required to attend a freshman orienta- Mostly we went to the Italian Village my parents limited me to an allowance of tion program which started during the Pizza Parlor, which was very close to the $25 per week. Okay, okay, on with it. summer and consisted of two three-week campus and around the corner from the The owners of the Italian Village were not terms during July and August 1969, with a dormitory, and, heck, they had a color TV, Italian, but of Turkish ethnic decent. three-week break between terms. The which you might remember to be very Their pizza, however, was great and it was classes were remedial in nature for Eng- lish and math low scorers, plus the orien- The Caspian Tiger tation component of being away from home. The Caspian tiger, (Panthera tigris virgata) also known as the Persian tiger, Vincennes University was a beautiful Turanian tiger, Mazandaran tiger, or Hyrcanian tiger, was found in Iran, Azerbaijan, place to be! Situated adjacent to the Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turk- Wabash River (As the sign said: NO menistan, and Uzbekistan. The Caspian tiger flourished in Central Asian riverine FISHING ALLOWED --- NO FISH) , the forest systems in a range separate from that of other tigers, and was driven to extinc- main campus is divided by railroad tracks, tion by 1970. For over a century, naturalists puzzled over the taxonomic validity, which allows daily freight traffic to block placement, and biogeographic origin of this enigmatic animal. off some of the buildings on campus when Using DNA analysis from twenty wild Caspian tigers from throughout their his- long freight trains hit the tracks, thus toric range sampled from museum collections, it was discovered that Caspian tigers dividing the campus. Located directly carry a major mtDNA haplotype differing by only a single nucleotide from the next to the railroad tracks and just off the monomorphic haplotype found across all contemporary Amur tigers (P. t. altaica). main campus was the world famous Vin- Phylogeographic analysis with extant tiger subspecies suggests that less than 10,000 cennes Stock Yards. years ago the Caspian/Amur tiger ancestor colonized Central Asia via the Gansu Oh, yes, stockyard means live animals Corridor (Silk Road) from eastern China, then subsequently traversed Siberia east- arrive by trains and trucks, and then leave ward to establish the Amur tiger in the Russian Far East. The Gansu Corridor is in pieces in refrigeration trucks. Living defined by mountainous and desert faunal habitats, providing ecological boundaries close to a Midwestern slaughter house just for a relatively narrow migration corridor. makes one develop a strong constitution Caspian tiger samples collected from 1877–1951, well before their extinction, would for the smell and especially the noise suggest that the genetic depletion occurred prior to the early 20th century anthro- when they start the giant band saws. The pogenic demographic collapse of this group. news of the day generally revolved around Russian records from the 19th and early 20th centuries indicate that tigers were the Vietnam War, which was raging over- sporadically present throughout the region between the core distribution of Caspian seas, and issues of unrest spreading and Amur tigers and were only hunted out in the modern era. Thus, the actions of throughout the country as a whole. Col- industrial-age humans may have been the critical factor in their final demise. lege students were rioting in the larger The Russian government had worked heavily to eradicate the Caspian tiger during Midwest college campuses, and the planning a huge land reclamation program in the beginning of the 20th century. Chicago Seven trial was the highlight of They considered there was no room for the tiger in their plans and so instructed the the evening news. And war protestors Russian army to exterminate all tigers found around the area of the Caspian Sea, a were on every street corner. Okay, you project that was carried out very efficiently. Once the extermination of the Caspian got me… men did land on the moon that tiger was almost complete, summer; at least I think they did. the farmers cleared forests As the story goes, during the interses- and planted crops like rice sion break in mid July 1969, the campus and cotton. Due to intensive closed down and the vast majority of the hunting and deforestation, the incoming freshmen students were able to Caspian tiger retreated first return to their homes. Most of the student from the lush lowlands to the body members lived in Indiana (97%) so forested ranges, then to the this was the norm for summer sessions at marshes around some of the Vincennes University. I was allowed to larger rivers, and, finally, stay on campus for the intersession in the deeper into the mountains, dormitory, but they limited the schedule until it almost certainly of the food services to two meals a day, became extinct. breakfast and brunch, which ended at 3:30

33 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 as good as any pizza that I ate in New our friendship, because my father’s nick- working at a table next to the TV, during York. The owner and his wife ran the name was “Moe,” as shortened from his the July Fourth weekend in 1969. The business with only a couple of employees; true name of Murray, and when Mo’s restaurant only had two or three customers a cook, a counter woman, and an old man daughter spoke to him in English, the inside, because most of the people were who boxed the orders. I came to learn that name she would refer to him as sounded off-campus for the weekend. This was this “old man” was the owner’s wife’s to me a lot like my own father’s name, very a common occurrence, because father, who recently left Turkey to come Murray. Additionally, Mo himself liked everybody left campus on weekends to go to the United States, to live with them in being called Mo. He said a few times to home or to work somewhere else. Mo rural Indiana. I also learned he was hav- different people I knew that he was very was a loner, like me; he would not speak ing a hard time adjusting to life in the proud to be “an American Mo,” always to anybody in the pizza parlor except his Midwest because he lived in Turkey in a followed by his big, hearty, loud laugh daughter. To customers, he would fake downtown section of a large city. that shook the building from floor to ceil- not to understand English, retreating to his I never knew own dialect. the true names of But he was able these individuals. to speak and I only knew the understand owner as “Pete,” English well, who made all of and sometimes the deliveries in he would call his cream col- out a cus- ored VW Beetle. tomer’s order His wife “Mary” directly to the was the counter cook in perfect woman. English. “Dorothy” was As was my the cook, and the routine, I old man I named would arrive at “Mo” because I the pizza parlor was not able to around 6:30- comprehend his 7:00 pm, to true ethnic name, watch the or even his true national news nationality or the and ordered my country in which Map showing historic and current range of the nine tiger species. Genetic analy- two slices and a he was born. sis suggests that South China tigers migrated west using Route C, the famed Silk diet coke and These four indi- Road route, and evolved into the Caspian tiger. sit down very viduals were of close to Mo and ethnic Turkish/Persian nationalities who ing. At the time I met these four individu- the TV, so I could watch the news. I immigrated to the United States back in als, I was just 17, and this was my first became friends with Mo in just a few days the 1950s, and settled in a downtown trip away from home and my parents. and he would, at this time, start to speak Chicago ethnic neighborhood with other Mo, in turn, was over 80 at this time to me about current events on the news individuals of their background. Histori- (remember this was July 1969) and he was and about New York City. He appeared to cal tribal unrest and Old World social divi- born in the late 1880s. I never understood be fascinated with the New York City sions, however, followed them to the U.S., these individuals’ ethnic background Subway and he had a lot of questions and they choose to move south to rural and/or religious upbringing. The only eth- about how far one could travel on the sub- Indiana to start a new life. nic identification that I understood him to way, and so on. Apparently, Mo and Dorothy (the cook) say was “Kazakh.” I simply liked the way One night, during the time that men were relatives (cousins), and Dorothy they made their pizza and other dishes in landed on the moon and the news cover- became his adopted daughter and caretak- the restaurant, and, frankly, there was no age was focused on space and science er at the time. Mo's wife, also Mary's other place to go without crossing the rail- issues, Mo was sitting at his station by the mother, appeared to have died while living road tracks and risk getting stuck on the TV, folding boxes for the night’s deliver- in Chicago, of some serious disease which other side of the tracks if a freight train ies, doing his routine job when on the net- Mo blamed on environmental factors of rode through the town. This was a major work news, a story segment came on living in a highly industrial city. He issue, because the dorm doors would be about the death of the last Caspian tiger, would only say, “It was the air that got her locked at 1 am, and if you were locked out and that the Caspian tiger species were sick, and the water killed her.” He indi- after curfew, you needed to have the cam- now considered to be extinct. Mo became cated that the chemical treatment of the pus police come over to let you in. Wow, irate and extremely emotionally distressed water caused his wife’s illness to progress remember the days when cities and towns by the news, and he ran out of the restau- and ended up killing her. had curfews? rant in a rage of Turkish language which I called him “Mo” in the early stages of I first observed Mo in the restaurant, only his daughter understood. Mary fol-

34 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 lowed him out of the restaurant, and I sat chants, other tribal communities, wealthy shipwrecks. When the caravan was at rest for hours waiting for her return to explain aristocratic English traders, or anyone else and camped in one location, the cargo nets to me what the problem was with Mo. willing to barter their services to move were pulled over and across the ropes in Mo went missing for three days, and animals from location to location as part between the individual wagons, making a nobody would speak about his issues with of commerce and trading agreements very large corral for the herd animals and the story on the news report about the between different par- death of the last Caspian tiger and the ties. extinction of this species. After three After more than a days had passed, I confronted Mary, Mo's decade, their skills in daughter, and told her that I needed to animal herding were know what was wrong with Mo. She well established and spoke of Mo’s childhood growing up in well known among the ethnic Turkey/Persia, and his childhood Caspian Sea region of and adolescent job as a “herder’ of the Turkey/Persia. They tribal community’s wildlife, which were used their mobility and cows, oxen, horses, camels, and other nomadic lifestyle as a herded animals of the time frame (circa functional unit, thus cre- 1900-1925). Mary related that Mo’s func- ating a “village on tion in the community was to protect the wheels,” much like we herd animals from attacks from the tigers had in the American living around the region of the Caspian West with Indian tribes Sea. She tried to stop telling the story moving around the with that statement, but I persisted and countryside while living convinced her that I needed to know more in mobile teepees. Mo’s “community” traveled by vardo, a horse-drawn of the story. I remember telling her at the Since protection and “living wagon,” equipped with cooking stoves, time that I was a "tiger groupie" and any movement of herd ani- seats, cabinets, and wardrobes. Some of Mo’s var- story about tigers was a great interest of mals were in fact their dos carried Caspian tigers. mine. Hell, I told her that I would not livelihood, the commu- leave the restaurant at closing time until nity of some 2,000 individuals moved a practical safety net appearing to be a she told me the full story of Mo and his around the region in covered wagon cara- fence surrounding the caravan. tigers. Mary finally gave in and told me vans, which they called “Vardo,” which Dorothy related that in Mo’s childhood to go and speak with Mo at his apartment, somewhat resembled covered wagons of years, the community had as many as 500 but Mary warned me that Mo was not our America West, with the exception that covered wagon units, and thousands of ready to talk, so I should speak to the wagons were constructed with eight imported British oxen and other cattle Dorothy. wheels connecting two separate sections. breeds which were cultivated to pull the It was a Sunday morning that I went to The front section was the family’s living wagons. The initial wood and wheels for the basement ground floor apartment in quarters, while the back section carried their covered wagons and, for that matter, Pete and Mary’s house behind the pizza the freight and/or animals being transport- the herd of oxen and cattle, were all sal- parlor building, and visited with Mo and ed. vaged from British trading ships that hit Dorothy. Mo would not speak; he sat on The front wagons were constructed in a the rocks back in the 1890s, along the the porch in a rocking chair smoking a high vertical plane. Sometimes a second Caspian Sea coast, just below where the pipe, in the backyard garden which was floor was built that had a pull-down ceil- community was camped, and remained full of traveling birds of all colors. He ing door that had stairs built into the door hung up on the rocky shoreline for many would call out the name of the bird as it for easy access to the second floor and the years. arrived, but he would not say a word to roof of the wagon. Water tanks were most After the British traders and their crews me, even if I asked a direct question. So commonly built into the second floor who survived the shipwrecks got settled Dorothy sat me down at the kitchen table areas and were constructed to catch rain- on the shore of the Caspian Sea, the mem- inside the apartment just off of the porch, water from vents on the roofs. bers of the community came down from which had a very large window that The roofs were basically flat and were the cliffs above to helped them fix one of allowed all sound from inside to be heard used for storage of the wagon owner’s the ships (three ships in all went down), on the porch. cargo nets and other outdoor equipment. so they could sail back across the Caspian Dorothy began the story thus. Mo and Some of the wagon roofs were used for Sea from where they had come. The com- she grew up in a “nomadic tribal commu- the growing of vegetables and other food munity members themselves being nity,” as she referred to it, of cultural Per- items. The front wagons for passengers traders, they negotiated with the British sian/Iranian refugees who were outcasts were also equipped with pot belly stoves sailors to take control of the animals while from different social and religious ideolo- for heating and cooking alike. the repairs to the ships were being done. gies of the region. They began to travel Many of the wagons in the caravans The job, however, was to be more than the Caspian Sea countryside herding ani- were connected to one and another, and, temporary in nature, because the lives and mals for profit. Their tribal community in fact, they were being towed by the welfare of the animals needed to be would contract their services to mer- heavy ropes salvaged from the British addressed. The community members con-

35 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 vinced the British that they were the best eight years after the British traders left. tured five Caspian tigers in a total of eight at doing this because of their long history At the turn of the century (1900), how- set traps. of herding animals in this region of the ever, the community members started Mo's father was assigned the capture of world. So, ownership of the animals and their mobile caravans with the help of a tigers detailed by the elders. The elders livestock was officially transferred from contract by the British Trading Company wanted the tigers to be killed at first, but the British Trading Company to the mem- to transport their cargo to businesses in Mo's father convinced them that tiger cubs bers of the community in return for their the region that were depending on these could be sold. So it was decided to trans- survival help and labor during the rebuild- deliveries. This was the start of ing of the ship. the community’s “Covered In addition, the British traders and crew Wagon Transport and Herding gave the community members salvage Company,” of which Mo’s rights to the two ships and taught them father was an elder leader. Dur- woodworking skills and the use of heavy- ing the years which followed, duty cargo lifts and roller equipment Mo and his family, extended which were also salvaged from the ships. family, and friends developed a The salvage rights to the two wrecked business lifestyle as cargo and ships included all the undeliverable goods animal transporters. They trav- that the community members could eled the region herding, moving, remove from the wrecked ships and much and transporting both animals of the following individual items: rare and hard goods from village to clothing materials, including silk, water- village in the covered wagon Caspian tigers disappeared by 1970 and very proof leather tarps, and wearable clothing; caravan. few photos exist. This zoo tiger is thought to food stocks for the humans and hay for Okay, I am getting to the be from Tierpark Hagenbeck in Hamburg, the animals aboard the ships; seeds for good part! Dorothy told me that Germany. planting vegetables, rice, grains, and other the caravans and the community's camp- port the tigers, either dead or alive, to vil- food items to be farmed; and woodcarving sites were often the targets of the local lages along the trail and routes that the tools and woodworking equipment, such Caspian tiger population which Dorothy community’s wagon caravan traveled, and as massive-sized cutting saws for use if indicated was more than a thousand at the sell them off as they found buyers on the needed during the voyages to repair the time (1900-1920). The community devel- way. ships should they be needed. The actual oped a self-protection plan from the Mo's father assigned the job of “care- salvaged materials themselves from the attacking tigers, in which they would cap- taker” for the captive tigers to Mo, who two remaining ships, however, yielded ture the tigers before or after they attacked was the oldest of six siblings, and Mo cre- resources beyond belief, with hundreds of the caravans by digging large holes and ated a tiger care and breeding program yards of canvas from the sails; miles of trapping pits baited with meat and sur- involving his siblings and cousins, which heavy-duty ropes and massive cargo nets; rounded by the large cargo nets they amounted to 28 teenage boys, and some round, wheel-like devices, turnstiles, and inherited from the British sailors. The ini- girls, who would become the overseers pulleys used throughout the ships as rig- tial plan was to sell off the captive tigers and keepers of captive tigers. ging, which would be turned into thou- and their cubs which would be born dur- To stick with the elders’ and his father’s sands of wagon wheels; wooden rails and ing the transport of the caravans. initial plan, however, was not in the cards. all kinds of reusable lumber; animal pens According to Dorothy, the community Mo refused the idea of killing the tigers which were movable and transportable; had more than enough equipment to catch and selling off the tiger cubs, so he and, of special interest, the lifeboats from tigers in great quantities using their mas- devised a plan to release individual pairs the ships that the sailors used to ferry the sive cargo nets and then care for the ani- of tigers, including mature cubs old survivors, cargo, and animals to the shore mals in their caravans by the use of meat enough to be away from their mothers, in just after the wrecks. These lifeboats that was the natural result of the deaths of small groups along the route with enough were described to be “huge” boats which animals in the herds which made up the food for their stay in the new territory within their own right were larger than caravan mobility. Simply put, animals when the caravan left. Mo quickly found normal-sized rowboats. The community were born on the trail, they died on the out that when you move tigers, both cap- salvaged more than 20 of these vessels, trail, there were accidents which killed the tive and free-ranging tigers alike, they which could hold as many as 100 men or animals, and the dead animals became could follow each other’s movements via 50 oxen each, and they quickly learned to resources to feed to the tigers. Remem- scent marking and smell. He also learned mount wheels onto them to make the ber, the members of the community were that tigers evolved into family-like units boats into land-rolling, moving vehicles, a vegetarians and would not eat the meat of on their own, so he and his crews allowed lot like the flatbed wagon-style, only with their animals. Additionally, many animals his cared-for tigers to join up in their own the boat's oval shape. did die during the community’s long trav- groupings after being released, often According to Dorothy’s tale, the com- els, including some of the captive tigers. comingling with wild tigers which fol- munity stayed on the beaches and shore- As Dorothy started to speak specifically lowed the caravan at a considerable dis- lines constructing their wagon homes, about the capture of the tigers, she tance. growing food stocks, and tending to their explained that the first night that they set Mo learned further to make up artificial herds of oxen and cattle for more than traps for tigers around the herd, they cap- scent and marking devices that could be

36 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 used in forests surrounding the trade countryside where they would be safe, and had been his fault and his shame had shak- routes that the caravans were following, to where human populations were scarce and en him up emotionally, even some 60 keep the tigers away from future attacks prey was plentiful. years later. He expressed that his deep on the herd animals. He developed a Dorothy stopped at this point, and we emotional, spiritual, and physical well- method of seeding the forest with dead agreed to continue on another day. Mo being had been challenged beyond belief. carcasses so the tigers would stay in terri- himself then came into the kitchen and His pain, both emotional and physical, tories away from human contact and find told me in no uncertain words that his life was too much for me to endure, so I adequate prey sources on their own. and his tigers were not to be looked upon changed the subject. Dorothy remembered that she once over- as a fable or tale. He agreed to speak to I then asked Mo about the circus pic- saw a situation when an ox pulling a me, one on one, the next day. Dorothy tures on the wall in the living room of the wagon tripped on a hole in the ground and would be cooking all day in the pizza par- house. He was crying deeply at the time. broke its leg. The members choose to lor and Mo would be home all afternoon However, after thinking about the question leave the injured animal right there on the in the house. I just asked him, he stopped crying, side of the road for the wild tigers seen So the next day I went to talk to him in smiled, and started his booming laugh. following the caravan. The result being his living room. Mo's living room was He stated, “That’s me. I worked in the that the wild tigers stopped following the decorated with all kinds of materials relat- circus in Russia as a big cat trainer.” I caravan, and, for weeks, wild tigers were ed to the tiger trade of the 1930-1940s, asked, “When?” He said, “For about four not seen or heard from. Thus, Mo and his and one wall of the room was reserved for years in the early 1930s.” When I asked crew were successfully able to relocate pictures of circus performances involving how that came about, he explained that some 23 Caspian tigers and cubs to the tigers in some Russian circus in the 1930s. after approximately 25 years on the road northernmost parts of their historical Mo, however, did not want to reminisce; in the caravans of the community, Mo was home range in the first year that this pro- he wanted to talk about his Caspian tigers given an opportunity to trade off all of his gram began with little or no problems. being moved from the Caspian Sea region collection of Caspian tigers to a Russian No tigers were killed; however, Mo did to the northeast and into the barren region traveling circus. lie to his father and the elders that the of the Russian Empire. He indicated first He did not want to stay in Russia with tigers were killed and that he and the crew that he did move the tigers for their safety, the circus, but the circus performers and skinned the tigers and sold their skins to and he and his crew did not make any keepers were not educated on tiger care the local traders that they came across on money or trade value from any tiger. He and welfare, so Mo was hired by the Russ- the road. And throughout the years to continued to relate that fur trappers were ian Circus Company to be in charge of the come, Mo continued to lie about the living and working throughout the Caspi- animals. He initially worked behind the killing and skinning of tigers, and he an Sea region and many types of wild ani- scenes, but then moved into the ring with chose not to tell the elders or his father mals were being trapped and killed for his tigers. As we both walked to the wall that he simply released the tigers back into their fur. Tigers were considered to be of circus photos, he pointed to the tiger the wild in different territories. menace animals to be killed on sight to trainer in the picture wearing a big turban The community's elders were happy protect the people and crops. They had, on his head, no shirt, balloon-like baggy with this progress, and Mo became a hero according to Mo, no financial value in this pants, and large pointy shoes, and I asked of his community. Mo and his crew con- region of the world, because there appar- him what the title of this picture said. He tinued to capture tigers for the next 20 ently was a large population back in the responded with a hearty laugh and said his years or so. Dorothy believed that they early 1900s. Mo became hesitant about own name in Russian and “The Kaza- had driven about 80 Caspian tiger adults speaking any more about the capture and khstan Tiger Cowboy.” and 27 cubs along the mountain trails and movement of the tigers, because he Mo's style of performance was basically the fabled Silk Road into the Russian ter- believed that the news story about the known to be as an Arabian cowboy having ritories and beyond. She believed only six extinction of the Caspian tiger subspecies the tigers perform tricks while he guided tigers died in transit, three them by using his rope and lasso, which adults and three cubs, in the 20 became his trademark as a big cat trainer. years of their involvement. As American-style cowboy music would be the years passed on the road, played by the circus band, and parts of fewer and fewer tigers came Mo's act included the tigers on hind legs upon the community’s cara- "dancing" to the music. In addition, there vans. Mo would say that the were pictures of his act with five Persian tigers took his lead and little leopards and other big cats, including by little the population of some Arabian lions. I find I am mad at Caspian tigers were relocating myself now, because when Mo offered to to the Russian territories, give me some of these circus pictures of which Mo felt to be a good him, I did not take them. sign in that he believed that he My friendship with Mo continued into taught the captured tigers and the September 1969 school session. But their wild counterparts to our talks about tigers had stopped. Mo, in move north and east to deep turn, wanted to talk with me about the forests of Russian/Siberian Artwork depiction of early mixed feline species New York subways and trains in particu- circus act. 37 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 lar, and traveling by rail. Later, he wanted and went to their house and found a to know about flying in airplanes and trav- note on the door for me. It was from eling to different parts of the world and Mo, and it was written on the back of different airports. He started to talk about the note I left for him. traveling for himself around the time of He wrote the following message: Thanksgiving. So I asked Mary, his daughter, what was up. Mary told me that Dear Tiger Groupie, the whole family was traveling back to their homeland in Europe because of a rel- I hope your vacation was happy ative's wedding and to take care of family and healthy!! We are going home to business issues. They were planning on visit relations and friends in Europe the trip during the holiday season of and we plan to travel by plane and December 1969, and the trip would be a train. I also want to go back along month long so they could visit many fami- my old trading routes, and maybe to Russian circus tiger act. ly members that they had not seen in more the circus. than 30 years, according to Mary. Kept your mind about my tigers. small piece of paper. The note was very It was during the time that the 1969 hol- old and the paper was about to fall apart, iday break/vacation session at the Vin- Best Wishes, and all it had were groups of numbers on cennes campus was taking place, so I Mo, The Kazakhstan Tiger Cowboy it. Dorothy told me that Mo would want headed home to Valley Stream, New York, me to have this note and the information for a three-week break. Before leaving Mo died on December 19, 1969, while that the numbers conveyed. She then told Vincennes, I stopped by the pizza parlor to traveling by chartered van along the Silk me that she found this note in Mo's hands wish them a happy holiday, say goodbye, Road in Central Europe. According to after she found his body. She continued to and that they should have a great trip Dorothy, he asked the van driver to stop explain that Mo had shown the note to the home to Europe. Mo was not available at and that he wanted to do some walking in van driver and told him to take them to the time, because he needed to upgrade his the area. Dorothy said she found him this location. medical records for international travel. later, dead at the grave of one of his own I still did not understand the signifi- So I left him a note. The next day I flew tigers. cance of the numbers, so I asked Mary back to New York, and joined my own And following his wishes, his family what the numbers meant. She briefly family. and friends buried him at this location smiled and looked to the heavens, then After the holidays, I returned to Vin- next to the grave of his beloved tigers. said they were the way that Mo kept his cennes University in Indiana, and my first When I finally caught up to the family personal records, in longitudes and lati- stop was the pizza parlor, but it was still at the pizza parlor a few weeks later, tudes. closed for the holidays. I grew restless Dorothy took me aside and handed me a Mary then told me Mo would want me to know where he was going. Addendum By Irving Kornheiser control and dominance of many different revolts, and massacres all led to total empires throughout history, including the social and ethnic chaos against the As I wrote my article, I wanted tell the Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Parthi- Armenian people by the Ottoman rulers. story of a man who was on a mission. Mo ans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Turks. History indicated that the Turco-Armenian was an individual who believed deeply in According to statements printed in Armen- “Violence and Terrorism” movements faith, goodwill, and the welfare for cap- ian Issues newsletter: were reaching the level of “genocide by tive animals that were removed from their Until the end of the 19th century, the the Turks against the Armenians,” which wild homes and surroundings by the will Armenians lived their golden age under was a true outcome of events. The of humankind and forced to live out their the Ottoman rule, also with the vast toler- Ottomans created the so-called “Law of lives behind bars, or as in this case, heavy ance of the Turkish people. Having been Relocation,” which ordered Armenians wooden logs. Mo and his “community” exempted from military service and of out of the county and out of the Empire. had motive and direction in their travels most taxes, they excelled in trade, agricul- Mo and his family’s travel was motivat- and their deeds. However, I, being a ture, artistry, and rose to major posts in ed based on the above listed historical dumb 17 year old student at the time of the administration. For the services that events in their background that created the hearing Mo's story, failed to comprehend they rendered to the Ottoman Empire, the method of travel, the motivation behind his true ideology and the cultural motiva- Armenians were allowed to settle in the the movement, the direction to the Russ- tions. regions vacated after the Greek rebellion ian Empire border and safety issues, and, Mo's parents grew up in region of the and were given the prestigious title of finally, Mo’s father was citizen supply world known as Armenia within the “The Faithful Nation.” administrator working for the Russian Ottoman Empire. As historians have writ- In approximately 1890, the Armenian army in the colonization of the Russian ten, prior to the Armenian people’s life people came under fire and war broke out. southeast Caspian Sea region. More under Ottoman rule, they lived under the The long run of historical disputes, specifically, Mo’s father was supplying

38 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 goods and services in the building of the others. He created his crew and was given between the forts and outposts of the sol- Trans-Caspian Railway and development wagons and wheeled lifeboats by his diers. of settlements, and marketplaces for the father-- being a community elder-- and Mo separated from unit three when he workers brought in to provide the labor Mo’s new business model had begun. was 17 years old. He and his crew were source for the railway construction. Mo’s In his first year of travel along the given eight to ten mobile vehicles from father was a gifted wood worker and Caspian Depression railway route in the the stock of the caravan. Mo’s vehicles house builder and he was a well-respected northeast corner of the Caspian Sea, he were horse-drawn, and three or four were administrator working for the Russian and his crew captured some 23 Caspian the mobile boat vehicles which traveled in army, setting up logistics and movement tigers in cargo nets and pits. His father water by use of outboard motors. Mo's of tons of supplies throughout this region. needed to send “lifeboat wagons” up the group had the task of capture and reloca- Mo would say to me, “Ah, Cossacks,” Volga River to pick up a large supply of tion of nuisance tigers from the Aral- because he hated that his father worked roofing materials and bring them back Caspian Depression and all points east for the Russian soldiers. It was the Cos- down the Volga River to the outpost being and west along this corridor. Mo’s crew sack leadership who convinced Mo’s built in the Volga River Valley along the traveled at a fast pace and quickly cap- father to develop the “community cara- northern route of the Silk Road and adja- tured nuisance tigers which approached van” and move his family group to Russ- cent to the railway station. Mo and his workers, farmers, and/or any person or ian territory on the east side of the Caspi- crew loaded up the tigers on the boats on animals at a worksite that the Cossacks an Sea. the Volga River and released the tigers got a complaint about. His crew members Thus, the community left the Persian along the river shoreline. Mo seeded the used radios and telegraph to report sight- Empire of Iran, and started their travel shoreline with carcasses of meat they ings of tigers, and they were told by Cos- caravan on the east side of the Caspian, brought along on the journey. sacks which low population areas could stopping at the many forts and outposts The community caravan in the early be used as release points. The Cossacks manned by the Cossack soldiers who were years, around 1913-1915, was made up of initially employed Mo and crew to move feeding information about the region and three different components. A woodwork- out tigers which the Cossacks would nor- supplying needed goods to continue the ing crew of more than 200 men and their mally have to kill. travels. Mo and his brothers and sisters families traveled to the work site and pro- Apparently, even the Cossacks them- were born of the road. Mo was born in vided long term labor and skills in con- selves lied to their superiors about killing the Persian Empire, while his siblings struction, building houses, barns, stables, tigers in the region. According to Mo, he were born in the Russian Empire sur- train stations, etc. These members of the believed that the Cossacks themselves rounding the Caspian and Aral Seas, along community inherited much of the heavy relocated Caspian tigers to the northeast the route of the railway which was being woodworking equipment and power saws section of modern-day Kazakhstan, and laid out and planned for heavy construc- needed for trimming round logs and mak- released them into the deep mountains at tion at the time. ing them square, and the heavy ropes and the modern Kazakhstan/Russian border, As Mo grew up at his father's side as a lifting equipment, and the expertise to use close to Mongolia. Mo, however, did not traveler of the region, he quickly devel- said equipment, which was learned from believe that the Cossacks’ motivation was oped his own personal interests. At the British sailors and traders. The second for conservation of the tiger species. approximately ten years old, Mo was con- unit was the scouting unit, in which Mo’s Mo once told me that the Cossacks fronted by a female tiger that planned to father was the elder leader of a group of came with a big truck to his campsite just attack him. As the tiger charged him, Mo some 50 men and families, and he led north of Astana, and picked up ten captive heard a gun shot and the running tiger them in seeking business deals and trades tigers. Mo explained that the Cossacks dropped to the ground. Someone on the along the way. This unit was known for had slaughtered a village full of people wagon did the shooting. A few minutes its negotiating skills. This relationship and a herd of cows. They collected all the passed, and out of the underbrush a small was protected by the Cossack soldiers, for meat they wanted from the dead cows, but cub appeared and waddled to its dead whom they worked as trusted field agents their plan was to bring the tigers into the mother, looking for milk. Mo retrieved and informers of enemies of the Russian village and set them loose to clean up the the cub and nursed it, and kept this cub rulers for which the Cossacks served as carcasses of both humans and animals many years as his pet. This was Mo’s the special privileged class of soldiers, as alike, thus blaming the tigers for the mas- beginning as animal caretaker and conser- well as private enterprisers and business- sacre. vator of animal resources. More tigers men looking to make money and/or favor. Ah, Cossacks! appeared after the community left the The third unit was made up of the labor- For approximately ten years, from 1917 sight of the ship wrecks, and Mo's father ers, train track mechanics, construction to 1928, Mo and his crew traveled along instructed him to develop a plan of action workers, agriculture workers, and animal the Russian southern territories using the to stop the tigers from attacking the cara- keepers for the herds and working ani- different railway routes and trade routes, vans, as well as all of the many other loca- mals, etc. Most of the time, the three dif- trapping and relocating nuisance Caspian tions and job sites that Mo’s father had ferent units were hundreds and hundreds tigers at the mandate and instruction of the been involved with. Hence, Mo, now of miles apart, in different parts of the Russian army soldiers which his father about 13 years old, was considered to be a region. They communicated by short- had a business relationship with, and who businessman hired to stop tigers from wave radios and telegraphs. One of their apparently took the credit for doing the attacking members of the community, many jobs for the Cossacks was to string work themselves. their animals, and livestock, as well as telegraph wires along the railway route

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Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 Animal Keepers’ Safety Conference, Dade City Wild Things By John David Wagner hired me as an animal keeper soon after I hands-on training with an extinguisher to graduated. Since then, I have held a num- put out a controlled fire. I am the Director of Operations at the ber of positions that led to my current Later that day, representatives from the Conservators’ Center, a wildlife conser- role, which includes oversight of three Florida Wildlife Commission explained vancy in Burlington, North Carolina, that departments: Animal Care, Construction the upcoming review process for captive is home to more than 80 exotic animals, and Maintenance, and Finance. I also lead wildlife. Although many of the partici- including lions, tigers, leopards, servals, the Center’s Emergency Response Team. pants were not from Florida, this discus- caracals, bobcats, Geoffroy’s cats, and Dade City Wild Things, in Dade City, sion was still relevant to everyone many other fascinating species. I discovered the Conserva- tors’ Center in 2007, when I was a student at North Carolina State University. I soon started volunteering in animal care and construction at the conservancy, and became even more involved in the Center’s day-to-day oper- ations during an internship. In 2008, I graduated from NCSU with a BS degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management and a minor in Outdoor Leadership. While at NCSU, I assisted with studies of various wild animal populations, including black bear, white tail deer, and bob- John David Wagner presents “Managing Difficult People and the Press” as part of cats. The Conservators’ Center the Animal Keepers’ Safety Conference. Florida, hosted involved, because many states have simi- the Animal Keep- lar captive wildlife models. This presen- ers’ Safety Con- tation included ways for individuals to ference. The submit proposed rule changes to the cur- main focus of this rent regulations. These proposed changes three-day confer- can be submitted by anyone, including ence was how to individuals not residing in the state of protect your facil- Florida. ity. The diverse The first day wrapped up with an NRA range of topics course that focused on safely handling and included training maintaining firearms. Although this techniques to course did not include live fire, and some ͞FRESH + OASIS is the 'Missing Link' to a Healthy firearm safety, participants had very little prior experi- preventing ence with firearms, everyone gained an Complete Diet & Optimal Performance͟ injuries to staff or understanding of how to safely handle visitors, new leg- firearms, and everyone walked away with Add Oasis premix to fresh meat & the result is a scientifically islation, and how literature advising them on how to take balanced and complete real food diet ʹ no guess work. Oasis is OSHA regulations the next steps in their firearm training. professionally formulated by Dr. Gary Pusillo, and for over 20 may affect the On the second day of the conference, years, has been the #1 selling vitamin & mineral premix for exotic industry as a Keith Brown, Safety Team Leader and cats, trusted by the world's top breeders, private zoos and whole. Supervisor with the University of South sanctuaries. Now Oasis is available under the Complete Natural The conference Florida SafetyFlorida Consultation Pro- Nutrition brand along with other exceptional nutritional tools like kicked off with a gram, spoke. This was the most beneficial local fire depart- presentation to me personally. The most Primal Cal, Rapid Rehab & Crisis Care. ment teaching the important thing that Mr. Brown spoke proper use of fire about was free resources that are available www.CompleteNaturalNutrition.com / 866-807-7335 extinguishers. in every state which are in place to help Everyone partici- small businesses and non-profits ensure pating had the they are operating within OSHA regula- opportunity to get tions. More information about these free

41 Feline Conservation Federation Volume 58, Issue 6 • Nov/Dec 2014 Volume 59, Issue 1 • Jan/Feb 2015 programs is available on OSHA’s website, Jungle Encounters presenting ideas for training techniques with animals. While www.osha.gov. the discussion focused pri- On the final day of the marily on training in a way conference, Dr. Don Wood- that would be beneficial man of the Animal Hospital for presentations, she also of Northwood in Safety Har- DonationsDonations discussed how to incorpo- bor, Florida, spoke about The FCF Board of Directors thanks the following individuals and rate training and enrich- ways to mitigate risks ment to enhance the quali- corporations who have made donations to FCF projects since the last around zoonotic disease ty of life for the animals in transmission. This talk published Journal, providing additional funding for educational mate- our care. focused on preventive trans- rials for members and legislators, supporting conservation, and The Animal Keepers’ mission, but also included a improving captive feline welfare. Safety Conference covered section on identifying symp- We appreciate each donation, no matter the amount, recognizing that a wide range of topics. toms of certain diseases. it is the many small gifts that, when combined, add up and make a dif- One of the biggest benefits I led a session called to the participants was the “Managing Difficult People ference in the effectiveness of the FCF. We encourage everyone to fol- opportunity to meet with and the Press.” My presen- low this example and donate funds for projects that interest you. other people from around tation focused on strategies Conservation Grants: Chris Tromborg the country to discuss for managing difficult peo- shared challenges and Jennifer Willoughby ple—including staff, volun- learn about solutions that teers, the public, and other Tim England Wildcat Safety Net: worked for others. agencies—and how to pre- Bob and Leah Aufill John Henry King Thanks to the Dade City vent and manage the diffi- Lynn Cartee Wild Things staff for being cult situations these people General Donations: Bob and Leah Aufill such wonderful hosts, and can create. It also discussed Priscilla August for taking the time to pro- strategies for dealing with vide everyone with so social media and with tradi- The FCF appreciates your generosity & much useful information! tional media. continued support. The conference concluded with Debi Willoughby of

MEAT COMPLETE WITH TAURINE

RAW MEAT SUPPLEMENT FOR ALL CARNIVORES

Based on whole prey composition, this supplement balances the nutrients lacking in skeletal muscle meat-based diets for carnivores: vitamins A & D (normally supplied by the liver), B vitamins (from gut contents of whole prey), and of course calcium (found in bones). This supplement also contains added taurine – an essential amino acid for felids – and the antioxidant vitamin E.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PACKING, INC. PO BOX 550 ~ NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA 69103-0550 1-877-900-3003 ~ 1-800-445-2881 ~ FAX:1-308-532-2744

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66 The mission of the FCF is to support the conservation of wild felids by advocating for qualified individuals to own and to pur- sue husbandry of wild felines, providing expertise and material support to ensure the continued welfare and viability of these populations, contributing to research, and funding protection programs that benefit felids living in nature.

Front Cover: Jack Hurault photographed this young snow leopard at the Parc des Félins, outside Paris, France. Park curator Gregory Breton November/December 2014 Volume 58, Issue 6 spoke to the FCF at its 2013 Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. January/February 2015 Volume 59, Issue 1

Back Cover: Pallas’s cat portrait taken at Howletts Wild Animal Park, taken by Jamie Lucas. Howletts, near Canterbury, Kent, England, is the sister park to Port Lympne, and holds a similar collection. Unlike Port Lymp- ne's new Pallas’s cat complex, which features a moat-styled viewing area, Howletts offers the more traditional stand-off barrier. This individual cat was easy to see, particularly at the end of the day, when we saw him being fed alongside the neighboring clouded leopards. This photo was incredibly hard to capture, however , as the sun was shining directly on the cage, so focusing was hard, but in the end he got the shot that he wanted.

www.FelineConservation.org