Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Can Big Cats Co-Exist? Study Challenges Lion Threat to Cheetah Cubs
The authors argue that rather than being the norm, the low survival
of cheetah cubs reported on the Serengeti Plains may be exceptional. The
plains are open landscapes, making cubs more vulnerable to predators.
(Credit: Wiley)
Dec. 2, 2013 — New research into
cheetah cub survival has refuted the theory that lions are a cub's main
predator and that big cats cannot coexist in conservation areas. The
study, published in the Journal of Zoology, found that cubs in
the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park were seven times more likely to survive
then on the Serengeti Plains and that lions were not found to be the
cubs' main predatory threat.
Previously, research on the Serengeti Plains found that only 4.8% of
125 cheetah cubs (Acinonyx jubatus) monitored from the den to
adolescence survived. The theory that cheetah cubs are at high risk from
lions has impacted conservation strategies as it is believed protected
areas may not be suitable for cheetahs if they cannot coexist with large
predators.
In the latest study the authors visited a series of dens to study the litters of six adult female cheetahs. They found that in Kgalagadi 55% of litters and 53.6% of cubs survived to emergence. Lions were found to account for only 6.7% of mortality cases, in contrast with the Serengeti where 78.2% of cases were ascribed to lions.
The authors argue that rather than being the norm, the low survival of cheetah cubs reported on the Serengeti Plains may be exceptional. The plains are open landscapes, making cubs more vulnerable to predators.
There are also major differences in the cheetah's prey. In the Serengeti, gazelles are migratory, which may make it difficult for adult females to hunt. However in Kgalagadi, the steenbok population is sedentary and represents a constant source of food. "Our study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, cheetah cub mortality may not always be inordinately high, and that lions are not necessarily their major predator," said Dr. Michael Gus Mills. "Cheetahs can coexist successfully in protected areas with other large carnivores."
In the latest study the authors visited a series of dens to study the litters of six adult female cheetahs. They found that in Kgalagadi 55% of litters and 53.6% of cubs survived to emergence. Lions were found to account for only 6.7% of mortality cases, in contrast with the Serengeti where 78.2% of cases were ascribed to lions.
The authors argue that rather than being the norm, the low survival of cheetah cubs reported on the Serengeti Plains may be exceptional. The plains are open landscapes, making cubs more vulnerable to predators.
There are also major differences in the cheetah's prey. In the Serengeti, gazelles are migratory, which may make it difficult for adult females to hunt. However in Kgalagadi, the steenbok population is sedentary and represents a constant source of food. "Our study has shown that, contrary to popular belief, cheetah cub mortality may not always be inordinately high, and that lions are not necessarily their major predator," said Dr. Michael Gus Mills. "Cheetahs can coexist successfully in protected areas with other large carnivores."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Wiley.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- M. G. L. Mills, M. E. J. Mills. Cheetah cub survival revisited: a re-evaluation of the role of predation, especially by lions, and implications for conservation. Journal of Zoology, 2013; DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12087
Wiley (2013, December 2). Can big cats co-exist? Study challenges lion threat to cheetah cubs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2013/12/131202121308.htm
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Panther Sightings Cross Mississippi
"It sounds like a woman screaming," Dan Wilkes said on a rainy day in Rosewood.
Posted: Dec 02, 2013
Ricky Brown's trail cam caught this image of an animal outside of Vicksburg. Some have said it is a panther.
Ricky Brown said he is not letting his children down to his
mudding hole in Warren County for the time being. He says he fearful
that a panther is crossing through his land.
Dan Wilkes says he saw a panther 15 years ago along a treeline in
Rosewood. The MDWFP reports there is no evidence that panthers exist in
the state.
Dan Wilkes says it's generally accepted that "big cats" exist in
wooded areas across the state. The MDWFP does not recognize that
panthers live in the state.
Thousands of stories. Thousands of supposed sightings. Do big cats, specifically panthers, stalk the forests of Mississippi?
State officials say there is not enough evidence to support whatever that whatever-they-are actually exist.
In this MYSTERY MONDAY, Jacob Kittilstad goes on the hunt for answers when it comes to big cats.
Some people have seen tracks in the mud. Others swear their animals have been spooked.
But most common encounter are with the calls.
"It sounds like a woman screaming," Dan Wilkes said on a rainy day in Rosewood.
Wilkes says he's a believer. He says he saw a panther with brown coloring in Warren County about 15 years ago.
He estimates it's body was five feet long with a tail adding another four feet to its length.
"Big
cat. At first I thought it was a deer. And Then I got a better look at
it as it was running down the treeline," Wilkes said.
"I
was sitting in a combine and had a good vantage point and this big cat,
probably 50 yards from us, took off and ran to our left. It stretched
out," Wilkes said.
Ricky Hall, who
lives right outside of Vicksburg, has a photo of an animal that was
captured on his trail cam. It shows a large cat in broad daylight
walking around a mudding hole.
"We
got a farmer across the street there. He's got cows out there. And the
way the picture's showing from where it's set up it's like it's coming
from that way," Wilkes said
"It's
pretty good size. It's bigger than a dog. It's got some big feet, little
short pointed ears. And it looks like its tail's got a few stripes on
it," Wilkes said.
"But it's dark," Wilkes said.
But the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has a different view.
A
statement from Jim Walker, an agency spokesperson, says "...most
physical evidence sent to the MDWFP is later identified as remains of
large feral cats or other animals. Our biologists have not confirmed any
panthers or cougars are in Mississippi"."
Despite the state's stance, Brown says the picture still has him nervous.
"They said they'll attack so I wouldn't let my kids go back down there," Brown said
Wilkes also disagrees. Although his sighting was 15 years ago he says he will never forget what was before his eyes.
"At
first I'm like 'Wow, this is what I'm seeing'. You know, it's not a
deer. It's not a bobcat. You go through the list mentally and within the
first half-second. And you know without a doubt it's a large cat,"
Wilkes said.
"Everybody accepts it.
Everybody knows it. Especially in the Northeastern part of Warren
County. Deeper in the woods, so to speak," Wilkes said.
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THE Best Cat Cam-Trap Images
Don't look too surprised, giant kitty — you're live on candid camera trap!
Zoologists and ecologists these days use "camera traps," or
motion-activated cameras hidden in natural habitats, to observe wildlife
without harming them. The resulting pictures are often heartbreakingly
gorgeous, occasionally goofy, and reveal animals we never knew existed.Top image: An African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) amazed by a camera trap in Kenya, 2011. via National Geographic.
A Borneo bay cat (Pardofelis badia), captured in November 2013.
Only 2,500 of them are thought to exist on Borneo, the third largest island in the world. These rarely spotten animals were first photographed in 2003.
Five Wild Cat Species Photographed in Indonesia, 2013
3Clouded leopard
Golden cat
Marbled cat
Leopard cat
Sumatran tiger
An African golden cat (Profelis aurata) from Uganda's Kibale National Park, November 2013
A female Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) with two cubs in the Wangqing Nature Reserve, China, November 2013
(via National Geographic)A wild tiger chasing a porcupine in the Indian Terai, April 2013
(via Panthera)
An oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), photographed in Bolivia's Madidi National park, July 2012
(via LiveScience)
A female Bengal Tiger carrying a one-month-old cub, taken in the Kosi River Corridor, India, November 2011
(via Wired)
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A trip to Florida: celebrating the iconic Florida panther
02 December 2013
Goats enjoyed their hay in a specially designed enclosure for use in Florida panther and bear habitat.
There was plenty to be done: held at North Collier Regional Park, the festival featured over 45 vendors and exhibitors, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Audubon Society and, of course, Defenders of Wildlife! Shannon and I made sure exhibitors and volunteers had everything they needed for a successful day at the festival before turning to our own booth. People were hard at work constructing livestock enclosures, building displays and preparing to give talks. It became clear that the festival was about more than Florida panthers: it was about teaching kids to appreciate and enjoy nature, helping people live harmoniously alongside wildlife and celebrating Florida’s rich and diverse natural habitat.
Ranger showed festivalgoers what a Florida panther looks like in real life!
Inside the park’s recreation building, vendors and exhibitors welcomed visitors with fun activities like face painting and scavenger hunts for kids and information on Florida wildlife. At the Defenders table, we listened to visitors share their stories about their encounters with Florida’s native animals, and we gave out guides to living with wildlife. In one of the meeting rooms, speakers gave talks about subjects ranging from coexistence with panthers and bears to Florida’s invasive python problem. Larry Richardson, supervisory wildlife biologist at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, spoke on the importance of prescribed burning in panther habitat. The next day, I learned just what he was talking about when I had the rare opportunity to visit the refuge and see its beauty for myself.
We started off with a swamp buggy tour, plowing through deep standing water and passing by what seemed like hundreds of squat, stout cabbage palm trees. Refuge biologist Wade Gurley explained that these hardy palms are native to Florida, but if too prevalent can pose a danger to the trees around them.
a panther crossing sign in Collier County, Florida.
A panther’s print in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.
The second half of the tour was a nature walk, where Larry Richardson led us through part of the refuge. He pointed out bear scat (where a multitude of seeds from fruit the bear had eaten were now growing quite rapidly!) and a panther scrape, from when a Florida panther stopped to scrape the ground and scent mark its territory. Larry invited us to look closer, and we saw another scrape close by. He told us that he himself had actually made it several days ago to tempt the panther to follow suit so we could see a real one. It certainly worked!
On our way out of Naples, Elizabeth and I drove through panther habitat outside of the refuge, and she showed me the wildlife crossings built to allow panthers and other wildlife to safely pass beneath busy roads. We got out of the car for a closer look and I was treated to one last surprise: two alligators basking on the banks of a canal by the roadside!
When I left for Florida, I was determined to learn why the panther was so important, and why Floridians and conservationists were so passionate about it. The Florida panther is a beautiful and unique subspecies, worth protecting in its own right. But I also realized that saving the Florida panther means saving Florida’s priceless natural habitat. This species is truly representative of the state and its wild places, which are unlike anywhere else in the world.
I’m so grateful to the Florida office for their time and help in making this trip a truly special one, and I can’t wait to return. Most of all, I can’t wait to work even harder to help protect the Florida panther and the other unique species that call Florida home.
Haley McKey, Communications Associate
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Graham the cat visits pet store every day...
... paying particular attention to the mice and fish for sale; how much for the lot?
- The ginger-and-white tom is a regular customer at the Pets at Home store in Boston, Lincolnshire
- The cheeky moggy even waits outside at 9am for the doors to open
- Video shows Graham staring transfixed at a goldfish tank and trying unsuccessfully to claw his way into a rodent cage
Meet the cheeky cat who must think he’s lost all his nine lives and gone to feline heaven.
A ginger-and-white tom - nicknamed ‘Graham’ – has adopted a giant pet shop stuffed with toys, food and fish, as his second home.
For the past few months he's been visiting the Pets at Home store in Boston, Lincolnshire, every day – even waiting outside for the doors to open at 9am.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Every day's a purr-fect day for Graham: He's pictured here trying to catch a fish at the Boston Pets at Home store
Curious: Graham is very drawn to the rodent section of the store
Once inside, he wanders over to the till enclosure and opens the staff gate with his paw before jumping on the counter. Graham can also be seen attempting to claw his way - unsuccessfully - into a rodent enclosure and staring transfixed at a goldfish tank.
Loyal: Graham turns up to the pet store every day - and gleefully wanders the aisles
Patient: Graham waits outside the doors before opening time
No paws-ing: Graham trots straight in at 9am
Deputy manager Vicky Coker said: ‘Sometimes he sits on the mat and greets customers as they come in.’
As for the pets for sale, staff insist that he doesn’t scare them at all. George Tarbox, 19, who’s worked at the store for five months, said: 'Curiously enough, the animals here don’t react to him. They’re not scared at all. Anyway, they’re protected by a plastic screen, so he doesn’t cause any harm. That’s why we like him. He likes to sit and watch the rodents, dragons and fish we have in store.
Cat's nice: The staff at Pets at Home enjoy fussing Graham
Comfort: The till enclosure is a favourite spot for Graham
‘Initially we discouraged him from coming in, but he kept coming back.
‘We thought it wouldn't be very good to keep shooing him out as pets are always welcome here - although they're usually on a lead when they come in.’
Graham spends hours at a time at the store and staff feed him the occasional treat to stop him thieving products that are for sale and play with him using toys that won’t be sold.
Window shopping: Graham spends hours at a time at the store and gets to play with toys - but only the ones that aren't for sale
And so far their tactics are working.
Mr Tarbox added: ‘We have caught him chewing on a packet of cat food before, but he's generally no trouble. ‘He's become a bit of a celebrity too as we often have customers asking where he is. ‘The kids, especially, love him. He’s a big draw for them.'
Mr Tarbox says he’s claimed ownership of Graham because he named him – but believes he does have an owner, as he has a collar. Staff have no idea who it is, though.
Graham never spends the night at the store because it has a motion-activated alarm that he would set off. Instead, he's put outside at the end of the day and left to find his way home to his owner, whoever it is. 'We always say to him "see you tomorrow," said Mr Tarbox. 'Because we know he'll be back.'
Graham's loyalty isn't just appreciated by the Boston store's customers and staff - it's been recognised by the Pets at Home head office. He's been awarded 'Customer of the Year', with the prestigious title bestowed upon him in a ceremony on Friday. He received a certificate, a new gold collar and a name tag engraved with his new title.
Pets at Home are now urging Graham’s owners to come forward so that they can be rewarded for their loyalty with a privilege card and be given a tour of the store that Graham knows only too well.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Big cats raise zoo footfall
INDORE:
With the arrival of new guests - the lion pair Akash and Megha - Kamla
Nehru Zoological Park has become one of the most sought after places for
Indoreans to spend their weekend.
The pair, in their vast enclosure of 4880 sq meter, attracts visitors even on weekdays. The zoo witnesses a footfall of almost 4,000 visitors, which was earlier 500, a day.
Akarsh Shrivastava, a student, said, "Lion has his own charm. It is worth coming here, as both Akash and Megha have added life to the park. Now, the family is complete."
Another visitor, entrepreneur Meenakshi Aswal, said, "This is for the first time that I visited zoo. My kids were insistent on showing them the newly-arrived lion pair. It is really great to watch the activities of the pair."
The zoo is now attracting visitors from outside the city too. "I have come from Khandwa to see lions here. It feels good to see these big cats," said Subhash Singare.
"The zoo was waiting for lions since a very long time," said zoo in charge Dr Uttam Yadav. He added that there is an increase in zoo revenue which now touches almost Rs 10,000 a day.
"We are happy to get such a huge response from visitors," said a zoo official Sheikh Wajid.
The pair has been cynosure of all eyes since the day of its arrival. The regular diet of the inmates includes 8-10 kg of beef, mutton and chicken. The three-and-a-half-year old members were brought from Bilaspur recently.
The pair, in their vast enclosure of 4880 sq meter, attracts visitors even on weekdays. The zoo witnesses a footfall of almost 4,000 visitors, which was earlier 500, a day.
Akarsh Shrivastava, a student, said, "Lion has his own charm. It is worth coming here, as both Akash and Megha have added life to the park. Now, the family is complete."
Another visitor, entrepreneur Meenakshi Aswal, said, "This is for the first time that I visited zoo. My kids were insistent on showing them the newly-arrived lion pair. It is really great to watch the activities of the pair."
The zoo is now attracting visitors from outside the city too. "I have come from Khandwa to see lions here. It feels good to see these big cats," said Subhash Singare.
"The zoo was waiting for lions since a very long time," said zoo in charge Dr Uttam Yadav. He added that there is an increase in zoo revenue which now touches almost Rs 10,000 a day.
"We are happy to get such a huge response from visitors," said a zoo official Sheikh Wajid.
The pair has been cynosure of all eyes since the day of its arrival. The regular diet of the inmates includes 8-10 kg of beef, mutton and chicken. The three-and-a-half-year old members were brought from Bilaspur recently.
CATS Coming To The Big Screen?!
Andrew Lloyd Webber Says 'They're Talking About' It!
December 1, 2013
by Pat Cerasaro
World renown composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is currently overseeing the final rehearsals for his new West End musical STEPHEN WARD, set to begin previews later this week, but he has also just revealed a tantalizing new tidbit while making promotional appearances in support of the new project - his treasured fantasy musical CATS may be ready to journey beyond the heavyside layer all the way to Hollywood in a big screen adaptation of the feline-themed worldwide mega-hit.
Potential producers of a film adaptation of CATS at Universal already posses the rights and are more than ready to pounce on the property ever since they witnessed the worldwide success of LES MISERABLES at the domestic and international box office, according to Lloyd Webber.
Commenting on the participation of LES MISERABLES and CATS producer Cameron Mackintosh and his involvement with LES MISERABLES onstage and onscreen, Lloyd Webber asserts, "I haven't seen the [LES MISERABLES] film but it's fantastic for musicals because everybody wants to make them again. Universal has now got CATS out of the drawer in which they locked it years ago when they bought the rights and suddenly they're talking about a film."
Lloyd Webber added of the initial uncertainty of the risky and unique theatrical entity when it first premiered, "You never know in life. We never knew whether the public was going to love CATS until the moment we saw a cat go on stage. It could have been the most terrible moment of bathos in musical theatre."
Candidly observing, Lloyd Webber recalls, "I remember sitting backstage waiting for the response. Somehow we got away with it."
Just one pop culture phenomenon can change the course of a property's trajectory from dwindling returns to red hot, Lloyd Webber says - citing Susan Boyle's recent multi-platinum rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream" as instigating the momentum behind a movie musical adaptation of LES MISERABLES finally hitting the screen last year after decades in development and many false starts.
"You can never work out in life how anything's going to go. Take LES MISERABLES. Three or four years ago it was closing around the world and there was no film likely. Susan Boyle comes along and does that 'I Dreamed A Dream' and the show has now become the biggest musical around the world. Just that one little thing turned it around," Lloyd Webber says.
"She could have just as easily have gone on and done 'Memory'," Lloyd Webber remarks, ever the showman ready for his next big hit.
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Sunday, December 1, 2013
Two of NFL's fastest players race against CHEETAHS in NatGeo special
- Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and Chicago Bears kick returner Devin Hester went toe-to-paw with cheetahs Jenna and Nave
- Race was taped in May at Busch Gardens' Cheetah Run in Tampa, Florida
- NatGeo built 220-foot-long course with 10-foot-tall wall separating players from animals
- Races were filmed without script in a single take not to exhaust animals
- Cheetahs are world's fastest land mammals that can go 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds
Ever wondered if a super-fast football player could outrun a cheetah?
NatGeo Wild has turned this hypothetical question into a one-hour documentary called Man v Cheetah, which premieres tonight at 9pm as part of the network’s Big Cat Week.
The wild battle of speed and endurance was staged several months ago at Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida, pitting two of America’s fastest NFL players against a pair of cheetahs.
Scroll down for video
Wild race: Chicago Bears Devin Hester races a
cheetah during a scientific matchup between nature's fastest land mammal
and the super-agile wide receiver and kick returner in the Big Cat Week
special Man Vs. Cheetah
Who's faster? Tennessee Titans running back
Chris Johnson goes toe-to-paw against a cheetah on a 220-foot-long
course at Busch Gardens Tampa
Grand unveiling: The one-hour documentary called Man v Cheetah, which was shot back in May, premieres tonight at 9pm
Jenny Apostol, the executive producer of the program, told Tampa Bay Times she and her team 'had no idea what was going to happen' when they invited Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and Chicago Bears kick returner Devin Hester to go head-to-head with the fastest land mammals on earth.
On paper, the bipedal runners appear to be at a clear disadvantage compared to the lightning-fast big cats that can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.
In the past, Johnson and Hester have clocked 4.24 seconds and 4.4 seconds, respectively, in the 40-yard dash, while cheetahs Jenna and Nave have reached speeds of 62 mph.
For comparison, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the fastest person ever, set a world record in 2009 by clocking 9.58-seconds in the 100-meter dash - more than 27 mph.
Record times: In the past, Hester (left) has
clocked at 4.4 second in the 40-yard dash, while Johnson (right) has
posted 4.24 seconds
For the epic race held in May, NatGeo constructed a 220-foot-long course at Busch Gardens’ Cheetah Run with a 10-foot-tall barrier wall separating the human runners from their feline counterparts, Jenna and Nave.
Need for speed: Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt,
regarded as the fastest person ever, set a world record in 2009 by
clocking 9.58-seconds in the 100-meter dash - but a cheetah would've
beat him by 3.5 seconds
Hester and Johnson could not see their furry foes but ran simultaneously in one-on-one heats.
Johnson told USA Today that when he was approached by NatGeo with the idea to race a cheetah, he did not hesitate.
The doubts came later when the 191-pound running back arrived at the track and found out that the show's producers had to build a higher barrier because one of the cheetah had leaped over the first one.
Hester said during filming that in a worst-case scenario, he was hoping to outrun his four-legged rival.
Some 20 video cameras were installed along the track to capture the action from every angle.
The filming was unscripted and shot in a single take so as not to exhaust the animals, according to the show's producer.
To give the NFL players a fair shot, NatGeo set up the races in such a way that the runners had to sprint back and forth and rapidly change directions - something that may be tricky for an animal, RedEye Chicago reported.
Busch Gardens Tampa has a total of five cheetahs in its collection. Their handlers exercise the critters every day by making them chase a lure on a pulley to keep them fit and healthy.
Jenna and Nave were born in 2010 in De Wildt, South Africa, and came to Busch Gardens in 2011. Jenna weighs 90lbs, while Nave tips the scales at 85lbs
Menagerie: Busch Gardens' Cheetah Run in Tampa has a total of 5 big cats, among them the two racers - Jenna and Nave
Incomparable runners: The lightning-fast big
cats can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds - but quick direction changes
could pose a problem
Paws-atively Awesome: Big Cat Week Kicks Off Tonight
Big Cat Week kicks off on Friday at 8P with Swamp Lions, a story of bravery and perseverance about three mother lions fighting to defend their young. With the tribe’s male killed off by poachers and two other lions keen on taking the tribe as their own by killing its cubs, the mothers must hunt or be hunted in their difficult quagmire habitat of Zambia’s Busanga swamp.
Next up at 9P is Man v. Cheetah, which pits the big cat’s legendary speed and unprecedented agility against two unlikely competitors: Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears. These two athletes test their own big cat-like speed against the cheetah’s in the ultimate fast-paced showdown. The cheetah is up against stiff competition: Johnson, officially the fastest active player in the NFL, can running the 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds and boasts some of the league’s the highest vertical leaps and longest broad jumps, while Hester is considered the NFL’s most agile player, holding the all-time record for the most kicks and punts returned for touchdowns. But can the two Pro Bowlers prevail over the cheetah. built by nature to reach maximum speeds?
Night one of Big Cat Week concludes with Super Cat at 10P. Dedicated to showcasing the big cats’ superhuman capabilities, Super Cat measures the strength, speed, velocity, bite force, problem-solving skills and other stunning abilities of nature’s toughest felines. Celebrate the big cats’ incredible minds and bodies with this special showcase of their superpowers, put to the test.
Check out Friday’s episode guide here and tune in starting at 8P for your first taste of big cats!
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The Very Rare Amur Leopard and Her Cubs (video)
Snow leopards are some of the rarest big cats around, but they're not the rarest leopards in east Asia. That sad title goes to the Amur leopard, of which there are only a few dozen left. But they're not gone yet: the camera trap footage above shows a female with a pair of cubs going for a stroll in notheast China.
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which shared the footage, there are between 30 and 50 individuals left in eastern Russia, based on camera trap surveys conducted with Russian scientists since 1997. The IUCN has listed the leopard subspecies as critically endangered since 1996, with a couple surveys in the last decade pegging their numbers at slightly lower than the WCS estimate.
This most recent camera footage is heartening, and the WCS says it's the first record of the cat actually breeding in China, a region where the cat has been thought to be extinct for some time. Like snow leopards and Amur tigers, the Amur leopard makes its home in the remote mountainous and forested regions of Russia's Far East, northeast China, and the northern portion of the Korean peninsula. But unlike the latter two cats, Amur leopards avoid the deep snows of the northern part of the regions, and as human development expands from the south and west, they've been pinched in ever-smaller territory. That makes the discovery of breeding leopards in China even better.
“This incredible find is important for two reasons. Firstly, it shows that our current efforts are paying off but, secondly, it shows that China can no longer be considered peripheral to the fate of both wild Amur leopards and tigers,” WCS Executive Director for Asia Programs Joe Walstos said in a release. "With a few key decisions by the government, China could become a major sanctuary for the species.”
Aside from habitat loss, Amur leopards are also vulnerable to poaching—again, a trait shared with snow leopards and Amur tigers. With such a population, losing adults to poaching is a critical blow; on the flip side, with so few individuals left, they're extremely difficult to find. A more existential threat is that of keeping such a tiny gene pool diverse and healthy, a problem that captive breeding programs hope to solve. In any case, seeing a couple cubs out and about is a positive sign.
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Do cats really hate petting?
You may have caught wind of a recent study from Ramos et al., “Are cats (Felis catus) from multi-cat households more stressed? Evidence from assessment of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analysis”, which was just published in the journal Physiology & Behavior.
Here’s just a taste of the headlines of news stories that covered the study:
If you’re a cat lover like me, you might be feeling a little
concerned! Let’s look at what the study sought to examine, what they
found and what they didn’t find, and how the media interpreted the
results.
The authors state that their main research question was to determine if living in a multi-cat household is stressful for cats. Cats are considered somewhat flexible in their ability to co-habitate with other cats, although this can depend on availability of resources. Feral cats will congregate over food sources and aid in co-mothering, and of course, many of our pet cats live in groups, as many cat owners have more than one—the average number of cats per cat-owning household is 2.1. But group living may cause stress when animals must compete for access to resources.
Previous studies looking at stress levels in co-housed cats only looked at large group sizes, so the authors of the current study looked at more “typical” household cat population sizes: solo cats, cats living in pairs, and cats living in groups of three to four. The study included 60 households (23 singletons; 20 households with 2 cats; 17 households with 3–4 cats) for a total of 120 cats. Cats were divided into two age groups (under 2 years/over 2 years). All cats were at least six months of age, indoors only, and lived in houses with no dogs. None of the cats were subject to any stressors during the study such as vet visits and no cats had reported behavior problems. Unaltered cats were included in the study unless they were in heat.
Four fecal samples were collected and frozen for each cat by the owner, just after elimination; they were then assayed for glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM; stress hormones). The owners were asked to describe their cats as either bossy, timid or easygoing, and answered some questions about interactions with their cat (including petting).
The results indicated no effect of group size, sex, or neuter status on GCM. However, there was an interaction between age and group size, with younger cats having higher GCM if they were singly housed compared to if living in homes with 3–4 cats. For cats over 2 years of age the effect was the opposite—living with in groups of 3 or 4 cats increased presence of stress hormones in feces. There were no differences in GCM levels based on age when cats lived in pairs.
What does this have to do with petting and stress? Good question. Owners were asked if cats appreciated being petted, and owners could select: “enjoy”, “tolerate” or “dislike.” Note: no cats were pet during the study, nor were owners asked how much they actually try to pet their cats.
There was a statistically non-significant indication that cats who “tolerate” petting had higher GCM than those who “dislike” petting. Now I’m going to tell you why I think this is a weak (or possibly non-interesting) finding.
First, are glucocorticoids a good indicator of stress? The problem with using GCMs as a measure of stress is that stress hormones can fluctuate in response to many different things—such as time of day, food, excitement, and most animals have different baseline levels of these hormones. Without other controls, basically what you can say is that at the time of defecation, some cats may have had higher GCMs than others.
There are some statistical issues with how the data were analyzed in this study, and how the results were reported. As the paper stated, for the petting variable “there was some evidence of a potential main effect.” That means that there was not enough statistical evidence that there was a true difference between cats who enjoy, tolerate or dislike petting, although there may have been a trend in that direction. Another concern is that the effect size was not reported—so even though it’s a questionable finding, and likely not statistically significant, if there is a difference between the different groups of cats, how “big” of a difference is there between cats who “tolerate” versus “dislike” petting?
Finally, the authors found a kind of weird result. Basically, cats who only “tolerate” petting had a higher GCM than cats who “dislike” petting, but not higher than cats who “enjoy” petting. This is again, based on owner report. How well do owners distinguish between cats who dislike or only tolerate petting? What were the criteria for categorizing these cats? Why would cats who “dislike” petting have low stress levels on par with cats who do enjoy it?
Then there is the weird explanation for the weird result: “It may be that those who overtly dislike the activity are avoided or manage to avoid it, unlike those who tolerate it.” Maybe, but that’s not the data that was actually collected, so the explanation seems a bit strange as a possible hypothesis. Were the owners even petting their cats when they collected the stress hormone samples? (I doubt many people pet their cats while they are defecating!)—so how could petting contribute to stress unless you know how much the owners actually pet their cats? Also, only four cats were reported as disliking petting, so the sample size is also problematic.
Sadly, and not surprisingly, this kind of strange result is the part of the study that the media ran wild with. Suddenly, cats hate petting, even if they seem to tolerate it, and you are stressing your cat out! What is probably most useful is learning to read cats’ behavioral signals, and let them tell you if they like petting.
At the same time, the media ignored the significant finding about age and group living, one that could lead to interesting future studies, especially with better measures of stress. Do younger cats cope better with living in large groups? Are they bored if they live alone? As they age, do they become stressed out with living with other cats or is this due to being introduced to other cats as adults? Based on GCM measures, the results suggest that for cats over the age of two, living alone or with one feline buddy is just fine, but no more please; and when you are young, the more the merrier! I hope to see more research on this important topic in the future!
So a potentially interesting cat study leaves me wanting a bit more. But really, the frustrating part is how the media responded! Instead of increasing our understanding of cats and their behavior, the representation of the results of this study could just reinforce the idea that cats are not affectionate, something we cat experts know just isn’t true.
Images by Jacqueline Munera.
source
Here’s just a taste of the headlines of news stories that covered the study:
- Your cat is stressed out by your perpetual petting
- Oops: Petting Your Cat Stresses Her Out
- Science: Your cat might hate getting pet
- Don’t Touch Kitty: Petting May Stress Out Your Cat
- An Unstroked Kitty Is A Happier Cat, Says Study
The authors state that their main research question was to determine if living in a multi-cat household is stressful for cats. Cats are considered somewhat flexible in their ability to co-habitate with other cats, although this can depend on availability of resources. Feral cats will congregate over food sources and aid in co-mothering, and of course, many of our pet cats live in groups, as many cat owners have more than one—the average number of cats per cat-owning household is 2.1. But group living may cause stress when animals must compete for access to resources.
Previous studies looking at stress levels in co-housed cats only looked at large group sizes, so the authors of the current study looked at more “typical” household cat population sizes: solo cats, cats living in pairs, and cats living in groups of three to four. The study included 60 households (23 singletons; 20 households with 2 cats; 17 households with 3–4 cats) for a total of 120 cats. Cats were divided into two age groups (under 2 years/over 2 years). All cats were at least six months of age, indoors only, and lived in houses with no dogs. None of the cats were subject to any stressors during the study such as vet visits and no cats had reported behavior problems. Unaltered cats were included in the study unless they were in heat.
Four fecal samples were collected and frozen for each cat by the owner, just after elimination; they were then assayed for glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM; stress hormones). The owners were asked to describe their cats as either bossy, timid or easygoing, and answered some questions about interactions with their cat (including petting).
The results indicated no effect of group size, sex, or neuter status on GCM. However, there was an interaction between age and group size, with younger cats having higher GCM if they were singly housed compared to if living in homes with 3–4 cats. For cats over 2 years of age the effect was the opposite—living with in groups of 3 or 4 cats increased presence of stress hormones in feces. There were no differences in GCM levels based on age when cats lived in pairs.
What does this have to do with petting and stress? Good question. Owners were asked if cats appreciated being petted, and owners could select: “enjoy”, “tolerate” or “dislike.” Note: no cats were pet during the study, nor were owners asked how much they actually try to pet their cats.
There was a statistically non-significant indication that cats who “tolerate” petting had higher GCM than those who “dislike” petting. Now I’m going to tell you why I think this is a weak (or possibly non-interesting) finding.
First, are glucocorticoids a good indicator of stress? The problem with using GCMs as a measure of stress is that stress hormones can fluctuate in response to many different things—such as time of day, food, excitement, and most animals have different baseline levels of these hormones. Without other controls, basically what you can say is that at the time of defecation, some cats may have had higher GCMs than others.
There are some statistical issues with how the data were analyzed in this study, and how the results were reported. As the paper stated, for the petting variable “there was some evidence of a potential main effect.” That means that there was not enough statistical evidence that there was a true difference between cats who enjoy, tolerate or dislike petting, although there may have been a trend in that direction. Another concern is that the effect size was not reported—so even though it’s a questionable finding, and likely not statistically significant, if there is a difference between the different groups of cats, how “big” of a difference is there between cats who “tolerate” versus “dislike” petting?
Finally, the authors found a kind of weird result. Basically, cats who only “tolerate” petting had a higher GCM than cats who “dislike” petting, but not higher than cats who “enjoy” petting. This is again, based on owner report. How well do owners distinguish between cats who dislike or only tolerate petting? What were the criteria for categorizing these cats? Why would cats who “dislike” petting have low stress levels on par with cats who do enjoy it?
Then there is the weird explanation for the weird result: “It may be that those who overtly dislike the activity are avoided or manage to avoid it, unlike those who tolerate it.” Maybe, but that’s not the data that was actually collected, so the explanation seems a bit strange as a possible hypothesis. Were the owners even petting their cats when they collected the stress hormone samples? (I doubt many people pet their cats while they are defecating!)—so how could petting contribute to stress unless you know how much the owners actually pet their cats? Also, only four cats were reported as disliking petting, so the sample size is also problematic.
Sadly, and not surprisingly, this kind of strange result is the part of the study that the media ran wild with. Suddenly, cats hate petting, even if they seem to tolerate it, and you are stressing your cat out! What is probably most useful is learning to read cats’ behavioral signals, and let them tell you if they like petting.
At the same time, the media ignored the significant finding about age and group living, one that could lead to interesting future studies, especially with better measures of stress. Do younger cats cope better with living in large groups? Are they bored if they live alone? As they age, do they become stressed out with living with other cats or is this due to being introduced to other cats as adults? Based on GCM measures, the results suggest that for cats over the age of two, living alone or with one feline buddy is just fine, but no more please; and when you are young, the more the merrier! I hope to see more research on this important topic in the future!
So a potentially interesting cat study leaves me wanting a bit more. But really, the frustrating part is how the media responded! Instead of increasing our understanding of cats and their behavior, the representation of the results of this study could just reinforce the idea that cats are not affectionate, something we cat experts know just isn’t true.
Images by Jacqueline Munera.
source
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