CITY DWELLER: Seen anything like this in Hillcrest?
I've seen fox, coon possum, squirrel, chipmunk, coyote
and deer in the woods and verges that surround the water treatment
plant at Ozark Point near my house. Now comes word of a feline visitor
and it's apparently no tabby cat. From neighborhood messages:
Sunday morning …. spotted something interesting loping across the
Water Works lawn: a very large cat — mountain lion, cougar, panther,
"painter" — golden in color, about the size of Winnie (our dog), long
back legs and thick but not fluffy very long tail. It ran from the
south side of the WW property (across the top and into the woods by the
ballast on the north side.) ...
Have there been other sightings of wild cats in LR Parks? Blytheville
news reported sightings on their golf course, but that's a long way
off. Wonder if the habitants of the "tent" above WalMart Neighborhood
Market have had interactions...or if their cans are attracting such?
Further notes indicate a firm belief it's a mountain lion, based on web
photos. (Venturing into species identification is mission on which I
won't embark.) But the thinking is that the growing herd of deer in our
neck of the woods might be attracting the creature. A call's been made
to Game and Fish. This last dispatch gave me pause, given my home
address and the aging small dog who shares it with me.
...Beautiful creature .... LARGE golden in color, long tail, powerful
hind legs, loping fast across and away from us headed into the woods in
the direction of Edgerstoune
.
If anybody snaps a photo, I'd be happy to see it. Which reminds me. Whatever became of the Bobcat of Bayonne, a similar visitor out in an upscale western Little Rock neighborhood?
UPDATE: Big cat sighting also reported by reader from Rockwood Road
area, where woods overlook the Arkansas River. Easy gallop for a big cat
from there to HIilcrest, with plenty of wilderness to work through.
EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. -- A generous donor is
making it easier for folks to help big cats in Northwest Arkansas.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs survives on entry fees and donations and, right now, Tigersinamerica.org
is matching all gifts by 50 percent, but the deadline is Tuesday,
December 31. The refuge hopes to raise $66,000 to expand the tiger
habitat.
If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation, please make checks to Tigers In America. Tax ID 45-4998901.
Mail to: Tigers in America c/o Turpentine Creek Match 250 West 12th Street Manhattan NY. 10014-1912
If you choose to make an online donation, be sure to email tanya@turpentinecreek.org so the organization gets the match.
MUMBAI: A trip to Bandhavgarh National Park
proved magical for about two dozen tourists last Monday as the early
morning haze lifted to reveal a family of five tigers polishing off a
meal from a fresh kill.
Sighting one of the majestic beasts
makes the day for any wildlife lover who visits the reserve but spotting
five healthy young Royal Bengal tigers at one go is rare and makes for
an extremely special day, said a forest official. The tigers were
basking in the morning sun,amidst tall dried hay-coloured grass in a
sprawling open area devoid of trees. The spot they chose to enjoy their
meal was close to a water body at Raj Behara in the Tala area.
The tourists, lined up in about ten jeeps almost rubbed their eyes in
disbelief as they first spotted two tigers, one sitting contentedly and
the other tearing into the still red meat of a Cheetal (spotted dear).
He continued eating, chewing in slow languid movements, unmindful of the
stares and unstoppable smiles from afar. The two legged visitors
suppressed their squeals of joy as powerful binoculors brought the
beauty closer. But soon they gasped, as a mighty head emerged form
behind the tiger who was sitting. They both looked on in opposite
directions, taking in the huge sprawl that was their home. The tiger
reserve spread aross 437 square kilometers in Umaria district of Madhya
Pradesh is among the smallest in the country but one with the densest
tiger population. There are more than 22 tigers at present, said an
official. Sambars, spotted deer and wild boars are in abundance. The
forest officials implement rules strictly and do not allow more than the
number of vehicles stipulated by the Supreme Court. More than 120
cameras from atop scan every inch of the park.
As the tourists
watched on, along came one more, a young male less than two years old
according to a tour guide. He greeted the others with an affectionate
head rub, then rolled over on to his back exposing an immensely huggable
white-furred belly and flopped down for a snooze. ''It appears to be a
mother tigress and her brood of four,'' said Raj Kishore, an experienced
staff at the forest who has driven and served as a guide to a former
prime minister among other top dignitaries who have visited. The fourth
''child'' sat at a distance, almost camouflaged by the tall yellowed
grass. But he decided to give the transfixed tourists a treat. He
bounded down to the one who was eating, grabbed the carcass and fled to a
distance, making growling sounds. It was a family life on display.
The visitors--wildlife enthusiasts from Kolkata, Mumbai, UK, Europe,
far East--felt privileged.They stood mesmerized in the jeeps--no one is
allowed to step down. Some left for their hotels reluctantly two hours
later. "It seemed like mere minutes,'' said one of them.
''Magnificent,'' said a family of three from UK, on a month-long Tiger
tour across three national parks in MP. The others who overheard,
couldn't agree more.
New Delhi: Why are some animal species disappearing? How do we bring
them back? Are we heading towards a world 'without tigers'? Are there
enough initiatives to address the plight of these magnificent cats?
'Tigers Forever-Saving the World's Most Endangered Big Cat' published by
a National Geographic photojournalist Steve Winter and co-authored by
Sharon Guynup is a tell-all tale about the tiger's fight for survival
which answers the above mentioned questions.
According to Guynup, only 3,200 (wild) tigers have been left, scattered in small pockets across Asia.
In the final words of the book, she writes, "That's a shockingly low
number. The time to act is now. Once the last tigers disappear, no
longer gliding on velvet paws through the jungle, we cannot bring them
back."
Before he decided to collaborate with Guynup on this book, Winter
spent a decade on assignments in search of wild tigers, trying to
capture images of the magnificent cat in Myanmar, India, Sumatra and
Thailand, hoping to reinvigorate global concern as their numbers
continued to plummet.
Guynup, an environmental journalist, began reporting on issues of the big cats, seven years ago.
"In 2007, while working on a story about poaching in India's Kaziranga
National Park, I glimpsed my first tiger in the wild and started writing
about them. I studied the various initiatives taken across the globe
and realized that together, we needed to speak louder for tigers,"
Guynup told PTI in an interview.
Sharing his experience about one of the most challenging shots taken for
the book, Winter says, "It took me nearly a month, waiting outside a
den in Bandhavgarh on an elephant, to get the photograph that is the
cover of the book."
Adding to his story Sharon says, "When Steve first came to Bandhavgarh
six months ago, he wanted to capture images of two mothers there with
their cubs. By the time he came to India after finalising the permits,
both mothers were dead, one poisoned and the other run over by a park
vehicle."
However, another big challenge that two of them had to face was
Hurricane Sandy which made the publishing of this book under deadline
even more difficult.
"When Hurricane Sandy hit the US, we had just begun working on the book.
Our home was flooded, we were displaced--and we were under pressure of
deadlines as National Geographic wanted the book release to coincide
with their 125th anniversary, which was in October this year," Guynup
says.
"Our building was inundated with five feet of noxious water that knocked
out all building systems and destroyed lots of personal property,
including files, photo equipment, and 20 years of field gear," she adds.
The book published by National Geographic and distributed by Random
House, includes over 100 images of tigers and their secret behaviours
with insights into why one of the world's most iconic species is
careening towards the edge.
"The book also includes information gleaned from over 60 interviews with
tiger experts across the globe, exploring why these cats have been both
feared and revered throughout human history, detailing the threats that
face them and the bold initiatives to save them," says Guynup.
In the searing heat, this tiger was looking for a novel way to cool off as it endured the rising temperature.
The graceful but deadly cat first surveys the drop below before using her huge paws to launched herself into the water.
However,
this is no tropical waterfall in the depths of the Indian jungle. Sayan
is an endangered Amur Siberian Tiger and is a new arrival at Yorkshire
Wildlife Park - and staff say she is proving to be quite the water baby
in the heat.
Scoping the area: The tiger is seen carefully treading close to the edge of the waterfall
Down we go: The Siberian tiger leaps over the top and jumps into the water
The three-year-old big cat is one of the attractions at the Doncaster wildlife park's reserve, Land Of The Tiger. When the temperatures rose to 25 degrees, Sayan decided to take an impromptu dip. But
the pool at the top of the waterfall wasn't enough to properly cool her
down so - to the delight of visitors - she dived down the four-metre
waterfall into the lagoon below.
These pictures were captured by David Clarry, who was visiting with his family when Sayan took her waterfall leap. The Amur tiger is the largest big cat
in the world and is the largest and heaviest sub-species of tiger, with
males weighing in at up to 700 pounds.
Falling: Paws outstretched, the tiger looks surprisingly calm as it drops through the water
Threatened by habitat loss and
poachers, this tiger is critically endangered with fewer than 400
animals thought still to survive in the wild.
A dense coat and a thick layer of fat
below their skin enables them to withstand the bitter cold temperatures
of Russian winters. And the Amur tiger also has huge paws that help
them move efficiently in deep snow. The tiger reserve at Yorkshire
Wildlife Park, which works to conserve the endangered species, boasts
two pools and a waterfall for the water-loving tigers.
Splash landing: The tiger surfaces after her dramatic dive down the waterfall
The tigers' new home has been created at the park alongside a natural British Nature wetlands reserve. Visitors
can use a 150-metre walkway which boasts view of the endangered cats on
one side and, on the other, the wetland habitat which is home to other
birds and animals.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park works closely
with biodiversity experts and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to protect
and encourage biodiversity in the wetland habitat at the park.
WASHINGTON — Two cheetahs at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo came across unexpected prey and the result was predictable.
Zoo officials say a white-tailed deer was killed by the cheetahs
after it apparently jumped into their enclosure on Friday. A spokeswoman
calls it “a normal and expected reaction” by the carnivorous big cats.
The zoo says a zookeeper heard noises from the cheetah pen shortly
before noon and found the deer carcass next to the cheetah siblings,
named Carmelita and Justin.
Doctors will examine the carcass to make sure the deer didn’t have any diseases. No witnesses saw the deer entering the cheetah habitat — other than the cheetahs.
Deer are plentiful in Rock Creek Park, which borders the zoo. The
National Park Service has used sharpshooters to control the deer
population.
By Gloucestershire Echo
|
Posted: December 28, 2013
Frank Tunbridge, big cat hunter
RUMOURS a big panther-like creature could be lurking on the
outskirts of Cheltenham have been given renewed credence by new
eye-witness accounts. Following two sightings of a large black cat near the town
earlier this month, more people have come forward to say they have seen
what looked like a similar animal. As yet, video shot on cameras set up to catch the mystery
prowler has proved inconclusive, but Gloucestershire-based expert Frank
Tunbridge is in no doubt something is out there.
Echo reader Gwen Harris was startled when she spotted what she thought was a puma in the Cotswolds.
"I would advise all the sceptics to keep an open mind," she said. "Only last week my husband and I were travelling in our car
on the back lanes between Aldsworth and Northleach, and 25 yards in
front of us a dark animal dashed across the road. We couldn't believe our eyes. It wasn't a dog and it
certainly wasn't a deer. It was large and the head was the more square
shape of a puma type animal. Its movement was a long loping stride with powerful legs and a long tail. After that sighting I have to say we do believe in these big cats and no longer doubt other people's experiences."
Fellow Echo reader Nigel Woodcock wrote, who lives near
Prestbury Road in Cheltenham, also warned readers not to take big cat
sightings lightly – recalling an incident four years ago which left him
flabbergasted.
"I can assure readers that this beast is no figment of the imagination," he said. "A beast loped across our garden and then leapt over a six foot high fence. My wife and I and our son all saw the creature which was about eight feet away from where we were standing. It had a jet black shiny glossy coat with heavy haunches
and was probably slightly larger than a fully- grown Labrador, but a
much fuller, more powerful build."
The accounts have fuelled speculation a big cat may be hiding out in woodland on the edge of town.
There have already been sightings in Staverton and in
Swindon Village, where parish councillor Helen Wells has set up a camera
in her garden to try to catch footage of the beast.
The 44-year-old vowed to remain on Big Cat Watch over the festive period.
Expert cat spotter Frank Tunbridge said big cats were more likely to be spotted at this time of year.
He said: "It's no coincidence we see them more during the winter because they come down the hills to hunt for prey."
BANGALORE: In a month's time, any movement within the 650 sq km area of Nagarahole tiger reserve will be captured with the help of 400 cameras to be fixed.
On Thursday, the initiative was launched with the assistance of CSS
Corp, a global technology services company donating 200 cameras to the
ministry of Forest, Government of Karnataka, in the phase-1 of the
project. By the end of January 2014, the cameras will start functioning
in the tiger reserve.
T G Ramesh, CEO of CSS Corp
handed over a scouting camera to Ramanath Rai, minister for forest.
Speaking at the occasion, Ramanath Rai said that such initiatives will
help the ministry in improving the system at tiger reserves. "As it can
constantly capture the movement of tiger or any specie in tiger reserve,
it helps the department in conducting research," Rai said.
The
forest department will install the cameras across the national park in
suitable metallic enclosures that protects the cameras from being
damaged by elephants or other animals.
The department will also
be training the forest guards on using the cameras. The photographs
taken by the cameras will have to be downloaded once in five days by
transferring the images through the memory chip. The camera can also
help in tracking smuggling, theft of forest resources "Forest
has always attracted me as a wildlife photographer. Tiger is at the apex
of the eco-system and its conservation is a must, To begin with we are
giving 200 cameras in phase 1. Besides, for the phase 2, additional 200
cameras will be given. We are also providing a jeep for the forest
guards to collect the pictures from the cameras once in five days," said
T G Ramesh.
How does it work?
The cameras are equipped
with infra red motion censors, which can be triggered at once by any
movement, in a certain region of interest monitored by these cameras.
They automatically capture high quality pictures, (upto 8 mega pixel) or
records video clips according to preset customer settings. "Like the way, the human beings have unique finger prints, the tigers
have unique stripes. With the help of these photographs, we can identify
each of the tigers. This can also help the department in its research
towards other wild species," said Sarath Champati, wildlife conservation
specialist, who heads the NGO Kabini Foundation.
The Scoutgaurd cameras have been imported by Australia and the project
estimate is Rs 75 lakhs, completely taken care off by CSS Corp.
Aadhar for tigers!
Based on the unique stripes of the tigers, the department will start
giving biometric identity to the cards along with a unique number to
each of the tigers. "As of now we have 300-350 tigers in Karnataka. With
the help of this unique numbering, we can have an accurate data of
tigers. The cameras will update us in tracking the movement of the
tigers," said R Gokul, Conservator of Forests and Director, Nagarahole
Tiger reserve.
Amazing new pictures show a endangered Amur leopard with a cub.
Picture: Land of Leopard
There is quiet optimism that leopard, native to the Far East of
Russia, is making a recovery from the brink of extinction. Picture of
a well-formed cub with an adult, probably its mother, was released by
the Land of the Leopard National Park.
Deputy director of science and environmental education in the park,
Elena Salmanova hailed the new images. 'The presence of cats suggests
that the population is multiplying, and that the efforts being made by
scientists and environmentalists are giving results,' she said.
A fuller 'census' of leopards in the national park will be carried
out by scientists in the winter - using their footsteps in the snow. It
is hoped then to determine exactly how many leopard cubs were born in
Primorskiy Region this year.
It is likely there are only 50 Amur leopards in existence in their natural habitat in Russia.
Deputy director of science and environmental education in the park,
Elena Salmanova hailed the new images. 'The presence of cats (the
leopard cub is on the right) suggests that the population is
multiplying, and that the efforts being made by scientists and
environmentalists are giving results,' she said. Pictures: Land of the
Leopard National Park
In 2007 no more than 35 animals were known to exist. But the
population remains desperately vulnerable, especially to illegal
poachers. Another leopard in the newly-released set of pictures shows a
male marking out its territory.
Camera posts in the park allow wildlife experts a unique view of the
creatures, permitting a monitoring of their survival, and even facial
recognition of each animal. The cameras can operate for six months on
the same batteries and allow for night time pictures.
The park is one of a number of initiatives to guarantee the survival
of the leopard, which is also found in China and North Korea. The head
of the Russian Presidential Administration, Sergei Ivanov, in charge of
the campaign to save the leopard, visited the construction site of a
tunnel under a highway - being built to allow the leopards to safely
move around their habitat.
Narvinsky tunnel is being built at the 76th kilometre of the Khasan-Razdolnoye road.
'This will be the first ecological tunnel in Russia,' said Ivanov. So
far 300 metres of the 575 metre tunnel is complete and opening is due
in August. 'I would like to visit the opening ceremony, if my schedule allows,'
he said. The tunnel joins the Land of the Leopard National Park with the
Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, both affording protection to the world's
rarest big cat.
As popular and beloved as cats are, even the biggest fan of
felines will admit that they’re not always easy to work with. Cats come
and go as they please and they often seem to treat humans as little more
than sources of food and amusement. As such, cats are usually not as
useful as dogs when it comes to working—they’re difficult to train and
often refuse to work on human terms.
Despite all this, there are a few cats that, by a strange twist of
fate, have carved out some very special careers, happily working for—or
with—humans in a number of ways. Let’s take a look at these spectacular
specimens of the feline race.
In southeast Japan, there is a small train station called Kishi
Station. This tiny, unassuming blip in the great Japanese railway system
is unique because of its station master: a cat called Tama.
In 2003, the station was caught in business turmoil between a
struggling train company and its bigger competitor, who eventually
gained control of the area’s business by absorbing the small company.
This was bad news for the owner of a small cat shelter near Kishi
Station, who was forced to vacate her premises due to the new company’s
renovations. Out of options, she begged the president of the new railway
to let the poor, homeless cats live in the station.
The president was moved by the request, and when he saw Tama,
something clicked. He immediately decided the cat was his—and the
station’s—good luck charm and, just like that, swore Tama in as Kishi’s
new station master.
The adorable Tama, with his official hat and station master badge,
soon became a nationwide celebrity. People would flock to see him
despite having no other business in the area, turning the formerly
dwindling station into a money-making machine.
It is estimated that Tama has single-pawedly raised over $10 million
for the station, guaranteeing that Kishi won’t be closed any time in the
near future.
When Tama eventually becomes too old to handle his duties (which
consist of manning a small booth, napping and glaring at people), the
railway company has prepared: The station master recently gained a new
apprentice, a young cat called Nitama.
9 Hank The Cat, Politician
On Election Night 2012, a surprise grassroots candidate
in Virginia called Hank raked in a hefty 7,000 votes and $16,000 for
pet rescue groups. He proved to be a real threat to the powers that be,
to the point where he even attracted smear campaigns from a concerned party called, strangely, “Canines for Feline Free Tomorrow.”
This may have been because Hank was, in fact, a cat—a handsome,
nine-year-old Maine coon. His owners, who referred to themselves as his
campaign managers throughout the process, had just put a tie on him and
made a couple of campaign videos to see what would happen.
Running under a slogan that said “It’s OK to Vote Humans Out!” and on
a platform of animal rights, Hank the cat was an instant hit. Although
he sadly didn’t win the Virginia seat in the Senate race, he did place third,
which is shockingly close for a third-party candidate that wasn’t even
human. It is uncertain whether this says more about the awesomeness of
Hank the cat or the public’s distrust of ordinary politicians.
8 Dewey Readmore Books, Reading Ambassador
The fantastically named Dewey Readmore Books had his career path laid out for him right from the beginning. In 1988, he was found among the book returns
by the staff of a public library in Spencer, Iowa. The librarians
instantly decided to adopt the cute, abandoned kitten. The council
blessed this, so they carefully nursed the orphan kitty to health and
held a contest to decide his name.
Dewey became the library’s official ambassador of reading. He was
featured in papers, educational videos, posters, and TV shows,
generating insane amounts of publicity for the library. People would
flock the library to see him and many would loan a book or two while
they were there. Don’t think of Dewey as just some random mascot,
though—he was an official library employee as Supervisor of Staff, an
extremely fitting job title for a cat.
Dewey Readmore Books passed away in 2006,
in the arms of the Head Librarian. However, he still remains on the
library’s shelves—Dewey is listed as a contributing author in several
works by Vicki Myron, the Library Director.
7 Orangey, Movie Star
Because they’re difficult to train and relatively unreliable, cats
generally don’t appear in movies as often as dogs. However, there are
certain cats who have managed to create very illustrious acting careers.
The most famous of them is Orangey, the orange tabby cat who was a
permanent fixture in Hollywood’s golden age movies,
ranging from serious dramas to science fiction to horror. His most
notable role is probably Audrey Hepburn’s “poor slob without a name” cat
in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a role that earned him the
prestigious “animal Academy Award” known as a PATTY. To this day,
Orangey remains the only cat who has won this award twice.
Orangey’s bag of tricks was so large that it seems impossible that a single cat could be so trained. This is because Orangey never was just one cat.
Frank Inn, Orangey’s handler, knew that a cat will only master one or
two tricks, so he got dozens of identical cats and trained each of them
differently. A single movie could see over 30 different “Orangeys,” but
since they all looked the same and were consistently billed as one cat,
many people still think Orangey was just one, super-talented feline.
6 Blackie The Talking Cat, Performer
These days, videos of “talking cats”—cats whose meowing sounds like
certain human phrases—are a simple Google search away. The first of
these impressive animals, however, predates Internet as we know it. In 1981, Blackie the Talking Cat became famous for his ability to “speak” two phrases upon request, “I love you” and “I want my mama.”
Blackie’s owners capitalized this talent by negotiating paid
appearances on various TV and radio shows. When media interest waned
after a while, they decided to continue showcasing Blackie on the
streets of their native Augusta, Georgia. Blackie’s new career as a
street performer soon hit a speed bump, as local authorities insisted he
should have a business license. His owners begrudgingly paid the $50
for the permit, but they felt Blackie—who was just an animal, after
all—shouldn’t need one. They sued the city,
arguing that their act was not a business, and by labeling it as such,
the officials had infringed upon Blackie’s right to free speech.
Unsurprisingly, they lost the case.
5 Mike, Museum Guard
Between 1909–29, the main gate of the British Museum had an efficient,
if ill-tempered, guard who scared stray dogs away and kept all other
unwelcome four-legged visitors at bay. This gate guard was known as Cat Mike.
Mike was a particularly angry animal who hated almost everything. Apart
from dogs, Mike intensely disliked other cats and regularly chased them
away from the premises. Curiously, Mike’s disdain toward all other
animals didn’t extend to pigeons. Any stray birds trespassing on his
domain were gently caught and brought to the gatekeeper, who would then
release them unharmed and give Mike a treat.
Cat Mike had very little love for humans as well. The only people he
seemed to get along with were the official gatekeeper (who owned Mike)
and Sir Ernest Wallis Budge, the museum’s Egyptologist. They were the
only ones he allowed to touch him and accepted food from. Nevertheless,
Mike became quite popular with the staff and the visitors. Mike was
cared for even when the museum was closed for long periods, such as during World War I.
Although Mike passed away in 1929, his memory still lingers on the
museum grounds. If you’re planning to visit British Museum, you can
visit his tiny tombstone near the Great Russell Street entrance.
4 Bublik, City Council Kitten
Hank the Cat’s Senate race may have been unsuccessful, but as it turns
out, his quest for politics inspired younger feline generations—another
politically ambitious cat has recently emerged in Russia’s Ural region.
This future politician is doubly adorable—not only is he a cat, but he
was just three months old at the time of his campaign announcement.
Bublik the kitten was announced to run for a council seat in Yekaterinburg in the April 2013 elections. His campaign platform
was hazy apart from a steady anti-neutering stance and support for
cheaper cat food, but this didn’t stop him from running. His catchy
slogan was “For a Fun Future!” Bublik’s owner also stated the kitten is
willing to extend a friendly paw to Hank, his esteemed colleague
overseas.
Although sources don’t state whether Bublik actually got elected, it
seems unlikely. His campaign was vague at best, and at the time of the
election, he was already a fully-grown cat, so the cuteness factor was
also compromised. Still, he might not have been the worst possible
candidate—as his owner has stated, Bublik would be a completely honest
elected official. After all, he is literally incapable of making empty
promises.
3 Rusik, Police Officer
Police dogs and heroic rescue dogs are often on the news, but did you know there are also police cats? Well, at least one.
Rusik was Russian police’s secret weapon in their fight against
sturgeon smuggling on the Caspian Sea. This is a very serious problem,
as criminals have poached Caspian sturgeons to the brink of extinction.
Rusik the police cat provided a solution to the problem.
He had been adopted by the officers of a police checkpoint as a stray
kitten and was fed almost exclusively with chunks of sturgeon that the
officers confiscated from criminals. As such, he became very good at
finding his favorite treats and eventually started sniffing out
well-hidden sturgeon (along with salmon and caviar) stashes in vehicles
that stopped at the checkpoint. His nose was so keen that he actually
forced the checkpoint’s sniffing dog into early retirement.
Sadly, Rusik’s life as a crime fighter came to an abrupt end. He passed away in the line of duty
in July 2013 when a vehicle he was searching suddenly jerked and struck
him. Foul play is not ruled out. Even in death Rusik was victorious—he
was so successful in his job that Russians are now thinking of training a
whole regiment of smuggler-busting sniffer cats.
Chessie the kitten was the longtime mascot and spokescat for Chesapeake & Ohio Railways. She started her “life” in a 1933 issue of Fortune
magazine as an ad that featured a picture of a dozing kitten and the
slogan “Sleep Like a Kitten.” Printed in black and white, the ad
carried no reference to the name of the kitten. The etching was bought
from a Viennese artist for $5.
The kitten’s popularity soon exploded and her image started appearing
everywhere, from the sides of train cars to huge ad campaigns and
popular “Chessie” calendars. The railway company got real kittens to
play the part of Chessie, and introduced another cat mascot called
Peake, forming a cutesy pun on “Chesapeake.”
In one form or another, Chessie was the face of C&O’s corporate
brand for over 50 years. They finally stopped using her in 1986, when
another railway company called CSX Transportation bought C&O. The new logo—a
sleek, geometric stylizing of the letters CSX—may be more modern, but
it definitely lacks the impact of Chessie’s adorable, sleeping face.
1 Chase No Face, Therapy Cat
Few animals have gotten a worse start in life than Chase No Face.
When she was just a few weeks old, she was accidentally run over by a
car. Although she survived the accident with the loss of one hind leg,
it also left her tragically deformed—she literally lost her entire face.
Even after reconstructive surgery, Chase’s facial features were now an
unsettling mass of exposed tissue, bared fangs, and bulging eyes.
Despite her gruesome appearance, Chase was able to find a loving
home. She was adopted by Melissa Smith, an assistant at the veterinary
clinic that treated her. In Smith’s loving care, the cat grew up a
perfectly happy animal that freely socializes with the family and its
other pets, is in no pain whatsoever, and needs no special treatment
apart from the occasional eye drop due to her missing lids.
Chase also gained a career
out of her ordeal. She now works as a popular therapy cat for
disfigured humans. Her owner takes her to hospitals and schools, where
they share her amazing story—especially its happy ending—with people who
are struggling with their own disfigurements. She also maintains an
active Internet presence: Chase No Face has both a blog and a Facebook fan page.
+ Tardar Sauce, aka Grumpy Cat
Tardar Sauce is easily one of the most recognizable faces in the
modeling world, although few people know her by her real name. Instead,
the Internet worships her as Grumpy Cat.
In reality, she’s the exact opposite of grumpy—she’s a happy, playful
cat that is surprisingly young (she was born on April 4, 2012) despite
her looks. Tardar’s signature underbite, angry features, and small size
are most likely due to some form of feline dwarfism, which also causes
her hind legs to be disproportionately long. Despite her strange looks,
she is perfectly healthy.
Although Tardar Sauce spends the vast majority of her time as an ordinary family cat, she has also carved a very successful modeling career
from her signature scowl’s online popularity. She has weekly photo
sessions for various projects (books, T-shirts, and of course, more
fodder for the Internet) and her net worth is estimated at $1 million.
These days, she even has a movie deal in her pocket.
Special thanks to Sanna Haarala for her help with this article. Pauli Poisuo also writes for Cracked.com. Why not follow him on Twitter?
I would be very surprised if any of you – even those living in northern states — have ever seen a Canada lynx.
I’ve never seen one, despite working on wildlife conservation in
northern states for years. But I sure want to, and I want future
generations to share the same chance, or better…. That’s why protecting
lynx habitat is so important!
Canada lynx are rare in the lower 48 states and stick to snowy,
forested, northern regions where they can hunt snowshoe hares, their
primary prey. Because of their unique habitat requirements, lynx
populations are clumped into isolated ‘islands’ of forest habitat in
parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Washington, Minnesota,
Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
What is “Critical Habitat” anyway?
This mid-sized cat was officially protected under the Endangered Species Act
in 2000 in response to a petition and litigation from Defenders and our
colleagues. But just protecting the species is not good enough—we also
need to protect its critical habitat, the places essential to the
species’ conservation. When critical habitat is designated by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), it simply requires that we check to see
if activities that require a federal permit, license, or funding (such
as building roads, energy development, and timber management) will
destroy or negatively impact that habitat. It’s a simple and sensible
“look before you leap” precaution. Throughout the Canada lynx’s range,
direct and indirect impacts from logging, road building, fire
suppression and recreation threaten
the existence of the species. To give the species a chance of adapting
to the warming climate in the lower 48, they need a well-connected,
robust population, and they need to be able to reclaim habitats in some
places where past human activity may have wiped them out or driven them
away.
The Battle over Lynx Critical Habitat
The long and drawn-out battle over designating lynx critical habitat
began in 2006 when the FWS’s initial designation was essentially limited
to national parks that were already protected, and was thrown out by
the courts after evidence that the decision was altered for political
purposes by Bush Administration officials. At the time, Defenders and
our conservation allies threatened to take legal action and urged the
FWS to revisit its flawed critical habitat designation. The agency’s
second designation in February 2009 covered a much larger
area—approximately 40,000 square miles, 20 times the amount of land as
the 2006 proposal—but this was challenged in courts in 2010 and a revision was again needed. So now, we’re looking to ensure that the third time is the charm!
What You Can Do To Help
Earlier this year, FWS released a proposal to revise lynx critical
habitat. Defenders’ team is currently working on analyzing and
submitting our comments on that proposal to ensure that these changes
help put lynx on the road to long-term recovery throughout its range.
Now is the time for you to participate in helping lynx maintain
high-quality habitat into the future! The public comment period is open
until December 26, 2013, to give folks the opportunity to weigh in on
the proposal for the critical habitat revision. Click here to submit a comment!
Here are some talking points you can use to craft your comment to USFWS and help protect habitat for our vulnerable lynx:
I support expanding the Endangered Species Act’s protections to lynx
‘‘where found within contiguous United States.’’ This is a logical step
to better protect lynx wherever they roam, as they sometimes travel far
and wide.
I also applaud the proposed designation of more than 41,000 square
miles as critical habitat in parts of Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho,
Washington, and Wyoming. Lynx need this entire habitat to remain intact
and of high quality.
Parts of Colorado, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have known
reproducing populations of lynx and high quality lynx habitat and should
also be designated as critical habitat. The Kettle Range in
northeastern Washington also contains high quality lynx habitat and
persistent evidence of lynx occupancy. It should also be designated as
critical habitat. Each of these areas is essential to lynx recovery!
Having a fearsome bite won't get you out of a root canal.
A 4-year-old male Siberian tiger named Marty had to undergo the dreaded
dental procedure in his den at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park on
Wednesday (Dec. 18) after keepers noticed signs of trouble.
Marty
apparently had a small chip on his lower right canine and was starting
to rely on the left side of his mouth while chewing, according to the
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
With X-ray technicians, animal dentists and veterinarians on hand, zoo
officials decided to anaesthetize the tiger to get a closer look at its
tooth and treat it, if necessary.
Marty the male Amur tiger was born on July 17, 2009. Credit: Alex Riddell
"A problem for big carnivores like tigers and polar bears,
the pulp layer of the tooth is only a couple of millimeters below the
tip of the tooth, so even chipping a tiny bit of tooth off can cause
problems as the pulp underneath is exposed and infection can set in,"
Douglas Richardson, head of living collections for the Highland Wildlife
Park, said in a statement.
The pulp layer was indeed decayed in Marty's damaged tooth,
so doctors flushed it out and replaced it with a cementlike substance
during the two-hour procedure. As with humans who get dental fillings,
it's hoped that the treatment will help Marty avoid tooth extraction in
the future.
Root canal treatments are typically straightforward for people, but for
an animal the size of Marty, the operation becomes "a complex affair,"
Richardson said, involving heavy planning and coordination.
And at 412 lbs. (187 kilograms), Marty's body presents a daunting
amount of dead weight: It took six keepers to carry the big cat on a
stretcher to a bedding area to be monitored after the tooth treatment.
Keepers also took advantage of Marty's rare sedated state to perform an
abdominal ultrasound and take blood and fur samples.
A veterinarian's hand looks puny next to Marty's paw. Credit: Alex Riddell
Though initially unsteady, Marty was back on his feet soon after the
procedure, zoo officials said. Similar to the doctor's orders for
humans, the tiger will chew on smaller pieces of meat for a few days.
Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), also called Amur tigers, are the largest tiger subspecies.
Males can weigh up to 660 lbs. (300 kilograms) and females up to 370
lbs. (170 kg). The animals can be found in parts of the Russian Far East
and are considered endangered.
The Sunda clouded leopard has always been shrouded in mystery. Only
declared a separate species from its mainland cousin, the Borneo clouded
leopard, in 2006, the IUCN lists the cat as Endangered. The distinction
between the Borneo clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulas) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi)
was made by ground-breaking molecular coding technologies and anatomy
studies of the two species. Although it is Borneo's largest predator,
very little is known about the Sunda leopard. As a medium-sized,
well-camouflaged and mostly nocturnal animal, the leopard has evaded
researchers since its discovery eight years ago.
Recently, two ambitious studies set out to change that. The aim of both
was to better protect the leopard by learning more about its movements
throughout its habitat. Both studies were quickly released on the
organizations' websites as major press releases. One study, lead by the
Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project (OuTrop) conducted an intensive
study on populations inhabiting bogs. Another, with the Sabah Wildlife
Department, WildCRU and Danau Girang Field Centre, fitted a wild Sunda
clouded leopard with a satellite collar to track its movements, marking
the first time the species had ever been collared.
A
close up of a Sunda clouded leopard. Photo courtesy of Spencer Wright
under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
The collaring project team captured a male Sunda leopard in Borneo's
Kinabatangan forest. Until then, researchers had to rely on camera traps
or sheer luck to catch a glimpse of the cat. After the team weighed and
photographed the leopard, it was fitted with a sophisticated satellite
collar that will report its movements every 20 minutes for the next four
to six months.
A camera trap photo of the elusive clouded leopard. Photo courtesy of The Orangutan Tropical Peatland Trust.
"The collaring of this male is part of an intensive satellite tracking
program to study the spatial ecology and habitat associations of the
Sunda clouded leopard…in the fragmented landscape of the Lower
Kinabatangan, dominated by palm oil plantations and highly degraded
forest," wrote Benoit Goossens, who lead the study.
The OuTrop project had similar motivations in mind. In a study from
2008-2012, researchers from OuTrop, WildCRU at Oxford University, the
Cardiff School of Biosciences and the Center for International
Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatland used 54
camera traps in 27 different locations. During the four years of the
study, the researchers captured 90 images of six different Sunda clouded
leopards. Although that number may seem small, it surprised the
researchers.
"The densities are higher than we were expecting," lead researcher Susan
Cheyne told mongabay.com. "Extrapolating from these density estimates,
there could be as many as 247 clouded leopards in the 5,600 square
kilometer Sabangau Forest."
The OuTrop study was based in the Borneo peat-swamp forests, which are flooded for up to nine months the year.
Veterinarian
Fernando Nájera preparing to collar and collect samples from an
anesthetized Sunda clouded leopard as part of a conservation research
project. Photo by Danau Girang Field Centre.
A male Sunda clouded leopard captured on one of the camera traps. Photo by Danau Girang Field Centre.
"No information was known about clouded leopards in this habitat so we
wanted to investigate the behavioral ecology and population of this
forest," said Cheyne.
"Due to the large area of peatland forest in Indonesian Borneo, this
habitat could support large populations of clouded leopards," said
Cheyne. "But peatland is also targeted by plantation and logging
companies so the conservation threats combined with the potential
importance of these forests for clouded leopards mean this is crucial
habitat."
Becoming a crucial habitat for the Sunda leopard, an endangered species,
means more protection for the peatland habitat, something vital for the
survival of the species.
Knowledge is power, and both studies have exciting conservation implications for the future.
Anesthetized
Sunda clouded leopard. Minutes later the animal was revived using a
reversal drug and released back into the forest. Photo by Danau Girang
Field Centre.
"By better understanding the clouded leopard ecology and habitat, we
will be able to unlock some of Sabah's (a state in Malaysian Borneo)
closely guarded secrets about their behavior and how habitat loss and
fragmentation have impacted Sabah's biggest wild cat," said Sen Nathan,
from the satellite collaring program. "We also hope that with more
accurate data collected on its home range via satellite collars, we will
be able to provide a better management of this beautiful cat in such a
modified landscape."
More than half of the world's tropical timber products come from
Borneo, and enormous swaths of forest are being burned to make room for
palm oil plantations. Because they are sparsely populated and regarded
as unproductive, peat swamp forests are often the first choice for
deforestation. The results of these studies both offer hope and heighten
alarm as industrial activities in Borneo increase.
As
part of a conservation research study a male Sunda clouded leopard is
weighed whilst chemically anesthetized. Photo by Danau Girang Field
Centre.
Citations:
Andreas Wilting, Per Christiansen, Andrew
C. Kitchener, Yvonne J.M. Kemp, Laurentius Ambu, Jörns Fickel.
Geographical variation in and evolutionary history of the Sunda clouded
leopard (Neofelis diardi) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) with the
description of a new subspecies from Borneo. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.007
MUMBAI: Another leopard seems to have made an out-of-use factory shed in an upmarket Borivli locality
its favourite sunbathing spot. Residents of Ekta Meadows society have
been spotting the big cat often these days near the shared boundary wall
and even on the mill's terrace during the afternoon and late evening.
The housing society shares its boundary wall with the abandoned Khatau mill compound.
Used to the presence of big cats on the neighbouring terraces, some
residents have started photographing the animal. Others though are
riddled with fear and are ensuring that their children are not outside
playing.
In May, a female leopard and its cubs had homed in on
the compound, which also shares an open boundary with Sanjay Gandhi
National Park. The leopard was trapped by the national park officials
when residents protested. Since then, the society had witnessed a drop
in leopard incursions. But now another leopard seems to have made the
mill compound its home. A resident photographed the leopard on December
19 while it sat on the boundary between the mill and the society.
"The leopard frequently spotted on the mill terrace, which is at a
stone's throw from the society's recreational area," said a resident.
The big cat is also seen preying on buffaloes and deer that stray from
the national park. Though scared, residents at times put their fears
aside to photograph the animal. "It has become a safari here. People
want to see it, take pictures. But we are scared as the leopard sits
only about 15 ft away from where our children play," said Ashish Sawant,
society secretary.
Sawant said that by dusk, children are
ushered into their homes. The society pays increased electricity bills
as it uses halogen lights throughout the night. Watchmen, too, are
scared to undertake night duties when leopards lurk in the
neighbourhood. Forest officials said these are the pitfalls of living so
close to the forest. "The earlier leopards were trapped and later
released into the forest. But they will stray back as the mill offers an
ideal habitat with easy preys like dogs and buffaloes," said an
official from the national park.
KUALA LUMPUR: Pos Malaysia, in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia to
raise awareness on Malaysia’s endangered big cats, introduced a new
stamp collection of its theme.
The new collection featured four stamp designs of Malayan tiger
(Panthera tigris jacksoni), leopard (Panthera pardus), Sunda clouded
leopard (Neofelis diardi) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) which
are considered the most endangered species of wild cats in Peninsula
Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.
“We are happy to work with WWF-Malaysia to create awareness as well as
educate the public on the alarming decline of these endangered species.
“As this is the first time Pos Malaysia is issuing this kind of theme,
we hope that the stamps will inspire the public to get involved in
efforts to address the conservation needs of not only big cats but other
endangered animal species in Malaysia,” said Pos Malaysia stamp and
philatelic division head Yasmin Ramli.
Yasmin said WWF-Malaysia had contributed by providing descriptions of
the animals provided in the brochures and also by selecting and
producing the best pictures to be used for the special edition stamps.
The last stamp collection by Pos Malaysia of this year will issue the
60 sen stamp for Leopard, 80 sen for Sunda clouded leopard and clouded
leopard.
This collection will also feature a miniature sheet with the design of
Malayan tiger in RM3 denomination and other philatelic items like First
Day Cover and accompanying collectors' folder at 50 sen and RM5.50 each.
All of the items can be purchased at all Pos Malaysia outlets starting from Monday.
The new Pos Malaysia stamp collection on cats. NSTP/Khairull Azry Bidin.
Could this be proof of big cats in Gloucestershire?
COULD this be another step on a big cat tracker’s quest to prove their existence in Gloucestershire?
Frank Tunbridge believes the footage he has captured shows a large, black cat prowling a field at night. “In my mind there is nothing else it could be,” said Mr
Tunbridge, who has received 64 reports of bigs cats in Gloucestershire
in 2013. “I put the camera up at that site after about four to six residents said they had seen it. “It took about a week to get it. I know the footage is short but it’s long in the body and the size of it suggests it is a cat.”
He placed the cameras there after it was spotted prowling through fields in Winchcombe in April 2012.
Residents who tried to get close were snarled at, near Mount View Drive. A black figure appears near the bottom left hand corner of the screen near the start of the footage. Mr Tunbridge has day time footage of what is believed to be a fox, taken by the same camera, to show the area in context. Resident Keith Baker said he saw it at least 10 times, and
giant paw prints dotted the fields. Mother-of-three Carrie Short, said
“there is no way” it is a domestic cat, believing it to be a panther.
Mr Tunbridge, from Podsmead, Gloucester, has cameras set up all over the county at sighting hot spots. He knows that short of a carcass or live specimen being
caught, conclusive video footage will go along way to convincing the
public that they exist.
Stroud teaching assistant Coryn Memory used his camera to
get film of what appeared to be a black cat bounding around in fields
near her home, revealed almost two years ago. However Professor Stephen Harris, of the School of
Biological Sciences’ Mammal Research Unit at Bristol University said it
was more likely to be a large domestic cat.
University of Warwick tests to find big cat DNA on deer
carcasses discovered near Woodchester Park and Dursley only found traces
of fox and deer, almost two years ago. “I accept this footage is not conclusive but what else could it be?” said Mr Tunbridge. “All the evidence, to me, points to it being a big cat.”
By Colette Derworiz, Calgary HeraldDecember 19, 2013
Calgary,
AB; DECEMBER16, 2013 -- Photos of Canmore cougars scavenging for food
in the last 12 months were released today by Alberta Parks.Two cougars
were shot in Canmore on Sunday Dec. 15. This is not one of the cougars.
(Photo courtesy Glenn Naylor, Alberta Park /Calgary Herald) For City
story by Colette Derworiz.
Photograph by: Photo courtesy Glenn Naylor, Alberta Park
CANMORE
— With the shooting of two cougars in Canmore triggering a heated
debate in the mountain town, a wildlife officer defended his actions
Monday.
Dave Dickson, a provincial Fish and
Wildlife officer, shot the big cats on Sunday after a pet dog was killed
near a Silvertip home. Dickson described the events as “highly unusual”, saying the cougars were getting bolder. A second pet dog was also killed less than half a kilometre away between the Silvertip Resort and a ravine a few days earlier.
Early
Sunday, Dickson said he arrived at the Silvertip home, located along
Blue Grouse Ridge, and went outside with the dog’s owner. “A
cougar came running out of the trees and crossed right below us into
another patch of trees,” Dickson said Monday. “I couldn’t see (the dog),
but I could see some blood on the snow.” Dickson circled around the area and went on to the road. “I
saw the cougar come out on the top into the subdivision,” he said. “It
was wandering in among the houses and under decks. It felt very
comfortable walking around the houses — another sign that we had a
problem.”
It was still dark, but Dickson
continued to track the cougar with his flashlight. As he looked under a
deck at one home, he heard a noise on another deck behind him. “The
cougar was on the other side of the glass and panicked because it
realized I was right there,” he said. “It felt trapped in there and was
slamming itself into the glass on the far side.”
Dickson said he backed off and the cougar calmed down, but then tried to ram into the French doors on the unoccupied house. After shooting the young cougar, he offered to retrieve the pet and saw a second big cat. “When
I started walking to the dog, I realized there was another cougar right
on it,” he said, noting he backed away and came in from another
direction.
He thought the cougar had left the area, but saw movement as he approached again. “It
was still there. It had left and come back,” he said. “It was
crouching, facing me, which was odd and a little disturbing. I have
always seen them retreat.” After shooting the second cougar, he realized she was a large female. “She didn’t actually look that healthy.” Both cougars will go in for a full necropsy on Tuesday.
Some
residents have suggested on social media that it was unnecessary for
Dickson to shoot the animals, but others say he did the right thing. “It
was the right decision and an unfortunate one,” said Kevin Van Tighem, a
biologist and the former superintendent of Banff National Park. “Once a cougar learns to hunt a certain kind of prey, it is going to continue that behaviour.”
Van Tighem, who lives in Canmore, said the problem had developed long before Sunday. “He
had to clean up the mess,” Van Tighem said, noting the cougars had
likely become accustomed to being around off-leash dogs. “Someone else’s
irresponsible behaviour led to the death of the cougars, not the
officer’s.”
Dickson said he stands by his decision. “There was a serious public safety aspect ... we were going to do whatever we could to remove them.”
A
close up of a Sunda clouded leopard. Photo courtesy of Spencer Wright
under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
