Dramatis Personae: an Introduction to the Wild Felids
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Big Cat Chronicles a USDA Licensed Facility for “The Vanishing Breeds of Big Cats”
Non-Profit Org. Turpentine Creek Foundation, Inc. U.S. Postage Paid Spring 2018 239 Turpentine Creek Lane Print Group Inc. Eureka Springs, AR. 72632 BIG CAT CHRONICLES A USDA Licensed Facility for “The Vanishing Breeds of Big Cats” Kenny, the true face Spyke, “I am not a pet, I am not a prop.” of white tiger breeding. [email protected] ||| 479.253.5841 ||| www.turpentinecreek.org youtube.com/TurpentineCreek ||| Find us on Facebook! In Memory 2001-2018of Thor A LetterTanya Smith, from President the & Co-Founder President The hardest thing we have to do at the Refuge is bid farewell to the animals we love. Each of them is an individual who Spring Greetings to all of our friends! What a relief it is to see warmer weather coming our way after such a cold has carved a permanent place in our hearts; having to say a final goodbye brings an incredible sense of grief. What snap. We had our work cut out for us this winter as we fought to keep all of the residents of Turpentine Creek brings us solace is the knowledge that we and our supporters have worked tirelessly to ensure that their remaining Wildlife Refuge nice and warm. Some days were harder than others, but we did it! years were full of joy, good food, play, and an abundance of love. With this thought we look back on how our lion Thor, This past winter I reflected on my experience as the director of a sanctuary. In this role I witness many aspects despite having a very difficult start to life, came to live his remaining years to the very fullest at TCWR- bringing joy of a rescued animal’s life – I see them before being rescued, during the rescue process, and after, and I mourn as and a sense of belonging to those around him. -
Photographic Evidence of Desert Cat Felis Silvestris Ornata and Caracal
[VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT. – DEC. 2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138 http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236 Photographic evidence of Desert cat Felis silvestris ornata and Caracal Felis caracal using camera traps in human dominated forests of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India Raju Lal Gurjar* & Anil Kumar Chhangani Department of Environmental Science, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner- 334001 (Rajasthan) *Email: [email protected] Received: July 04, 2018 Accepted: August 22, 2018 ABSTRACT We recorded movement of Desert cat Felis silvestris ornata and Caracal Felis caracal using camera traps in human dominated corridors from Ranthambhore National Park to Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary, Western India. We obtained 9 caracal captures and one Desert cat capture in 360 camera trap nights. Our findings revels that presence of both cat species outside park in corridors was associated with functionality of corridor as well as availability of prey. Further the forest patches, ravines and undulating terrain supports dispersal of small mammals too. Desert cat and Caracals were more active late at night and during crepuscular hours. There was a difference in their activity between dusk and dawn. Since this is its kind of observation beyond parks regime we genuinely argue for conservation of corridors and its protection leads us to conserve both large as well as small cats in the region. Keywords: Desert Cat, Caracal, Camera Trap, Ranthambhore National Park, Kailadevi Wildlife Sanctuary INTRODUCTION India has 11 species of small cats besides the charismatic big cats like tiger Panthera tigris, leopard Panthera pardus, Snow leopard Panthera uncia and Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica. -
MOLECULAR GENETIC IDENTIFICATION of a MEXICAN ONZA SPECIMEN AS a PUMA (PUMA CONCOLOR) in the Americas, There Are Two Documented
Cryptozoology, 12, 1993-1996, 42-49 © 1996 International Society of Cryptozoology MOLECULAR GENETIC IDENTIFICATION OF A MEXICAN ONZA SPECIMEN AS A PUMA (PUMA CONCOLOR) PE tit A. DRATCH Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Building 560/Room 21-105, Frederick, Maryland 21702, U.S.A. and National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory Ashland, Oregon 96520, U.S.A. WENDY RosLuND National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory Ashland, Oregon 96520, U.S.A. JANICE S. MARTENSON, MELANIE CULVER, AND STEPHEN J. O'BRIEN' Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Building 560/Room 21-105, Frederick, Maryland 21702, U.S.A. ABSTRACT: Tissue samples from an alleged Mexican Onza, shot in the western Sierra Madre in 1986, were subjected to several biochemical assays in an attempt to determine the specimen's relationship to felid species of North America. Protein analyses included isoenzyme electrophoresis and albumin isoelectric focusing. Mi- tochondrial DNA was assayed for restriction fragment lengths with 28 restriction enzymes, and the NÐ5 gene was sequenced. The resulting protein and rnitochondrial DNA characteristics of the Onza were indistinguishable from those of North Amer- ican pumas. INTRODUCTION In the Americas, there are two documented species of large cats: 1) Puma concolor, the puma, also called mountain lion, cougar, and panther in dif- ferent regions of North America, and known as leon in Mexico; and 2) Panthera onca, the jaguar, or tigre as it is known south of the U.S. border. To whom correspondence should be addressed. 42 DRATCH ET AL.: ONZA MOLECULAR GENETIC IDENTIFICATION 43 Flo. -
Felis Silvestris, Wild Cat
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ ISSN 2307-8235 (online) IUCN 2008: T60354712A50652361 Felis silvestris, Wild Cat Assessment by: Yamaguchi, N., Kitchener, A., Driscoll, C. & Nussberger, B. View on www.iucnredlist.org Citation: Yamaguchi, N., Kitchener, A., Driscoll, C. & Nussberger, B. 2015. Felis silvestris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T60354712A50652361. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T60354712A50652361.en Copyright: © 2015 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale, reposting or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holder. For further details see Terms of Use. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London. If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown in this document, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information -
Benefits-Of-Regulated-Hunting-For-Leopard
CONSERVATION FORCE A FORCE FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BENEFITS OF REGULATED HUNTING FOR LEOPARD (PANTHERA PARDUS) Legal, regulated tourist hunting of African leopard (Panthera pardus) benefits the species through mitigation of the primary threats: habitat loss and fragmentation; increased human populations leading to higher incidence of human-wildlife conflict; poaching and illegal wildlife trade; and prey base declines.i • Habitat: The threat of habitat loss is mitigated in part by fully-protected national parks, which provide over 400,000 km2 of relatively secure habitat for leopard across the six Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries that rely on regulated hunting to sustain their leopard and leopard prey populations.ii The national parks are > 30,000 km2 larger than in 1982, when the leopard was downlisted to “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and leopard are estimated to be present in most of the parks in Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.iii Regulated hunting revenues help cover the costs of policing these parks, which in most cases do not generate sufficient revenue to cover all enforcement expenses.iv • Habitat: The threat of habitat loss is further mitigated by areas dedicated to regulated hunting. In Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, hunting areas include government reserves, communal wildlife management areas, and private ranches. They are substantially larger than the national parks and represent over 700,000 km2.v Leopard are estimated to be present across almost all hunting areas.vi • Habitat: According to the 2016 IUCN Red List assessment of leopard, the species’ total extant range exceeds 8.5 million km2, with between 4.3 million and 6.3 million km2 of range available in Southern and East Africa. -
Mammalia: Carnivora) in the Americas: Past to Present
Journal of Mammalian Evolution https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-020-09496-8 ORIGINAL PAPER Environmental Drivers and Distribution Patterns of Carnivoran Assemblages (Mammalia: Carnivora) in the Americas: Past to Present Andrés Arias-Alzate1,2 & José F. González-Maya3 & Joaquín Arroyo-Cabrales4 & Rodrigo A. Medellín5 & Enrique Martínez-Meyer2 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Understanding species distributions and the variation of assemblage structure in time and space are fundamental goals of biogeography and ecology. Here, we use an ecological niche modeling and macroecological approach in order to assess whether constraints patterns in carnivoran richness and composition structures in replicated assemblages through time and space should reflect environmental filtering through ecological niche constraints from the Last Inter-glacial (LIG), Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present (C) time. Our results suggest a diverse distribution of carnivoran co-occurrence patterns at the continental scale as a result of spatial climatic variation as an important driver constrained by the ecological niches of the species. This influence was an important factor restructuring assemblages (more directly on richness than composition patterns) not only at the continental level, but also from regional and local scales and this influence was geographically different throughout the space in the continent. These climatic restrictions and disruption of the niche during the environmental changes at the LIG-LGM-C transition show a considerable shift in assemblage richness and composition across the Americas, which suggests an environ- mental filtering mainly during the LGM, explaining between 30 and 75% of these variations through space and time, with more accentuated changes in North than South America. -
First Record of Hose's Civet Diplogale Hosei from Indonesia
First record of Hose’s Civet Diplogale hosei from Indonesia, and records of other carnivores in the Schwaner Mountains, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Hiromitsu SAMEJIMA1 and Gono SEMIADI2 Abstract One of the least-recorded carnivores in Borneo, Hose’s Civet Diplogale hosei , was filmed twice in a logging concession, the Katingan–Seruyan Block of Sari Bumi Kusuma Corporation, in the Schwaner Mountains, upper Seruyan River catchment, Central Kalimantan. This, the first record of this species in Indonesia, is about 500 km southwest of its previously known distribution (northern Borneo: Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei). Filmed at 325The m a.s.l., IUCN these Red List records of Threatened are below Species the previously known altitudinal range (450–1,800Prionailurus m). This preliminary planiceps survey forPardofelis medium badia and large and Otter mammals, Civet Cynogalerunning 100bennettii camera-traps in 10 plots for one (Bandedyear, identified Civet Hemigalus in this concession derbyanus 17 carnivores, Arctictis including, binturong on Neofelis diardi, three Endangered Pardofe species- lis(Flat-headed marmorata Cat and Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus, Bay Cat . ) and six Vulnerable species , Binturong , Sunda Clouded Leopard , Marbled Cat Keywords Cynogale bennettii, as well, Pardofelis as Hose’s badia Civet), Prionailurus planiceps Catatan: PertamaBorneo, camera-trapping, mengenai Musang Gunung Diplogale hosei di Indonesia, serta, sustainable karnivora forest management lainnya di daerah Pegunungan Schwaner, Kalimantan Tengah Abstrak Diplogale hosei Salah satu jenis karnivora yang jarang dijumpai di Borneo, Musang Gunung, , telah terekam dua kali di daerah- konsesi hutan Blok Katingan–Seruyan- PT. Sari Bumi Kusuma, Pegunungan Schwaner, di sekitar hulu Sungai Seruya, Kalimantan Tengah. Ini merupakan catatan pertama spesies tersebut terdapat di Indonesia, sekitar 500 km dari batas sebaran yang diketa hui saat ini (Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei). -
1 the Origin and Evolution of the Domestic Cat
1 The Origin and Evolution of the Domestic Cat There are approximately 40 different species of the cat family, classification Felidae (Table 1.1), all of which are descended from a leopard-like predator Pseudaelurus that existed in South-east Asia around 11 million years ago (O’Brien and Johnson, 2007). Other than the domestic cat, the most well known of the Felidae are the big cats such as lions, tigers and panthers, sub-classification Panthera. But the cat family also includes a large number of small cats, including a group commonly known as the wildcats, sub-classification Felis silvestris (Table 1.2). Physical similarity suggests that the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) originally derived from one or more than one of these small wildcats. DNA examination shows that it is most closely related to the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), which has almost identical DNA, indicating that the African wildcat is the domestic cat’s primary ancestor (Lipinski et al., 2008). The African Wildcat The African wildcat is still in existence today and is a solitary and highly territorial animal indigenous to areas of North Africa and the Near East, the region where domestication of the cat is believed to have first taken place (Driscoll et al., 2007; Faure and Kitchener, 2009). It is primarily a nocturnal hunter that preys mainly on rodents but it will also eat insects, reptiles and other mammals including the young of small antelopes. Also known as the Arabian or North African wildcat, it is similar in appearance to a domestic tabby, with a striped grey/sandy-coloured coat, but is slightly larger and with longer legs (Fig. -
Ten Years Ago, Gordon Boy Introduced the African Golden
LAILA BAHAA-EL-DIN & DAVID MILLS Laila Bahaa-el-din (working in Gabon) and David Mills (working in Uganda) are both funded through Panthera Kaplan Graduate Awards (www.panthera.org) and are doing their PhDs with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa. Laila is additionally supported by Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and David is supported by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Uganda. en years ago, Gordon Boy at avoiding human encounters. These yet few images of the golden cat had introduced the African golden traits may previously have benefited been obtained. The cat’s reputation Tcat (Profelis aurata) to SWARA golden cats, keeping them out of the as rare and elusive was perpetuated readers as the “Phantom Feline”. way of harmful human attention. as a result and this led people to Information was thin on the ground Nevertheless, our ignorance of the consider it almost impossible to study. at the time and Boy had to gather bits species may now bear a cost: during However, while setting camera traps of the jigsaw from scattered sources. our current time of booming human to study leopards in Gabon’s tropical Fleeting sightings and a few skins made population and associated deforestation forests, Philipp Henschel from the up the bulk of knowledge and we were and bushmeat hunting, we have little Non Govermental Organisation (NGO) left to fill the gaps through guesswork. idea of how the forest-dependent Panthera photographed golden cats on Our unfamiliarity with the golden cat African golden cat is coping. several occasions. He was adamant that is not surprising – it lives in forested Remotely triggered camera traps a more golden cat-focused camera trap habitat, a difficult environment in were slowly coming into use in Africa’s study would yield enough data to assess which to see wildlife, and seems adept forests when Boy wrote his article, golden cat populations. -
Lynx, Felis Lynx, Predation on Red Foxes, Vulpes Vulpes, Caribou
Lynx, Fe/is lynx, predation on Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, Caribou, Rangifer tarandus, and Dall Sheep, Ovis dalli, in Alaska ROBERT 0. STEPHENSON, 1 DANIEL V. GRANGAARD,2 and JOHN BURCH3 1Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99701 2Alaska Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 305, Tok, Alaska 99780 JNational Park Service, P.O. Box 9, Denali National Park, Alaska 99755 Stephenson, Robert 0., Daniel Y. Grangaard, and John Burch. 1991. Lynx, Fe/is lynx, predation on Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, Caribou, Rangifer tarandus, and Dall Sheep, Ovis dalli, in Alaska. Canadian Field-Naturalist 105(2): 255- 262. Observations of Canada Lynx (Fe/is lynx) predation on Red Foxes ( Vulpes vulpes) and medium-sized ungulates during winter are reviewed. Characteristics of I 3 successful attacks on Red Foxes and 16 cases of predation on Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and Dall Sheep (Ovis dalli) suggest that Lynx are capable of killing even adults of these species, with foxes being killed most easily. The occurrence of Lynx predation on these relatively large prey appears to be greatest when Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) are scarce. Key Words: Canada Lynx, Fe/is lynx, Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, Caribou, Rangifer tarandus, Dall Sheep, Ovis dalli, predation, Alaska. Although the European Lynx (Felis lynx lynx) quently reach 25° C in summer and -10 to -40° C in regularly kills large prey (Haglund 1966; Pullianen winter. Snow depths are generally below 80 cm, 1981), the Canada Lynx (Felis lynx canadensis) and snow usually remains loosely packed except at relies largely on small game, primarily Snowshoe high elevations. -
Towards Snow Leopard Prey Recovery: Understanding the Resource Use Strategies and Demographic Responses of Bharal Pseudois Nayaur to Livestock Grazing and Removal
Towards snow leopard prey recovery: understanding the resource use strategies and demographic responses of bharal Pseudois nayaur to livestock grazing and removal Final project report submitted by Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore Post-graduate Program in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Wildlife Conservation Society –India program, Bangalore, India To Snow Leopard Conservation Grant Program January 2009 Towards snow leopard prey recovery: understanding the resource use strategies and demographic responses of bharal Pseudois nayaur to livestock grazing and removal. 1. Executive Summary: Decline of wild prey populations in the Himalayan region, largely due to competition with livestock, has been identified as one of the main threats to the snow leopard Uncia uncia. Studies show that bharal Pseudois nayaur diet is dominated by graminoids during summer, but the proportion of graminoids declines in winter. We explore the causes for the decline of graminoids from bharal winter diet and resulting implications for bharal conservation. We test the predictions generated by two alternative hypotheses, (H1) low graminoid availability caused by livestock grazing during winter causes bharal to include browse in their diet, and, (H2) bharal include browse, with relatively higher nutrition, to compensate for the poor quality of graminoids during winter. Graminoid availability was highest in areas without livestock grazing, followed by areas with moderate and intense livestock grazing. Graminoid quality in winter was relatively lower than that of browse, but the difference was not statistically significant. Bharal diet was dominated by graminoids in areas with highest graminoid availability. Graminoid contribution to bharal diet declined monotonically with a decline in graminoid availability. -
Big Cats in Africa Factsheet
INFORMATION BRIEF BIG CATS IN AFRICA AFRICAN LION (PANTHERA LEO) Famously known as the king of the jungle, the African lion is the second largest living species of the big cats, after the tiger. African lions are found mostly in savannah grasslands across many parts of sub-Saharan Africa but the “Babary lion” used to exist in the North of Africa including Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, while the “Cape lion” existed in South Africa. Some lions have however been known to live in forests in Congo, Gabon or Ethiopia. Historically, lions used to live in the Mediterranean and the Middle East as well as in other parts of Asia such as India. While there are still some Asian Lions left in India, the African Lion is probably the largest remaining sub species of Lions in the world. They live in large groups called “prides”, usually made up of up to 15 lions. These prides consist of one or two males, and the rest females. The females are known for hunting for prey ranging from wildebeest, giraffe, impala, zebra, buffalo, rhinos, hippos, among others. The males are unique in appearance with the conspicuous mane around their necks. The mane is used for protection and intimidation during fights. Lions mate all year round, and the female gives birth to three or four cubs at a time, after a gestation period of close to 4 months (110 days). Lions are mainly threatened by hunting and persecution by humans. They are considered a threat to livestock, so ranchers usually shoot them or poison carcasses to keep them away from their livestock.