Savanah and Max--the best of friends

They've been friends since they were pup and cub, now Savanah the cheetah won't give Max the dog a moment's rest

• A cheetah and a Labrador have become best friends in at an Ohio zoo
• Savanah and Max have been playing together since they were cub and pup
• Their joy over the first snow was captured on film at Cincinnati zoo

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 12:13 EST, 18 December 2013

These stunning images could be mistaken for a cheetah ravenously chasing down a dog, but in fact, the pair playing in the snow at an Ohio zoo are best of friends. 

Savanah, the one-and-a-half-year-old cheetah and Max, a Labrador who is just a few weeks younger, were put together when Savanah was just ten-weeks-old. 

The adorable footage shows Savanah and Max playfully chasing after each other in an enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo.

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Unlikely pals: Savanah, the cheetah and Max the dog play together at Cincinatti Zoo

BFFs: Savanah and Max wasted no time when the first snow fell, and just like young children were very excitable and wasted no time playing in the snow

Cheetah and dog frolic in the snow 

Ever since, their friendship has amazed visitors at Cincinatti Zoo, who are delighted but confused as to why the spotted beast hasn't eaten the dashing hound.

In the video Savanah is seen chasing Max around an enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo and pouncing on him in some bushes.

The exuberant Labrador appeared to have more energy than his cheetah friend and, as Savanah caught her breath, he leaped through the air and into her, before the pair tore off again.

Max is part of a program that uses companion dogs to give cheetahs born in captivity more confidence. 

Cuteness overload: Savanah and Max play together as cub and pup last year

Best friends: Savannah was introduced to Labrador Max when she was still a cub

Savanah got a taste for chasing Max from an early age and has been doing it ever since

A temporary pause in the action as Savanah catches his breath and Max chews on a toy... but for how long?

Give me that! Back to his dominant self, Savanah wants what Max has got and despite being much smaller, fancies his chances at getting it

Snow pals: The cheetah and the dog were put together when Savanah was just 10-weeks-old, and ever since, their friendship has amazed visitors at Cincinatti Zoo

Her best bud: Max is part of a program that uses companion dogs to give cheetahs born in captivity more confidence

Just the two of us: In Cincinnati Zoo, Savannah and Max have been inseparable since being introduced as youngsters last year

Many of the cheetahs living in captivity find it hard to relate to other big cats, and safari parks were struggling with breeding programs for the endangered species.  But when San Diego Zoo started pairing the big cats with dogs about 30 years ago it marked the start of a beautiful friendship.

'The dog always has the cat's back, but it's never the other way around. Dogs worry about their cats. They protect their cats,' Janet Rose-Hinostroza, of San Diego Zoo, told NBC. In Cincinnati Zoo, Savanah and Max have been inseparable since being introduced as youngsters last year.  While they have plenty of play time together, they are fed separately and Max also has play dates with other dogs and humans. 

Surveying her territory, Savanah has taken to both the zoo and Max and delights visitors by chasing poor Max around the enclosure

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The Most Absurd Thing You Could Do to a Wild Cat

Read on...

Kerala dog trainer takes up taming wild cats in UAE

ANI  |  Dubai 

December 19, 2013

 

A Kerala based dog trainer has been hired by UAE based wild pet owners who are seeking his services to tame their aggressive pets. Chris Wolf, who is planning to open a Big Cat training and boarding centre in Dubai, has been tasked with the job of taming wild pets as he has been successful at domesticated a hostile cheetah in Bahrain, Gulf News reported.

The 32-year-old founder of 'Wolf N Pack Dog Training' and 'K9 Security Services' said that he will be heading to Dubai next month to train a leopard.

The resident of Trichur district has been flooded with calls from UAE and other Gulf countries since the Bahrain assignment and has revealed that he is keen to specialize in this field as it is a growing market.

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Water Buffalo Flings Lion Into Air for Messing With His Friend

Don't mess with a buffalo.

By Laura Stampler Dec. 16, 2013 

Video footage from South Africa’s Kruger National Park is a constant reminder of why it is always a bad idea to mess with the water buffalo. First there was 2007′s uber-viral “Battle of Kruger” video, in which a team of water buffalo fought off crocodiles and lions who were going after a calf, and now there’s this gem in which a protective buffalo flings a lion 5 meters (16 ft.) in the air for trying to eat his friend.

You mess with the water buffalo, you get the horns.

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Grinning lioness pictured embracing her friend at reserve

Come on, give us a hug!

• Smiling big cat pictured at the Moremi game reserve in Botswana
• Both lionesses are around three years old and from the same pride
• Heart-warming picture taken by photographer Mark Smith

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED:  18 December 2013
 
We all know Tiggers bounce but it seems lions do too. This grinning lioness warmly embraces her best friend by wrapping her front legs around her body. It’s almost as if her pal says something in her ear which causes the lioness to jump for joy onto her friend.

All smiles: This grinning lioness was pictured leaping and hugging her friend at the Moremi game reserve in Botswana

Sadly, the other lion isn’t expecting the the hug and recoils, choosing to lie low to the ground and glare at the eager lioness, who moves away slowly. The lions were reinforcing their social status by bonding in the late afternoon sun after resting through 40 degree heat during the day.

The lionesses, which are around three years old, are from a pride which roam around the Moremi game reserve in Botswana. According to photographer Mark Smith, 31, the lions like to show who their friends are to make a statement amongst the group.

Whisper: It's almost as if her pal says something in her ear which causes the lioness to jump for joy onto her friend

Heated: The lions were reinforcing their social status by bonding in the late afternoon sun after resting through 40 degree heat during the day

Snapped: The lions were captured on camera by photographer Mark Smith

Mr Smith, a wildlife photographer from London, said: 'It’s almost like the lion version of shaking hands and giving each other a hug. 'I have three dogs at home and if you separate any of them for more than a say half an hour then the greetings can be quite similar and boisterous.

'The bond is important because they raise and protect their cubs as a collective as well as hunt that way. 'In fact, the social status generally defines who’s boss. The most high ranking female will be “sucked up” to by all the other females in the pride.

Bonding: Mr Smith said the lions' embrace was almost like the big cat version of shaking hands

Friendly: The bond between the lions is important because they raise and protect their cubs as a collective

'The lions on the floor are hugging and head rubbing, which is often seen by people who have domestic cats where the cat is communicating in a sensory manner.' He added: 'The wrestling is a more playful version of this - there is no aggression at all and the claws are clearly retracted.

'Having strong bonds benefits the individual lions by making sure the pride is stronger.
'That in turn means the cubs are safer from other lions or predators as they all work together, becoming ultimately more successful.'

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Young Snow Leopard cub delights visitors as he frolics with his mother on public debut

The greatest gift a snow leopard could wish for... snow! 

By Simon Tomlinson
PUBLISHED: 18 December 2013


When you're a young, frolicking snow leopard, the best sight you could wish to see is surely... snow. And so it proved for this six-month-old cub, appropriately named Everest, who delighted visitors on his public debut at his zoo in Chicago.

The cheeky chappie, who now weighs nearly 15lbs, even used the new-found camouflage to hide away before pouncing on his mother Sarani.

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Whale of a time in the white stuff: Everest, a six-month-old snow leopard cub, pounces on his mother Sarani on his first public outing at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago

Excitable: The appropriately named Everest was born to Sarani and father Sabu in June

 

Snow leopard cub plays with mom in snow

 

Three-year-old Sarani and her mate Sabu arrived at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago two years ago from Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls and Cape May County Park Zoo in New Jersey, respectively. The pairing was part of a co-ordinated conservation program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP).

Each SSP manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. According to Brookfield Zoo, 140 snow leopards including Everest currently live in 60 institutions in North America. Brookfield has exhibited snow leopards since 1936 and there last birth was in 1992.

Preservation: Everest was born as part of a co-ordinated conservation program by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan

New generation: Brookfield has exhibited snow leopards since 1936 and the last birth there was in 1992

Snow leopards are listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's oldest and largest global environmental organization. They are solitary animals, except for mating and when females are raising cubs. Offspring remain with their mother until they are independent, around 18 to 22 months. They reach sexual maturity between two to three years of age.

A leading snow leopard conservation organization, The Snow Leopard Trust, estimates population numbers in the wild are 3,500 and 7,000.

Read more:

• Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo

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Image of the Day

Blacky looking at the side, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Blacky, the black leopard

Rescued Big Cats Go Wild Over their New ‘Vacation’ Home (VIDEO)

Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fla., is well-known for its amazing work with lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards, bobcats, cougars, and more. The 55-acre sanctuary is home to over 100 of these feisty wild felines, many of whom were saved from a life of captivity where their intelligence was forgotten and proper care was disregarded.

For instance, lion Cameron, now known as the “Brad Pitt” of Big Cat Rescue, and companion, Zadu, a white female Siberian/Bengal hybrid, were rescued from a roadside zoo in New Hampshire. The zoo originally bought the two animals so that they could increase their visitor numbers and profits by having Cameron and Zadu make a “liger” — a breed, like Zadu’s, that does not naturally occur in the wild and suffers from genetic flaws.

At Big Cat Rescue, the couple still lives together, but now they romp around in freedom and have plenty of room to stretch, swim, and nap in their big enclosure.

While most of Big Cat Rescue’s residents come from situations like this, some may arrive from other sanctuaries, like tigers Amanda, Andrew, and Arthur did back in September 2011.

The trio once called San Antonio, Texas’ Wild Animal Orphanage their home, but the sanctuary fell on tough times when the economy slipped into a downward spiral, and the organization was forced to declare bankruptcy.

In order to secure the safe transfer of its 400-some residents, Wild Animal Orphanage enlisted the help of Big Cat Rescue and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) — which is how Amanda, Andrew, and Arthur found their way to a new home in Tampa.

These big cats, along with rescues Alex and Bella, are featured in the adorable new video below from Big Cat Rescue, showing them all “go wild” over their newest household addition: a “vacation” rotation.
The new 2.5 acre section on Big Cat Rescue’s property offers its residents a spacious enclosure to explore with a swimming pond, a den, climbing platforms, big cat toys, and plenty of trees for shade and scratching.

The $200,000 project recently secured its final funding and opened its doors to the sanctuary’s biggest residents. Another vacation rotation is in the works for Big Cat Rescue’s smaller breeds, so we’ll certainly be seeing the likes of leopards, lynxes, and cougars getting a little wild soon, too.

In the mean time, watch the sanctuary’s biggest felines as they jump, run, and explore every inch of their brand new vacation home!

Image source: Big Cat Rescue / LoveAnimals.org
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Panthera to Unveil the Secret Lives of Cougars with New ‘Cougar Channel’

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Often referred to as the American lion, puma, panther, mountain lion, or puma, the wild cougar maintains the largest geographic range of any terrestrial mammal in the Western hemisphere, spanning 28 countries. Yet despite this beautiful species’ notoriety and extensive home range, the cougar remains to be one of the most elusive wild cats on the planet.
Now, thanks to in-depth ecological research carried out through Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project which includes putting remote cameras in dens and on kills we are thrilled to share that Panthera will soon launch a new ‘Cougar Channel’ website, providing a fascinating window into the secret life of the misunderstood cougar.

Sign up to be notified when Panthera’s Cougar Channel launches

Scheduled to launch in the coming weeks, Panthera’s Cougar Channel will feature high-definition videos and photos of some never-before-seen cougar behavior taken with Panthera’s remote camera traps. This incredible footage shows cougar kittens nursing in their dens and playing in the snow; cougar families ‘calling’ and grooming one another, feeding, and curiously inspecting Panthera’s cameras; and Panthera’s scientists tracking, examining and collaring cougars to learn how to better protect the species.

Also featured through these videos and photos are the gorgeous landscapes of the Teton Mountains and a variety of wildlife that share their homes with cougars, including grizzly bears, buffalo, moose, elk, wolves, fox and more.

Along with Panthera’s high-tech cameras, our scientists are utilizing cutting-edge GPS collars to track cougar movements, identify cougar dens, and monitor kittens from an early age across the southern Yellowstone ecosystem. Using these research tools, our team has recorded and observed rare and undocumented cougar behavior (including highly social interactions from cats previously perceived as solitary, and the adoption of three orphaned kittens by a female cougar), extended family lineages over time, and gathered a vast amount of data revealing the hidden lives of cougars. Since project inception, our team has collared and monitored 99 individual cougars, documenting their territories, prey selection, and population dynamics.

All of these data are improving our understanding of the social ecology of the species, and allowing Panthera’s scientists to better preserve the ‘American lion.’

Additional Resources

• Read the December 2013 National Geographic Magazine ‘Ghost Cats’ article featuring Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project and cougar photos.
• Read a Huffington Post article by Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project Director, Dr. Howard Quigley, on ‘New Insights Into Cougar Behavior.’
• Learn about National Geographic Television’s ‘American Cougar’ documentary featuring Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project.
• Stay tuned for information on an upcoming BBC film on the Teton Cougar Project. 

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Snow Leopard Collared for First Time in Nepal

By Megan Gannon, News Editor   |   December 18, 2013

In a first for Nepal, scientists captured and collared an elusive snow leopard to track the movements of the endangered cat. This male snow leopard was captured using a foothold snare. Conservationists say it was not harmed during the capture on Nov. 25, 2013. Credit: © Kamal Thapa/WWF Nepal View full size image

Scientists outfitted an elusive snow leopard with a GPS collar in Nepal, a first for the Himalayan country, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced today.

By tracking the movements of the spotted cat, conservationists hope to learn more about the ecology and behavior of the species to make better decisions about protecting the endangered animals.

The 5-year-old male snow leopard was captured in a snare in eastern Nepal's Kangchenjunga Conservation Area on Nov. 25, 2013. Named "Ghanjenzunga" after a local deity, the cat weighs 88 lbs. (40 kilograms) and measures 6.3 feet (193 centimeters) from the base of its head to the base of its tail. After being sedated, the cat was fitted with a GPS Plus Globalstar collar and released back into the wild. [See Photos of the Captured and Collared Snow Leopard]


Ghanjenzunga will wear the collar until the end of 2015, WWF officials said. The satellite tech will allow scientists to track which habitats the cat prefers and which corridors it uses to get to those places.

"Snow leopards are highly elusive creatures and given the terrains they reside in, monitoring work on the species is a highly challenging task," Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, who is coordinator for development, research and monitoring at WWF Nepal, said in a statement. "While past studies on the snow leopard have been limited to areas that are accessible to people, this technology will help provide important information on the ecology and behavior of the wide ranging snow leopard."

While the cats had been tracked with VHF radio collars in the early 1980s and '90s, this is the first time satellite-GPS technology is being used to track snow leopards in Nepal, according to WWF officials. Last year, scientists outfitted two male snow leopards with GPS collars for the first time in Afghanistan.

Snow leopards roam through rugged mountain regions across 12 Asian nations and their numbers have been shrinking. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), often considered the world's main authority on the conservation status of animals, lists the snow leopard as an endangered species and estimates that its total population in the wild is 4,080 to 6,590.

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Image of the Day

Sleepy but attentive cheetah, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Cat Domestication Traced to Chinese Farmers 5,300 Years Ago

Wildcat. (Credit: © XK / Fotolia)

Dec. 16, 2013 — Five-thousand years before it was immortalized in a British nursery rhyme, the cat that caught the rat that ate the malt was doing just fine living alongside farmers in the ancient Chinese village of Quanhucun, a forthcoming study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has confirmed.

"At least three different lines of scientific inquiry allow us to tell a story about cat domestication that is reminiscent of the old 'house that Jack built' nursery rhyme," said study co-author Fiona Marshall, PhD, a professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Our data suggest that cats were attracted to ancient farming villages by small animals, such as rodents that were living on the grain that the farmers grew, ate and stored."

Set for early online publication in PNAS during the week of Dec. 16, the study provides the first direct evidence for the processes of cat domestication.

"Results of this study show that the village of Quanhucun was a source of food for the cats 5,300 years ago, and the relationship between humans and cats was commensal, or advantageous for the cats," Marshall said. "Even if these cats were not yet domesticated, our evidence confirms that they lived in close proximity to farmers, and that the relationship had mutual benefits."

Cat remains rarely are found in ancient archaeological sites, and little is known about how they were domesticated. Cats were thought to have first been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where they were kept some 4,000 years ago, but more recent research suggests close relations with humans may have occurred much earlier, including the discovery of a wild cat buried with a human nearly 10,000 years ago in Cyprus.
While it often has been argued that cats were attracted to rodents and other food in early farming villages and domesticated themselves, there has been little evidence for this theory.

The evidence for this study is derived from research in China led by Yaowu Hu and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Hu and his team analyzed eight bones from at least two cats excavated from the site.
Using radiocarbon dating and isotopic analyses of carbon and nitrogen traces in the bones of cats, dogs, deer and other wildlife unearthed near Quanhucan, the research team demonstrated how a breed of once-wild cats carved a niche for themselves in a society that thrived on the widespread cultivation of the grain millet.

Carbon isotopes indicate that rodents, domestic dogs and pigs from the ancient village were eating millet, but deer were not. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes show that cats were preying on animals that lived on farmed millet, probably rodents. At the same time, an ancient rodent burrow into a storage pit and the rodent-proof design of grain storage pots indicate that farmers had problems with rodents in the grain stores.

Other clues gleaned from the Quanhucun food web suggest the relationship between cats and humans had begun to grow closer. One of the cats was aged, showing that it survived well in the village. Another ate fewer animals and more millet than expected, suggesting that it scavenged human food or was fed.
Recent DNA studies suggest that most of the estimated 600 million domestic cats now living around the globe are descendants most directly of the Near Eastern Wildcat, one of the five Felis sylvestris lybica wildcat subspecies still found around the Old World.

Marshall, an expert on animal domestication, said there currently is no DNA evidence to show whether the cats found at Quanhucun are descendants of the Near Eastern Wildcat, a subspecies not native to the area. If the Quanhucun cats turn out to be close descendents of the Near Eastern strain, it would suggest they were domesticated elsewhere and later introduced to the region.

"We do not yet know whether these cats came to China from the Near East, whether they interbred with Chinese wild-cat species, or even whether cats from China played a previously unsuspected role in domestication," Marshall said.

This question is now being pursued by researchers based in China and in France.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yaowu Hu, Songmei Hu, Weilin Wang, Xiaohong Wu, Fiona B. Marshall, Xianglong Chen, Liangliang Hou, and Changsui Wang. Earliest evidence for commensal processes of cat domestication. PNAS, December 16, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1311439110

Washington University in St. Louis (2013, December 16). Cat domestication traced to Chinese farmers 5,300 years ago. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 17, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2013/12/131216154858.htm

Big Cats Of Africa

By wmutenza | 12/15/2013

The cat, regarded by some as an animal that nature had made perfect from the outset, has undergone only the subtlest of changes, in evolutionary terms, over the last 30-odd million years.
It is Africa’s three great cats, the Lion, Cheetah and Leopard that inspire the most passionate legends the world over. Each of these cats is an icon in their own right.

The Power and Majesty of the Lion

Often called, “King of the Beasts”, the lion has an iconic reputation as a cat of great strength and beauty. The largest of Africa’s big cats, its regal legacy is enhanced by the male’s magnificent mane, which ranges from a rich golden colour to a darker brown hue as the animal ages.



Of course, the dominant male lion seldom does its own hunting, preferring instead to allow the females and adolescent males of the pride do the hard work before coming along and claiming its share of the kill. Weighing in at well over 200 kg in the wild, and standing at up to 2 metres at the shoulder, this huge animal cuts a formidable figure.

The most socially co-operative of all the big cats, their real strength lies in their ability to work together as a pride, using group hunting tactics to make the kill.
While they are primarily nocturnal, they are easily found during the day, conserving energy and resting in shady areas. The unwary tourist, enjoying the sight of these listless and “tame” animals while out on a safari game drive, would be well advised to note that lions are quick to become active if ever an easy meal opportunity may present itself.

The Cheetah a Symbol of Speed and Grace

Renowned as the fastest animal on land, the cheetah has a slender body, long legs and semi-retractable claws, with a short, coarse coat dotted with small, round, black spots.



It stands with a shoulder height of about 70cm, has a body length of 112-135 cm, a tail length 66-84 cm and weighs in around 34-54 kg, with males being slightly larger than females.

Far more slightly built that either the lion or the leopard, its strategic hunting advantage is its well-known ability to accelerate to incredible speeds over short distances. While not particularly adept at covering long distances, it can reach its maximum speed of around 110km/h (70mph) in mere seconds. Using careful stalking techniques, it tracks prey and approaches to within 20 -30 metres before unleashing its pace weapon, leading to successful kills in about 50% of chases.

Decline in prey, loss of habitat, poaching, and its reputation as a livestock predator threaten the survival of the cheetah throughout its range.

The Ruthless Efficiency of the Lone-Hunting Leopard

Leopards, sometimes called the “quintessential cat” are the most elusive of the three big cats of Africa. Standing at around 80cm at the shoulder, and weighing between 40 and 70kg, these cats are more powerful but slower than cheetahs, and substantially smaller than lions.



Solitary hunters, leopards seek company only to mate, and are constantly in danger of losing their kill to lions. For this reason, they use their supreme climbing ability to drag their prey into trees for safekeeping. While the more substantial kills are cached in this way, with the cat returning later to feed, leopards are opportunistic animals with an extremely flexible diet. They are happy to consume protein in almost any form, from beetles to animals almost twice its own weight and will readily eat carrion.

To observe these big cats in their natural habitat is a privilege not to be missed. Reading about them, or seeing them on TV often gives an interesting insight into their lives, but getting up close to these magnificent beasts when on a game drive, will leave you inspired.

Big Cats Facts

• The cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. It can run at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour (113 kilometers an hour).
• An adult lion’s roar can be heard up to five miles (eight kilometers) away.
• Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length in a single bound.
• A tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.
• The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.
• The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered animals in the world.
• In one stride, a cheetah can cover 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 meters).
• The name “jaguar” comes from a Native American word meaning “he who kills with one leap.”
• In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.
• The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.
• Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.
• Tigers are excellent swimmers and do not avoid water.
• A female Amur leopard gives birth to one to four cubs in each litter.
• Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.
• Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Every female within the pride is usually related.
• The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.
• Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.
• Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, and other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.
• Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.
• After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

By http://www.isnare.com
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Eight-day tiger census to kick off across Karnataka

DC | Amit S. Upadhye | 15th Dec 2013

Bangalore: An eight-day long tiger census will be kicked off from Monday across all the protected areas of the state. About 800 volunteers have enrolled so far and they along with forest officials will begin the exercise to count the big cats in the state.

Nine national parks and wildlife areas will be covered by the survey team, besides looking for tiger signs in reserve forests.  The state has five tiger reserves and five national parks where tigers are found. Interestingly most of these protected areas also share borders with the tiger reserves in the neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa, thus providing the big cats vast tracts to survive.

The state currently has a population of around 300-320 tigers, but experts have called for formation of more tiger complexes in the next ten years to achieve a population of 400. Close to 5,000 sq km of forests has already been protected for the big cats.

Wildlife authorities have expressed concern about incidents of poaching, as tiger body parts command a lucrative price in the market. Poaching incidents have been reported in wildlife areas such as Pushpagiri, Brahamagiri and Kudremukh.

The recently created tiger reserve in Satyamangalam, which connects the Niligiri Biosphere, faces danger from increased forest produce extraction. The resettlement programmes launched by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments have been slow and may pose a threat to the wildlife.

Wildlife First Trustee Praveen Bhargav said that unless the forest department solves the problems pertaining to protected areas, the tigers in the state may face danger. “It is important that we add newer areas to have more number of tigers, besides solving the problems in the existing protected areas. The tiger reserves often face the threat of poaching and eternal vigil is the only key to successful conservation. If at any point the vigil is dropped, we risk losing animals,” he said.

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Blue Mountains panther spotted in Riverstone

By Eamonn Duff

Dec. 16, 2013

Peter Russell, who claims to have seen a large cat-like creature in Oliver Street, Riverstone. Photo: Nick Moir

Weeks after the government declared the Blue Mountains big cat file closed, a Riverstone father has spoken of a terrifying encounter with a panther-like creature outside his home.

Peter Russell told NSW Police he feared for his life after being stalked by a large, ’’completely foreign’’ feline predator at Riverstone, on the fringes of dense national park bushland.

It has been sighted at least 12 times in the Riverstone area over recent years.

 On Thursday, MP for Hawkesbury, Ray Williams, warned the government to ’’rethink’’ its position or face being ’’accountable’’ in the event of a tragedy.

Peter Russell, who claims to have seen a large cat-like creature in Oliver Street, Riverstone.

Referring to a report, released in October, that dismissed the validity of about 500 eyewitness statements, Mr Williams said: ’’I appreciate [Minister for Primary Industries] Katrina Hodgkinson might have more important issues to deal with but, in accepting those findings, she is ridiculing the many hundreds who have seen this creature. ’’My wife and I saw this animal. People I know and respect have seen it. I have addressed the situation in Parliament and spoken broadly and openly about it since. If something awful happens, I’ll sleep with a clear conscience.’’

For decades, huge cats have been sighted by rural residents. Bushwalkers, tourists and locals say the animals resemble panthers. A common theory is that the cats escaped from private zoos or a circus years ago and have since bred and survived across the three large national parks - Kanangra-Boyd, Blue Mountains and Wollemi - that connect across the mountains. But in the absence of definitive evidence, the subject remains a topic of widespread amusement elsewhere.

In a 1999 letter to then National Parks and Wildlife Service director-general Brian Gilligan, Department of Agriculture head Kevin Sheridan warned: ’’The reports are becoming too frequent for us to ignore the possibility. To … do so could bring into question government’s duty of care.’’

Wildlife ecologist Johannes Bauer was later commissioned to provide expert opinion. ’’Difficult as it seems to accept, the most likely explanation of the evidence is the presence of a large, feline predator,’’ he said. ’’In this area, [it is] most likely a leopard, less likely a jaguar.’’

In 2008, then premier Nathan Rees admitted to being a believer. ’’It is easy for all of us to dismiss these things … but if we’re actually wrong then there is an altogether different set of scenarios.’’ But today, the O’Farrell government has put its faith in the findings of New Zealand invasive species expert John Parkes, who scoffed at the notion in October, labelling the 500 eyewitness accounts as ’’at best prima facie evidence’’, saying ’’large dogs, large feral cats or swamp wallabies’’ were the likely candidates.

The latest eyewitness disagrees. On December 5, Mr Russell went to investigate why his neighbour’s dogs were acting ’’so distressed’’. He said, as he looked along the path that led up the street, a very large, broad, cat-like creature ran straight for him. ’’This was definitely no dog,’’ he said. ’’It had a low rumbling growl. It was between knee and hip height, extremely stocky and very fast. I spun on my heel and ran back towards the house. I didn’t know that I was going to make it to the door. ’’My mind was completely thrown by what I had just witnessed. I thought I was a goner.’’

Mr Russell made it safely inside and called Riverstone police. ’’The officer laughed and I acknowledged her reaction was understandable,’’ he said. ’’But I also explained that if some poor kid ends up being taken, and I hadn’t called, I would be left devastated.’’ Ms Hodgkinson said that, based on the findings of Mr Parkes, the government would not commit any further expenditure. ’’As far as I am concerned, the matter is closed."

But Mr Williams thinks his colleague has missed the point. ’’I don’t want a million dollars spent on any campaign, I just want some general acknowledgement that this is no myth … and for visitors to the national park to be armed with the knowledge that these animals could pose a danger, particularly to kids.’’

Have you seen the big cat?

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Big cats in Louisiana just a fantasy, wildlife chief says

By GREG HILBURN  The News-Star First Posted: December 15, 2013

MONROE, Louisiana — Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham said he puts black panther sightings in the same category as another elusive beast. "Everywhere I go somebody has seen a black panther," Barham said. "It's sort of like Bigfoot. But the truth is there are no black panthers in Louisiana."

No black panther claim has ever been authenticated, Barham said. Black jaguars and black leopards aren't native to the United States. Jaguars are from Central America and South America, and leopards are from Africa. Black panther hoaxes, as well as reported sightings of large tan cats like cougars or mountain lions, become so numerous during hunting season that Barham's department was compelled to issue a statement debunking the myth. "Every year, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries gets dozens of reported sightings of large cats, both tan and black," the statement said. "When investigated, almost all of these claims turn out to be more common species such as house cats, bobcats, otters, dogs or even feral hogs."

In November, a photo of a black leopard was circulating in northwestern Louisiana with the claim it came from a local game camera, stirring interest among those who believed it was the evidence needed to prove the existence of black panthers in Louisiana. But LDWF said the identical photo was also posted on wildlife forums and Facebook in Tennessee on Nov. 8, North Carolina on Oct. 22 and Georgia on Oct. 1. Where does the picture originate? Africa, LDWF said.

A similar picture of a mountain lion, supposedly taken in Louisiana, has been circulating through southern Louisiana. That picture originated in Minnesota. But while black panthers in Louisiana may be a myth, Barham and his department admit an occasional tan cougar might make its way to the state from Texas, Oklahoma or Arkansas.

LDWF said Louisiana doesn't have a population of cougars or mountain lions, but there have been verified sightings of those cats in 2002, 2008 and 2011. "We've had an uptick in cougar sightings recently, and that could be because of the recent drought in Texas," Barham said. "They are mobile cats that can travel as many as 100 miles in a day, so I wouldn't be surprised."

Barham isn't going to convince Tensas Basin Levee District executive director John Stringer that there isn't at least a small population of cougars in the state. "They can say what they want to, but I've seen them with my own eyes," Stringer said. "When I was a boy squirrel hunting in northern Morehouse Parish I heard a blood-curdling scream that scared the hell out of me. Later, as an adult, I saw a cougar cross the road in front of me before I deployed to Vietnam. A few weeks later, I was sent a local newspaper clipping in the mail that had a photo of a cougar someone killed here."

If you do see a cougar — or the mythic black panther — Barham warns hunters not to shoot them. "They're protected," he said. But Barham said there are no restrictions on shooting Bigfoot. "I can probably arrange a tag for that," he said, laughing. "But you better be very sure before you pull the trigger."

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Image of the Day

Leopard profile, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Images of the Day

Shaking Amir II, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Image of the Day

The blue eye of Zumba, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Image of the Day

Yawning Zumba, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Circus terror as tiger mauls trainer in front of horrified audience

Poster's note: the trainer got what he deserved. Tigers, elephants, lions, etc. do NOT NOT NOT belong in circuses. 

Circus trainer Danny Gottani was filmed taming the huge tiger at the Gottani Circus in Madrid when his act went disastrously wrong

By Chris Parsons | Yahoo News – Thu, Dec 12, 2013

•  
  Play Video
  Circus performer sets hair-raising recordPress Association video  1:01

WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIDEO

This is the shocking moment a tiger mauled a big cat tamer mid-way through a circus act in Spain.
Circus trainer Danny Gottani was filmed taming the huge tiger at the Gottani Circus in Madrid when his act went disastrously wrong.
Audience mobile phone footage shows the moment the fearsome beast pounces on Gottani's back, clawing at his throat, neck and legs.
Amid horrified shrieks from terrified spectators, the big cat continues to lunge and swipe at Gottani, who can do nothing but try to wrestle the tiger from his back.
Eventually circus workers sprint into the ring, beating the tiger with a stick in an attempt to fend off the animal.
Gottani, 35, who has been working with big cats in circuses for decades, is eventually seen at the end of the video walking unaided from the circus ring.

Gottani with the tiger seconds before the circus attack. (Newsflare)

The big cat lunges at Gottani, clawing at his throat and back. (Newsflare)

A circus worker eventually steps in to try to fend off the animal. (Newsflare)

Trainer Gottani was later pictured being transported to hospital.

The trainer was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries which did not affect his vital organs.
His mother, aged 60, also received medical attention after suffering a panic attack when the mauling took place.
The condition of the tiger after the attack was not revealed.
According to Spanish media, the circus show was briefly stopped so Gottani could leave the ring, but was restarted soon after.

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Saving India’s Big Cats

Posted by Katie Knorovsky in Travel with Heart on December 12, 2013

Wildlife conservationist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Krithi Karanth in a field in India (Photograph by Sandesh Kadur)

 

The roar of Krithi Karanth is diminutive but mighty. Last year the Supreme Court of India cited findings by the 34-year-old conservation biologist in a landmark case that overturned a ban on visiting tiger sanctuaries in favor of smart regulations promoting responsible tourism.

Consider it the moment Karanth earned her stripes. Make that more stripes: As a young girl in Karnataka, Karanth spent her summers tracking tigers, leopards, and other predators with her father and other esteemed scientists.

Later she earned advanced degrees from Yale, Duke, and Columbia; two years ago, Karanth won National Geographic’s 10,000th research grant and now the Society counts her among the esteemed alumni of its Emerging Explorers program. Based in Bangalore, she probes bound-​aries—between humans and animals as well as those around this male-dominated field.

Hear more about how this native daughter is revolutionizing India’s approach to wildlife conservation and get the inside scoop on her favorite place in the world–in her own words.

Wild Child

A tiger stands in the brush in Tadoba National Park, India. (Photograph by Rana & Sugandhi, Flickr)

My most vivid early memories are sitting quietly with my dad in a park watchtower at Nagarhole National Park, for five or six hours at a time with only binoculars. At the end of the day—if I behaved—he’d drive me through the jungle. That’s what I looked forward to all day. I saw my first leopard when I was around one and a half. I don’t go looking for tigers and leopards, but it’s a rush to see one.

Stress Levels

Three million Indians now have disposable incomes for wildlife holidays. That puts a lot of pressure on our parks. Tadoba National Park in central India and Nagarhole and Bandipur in the Western Ghats of the south provide good chances of seeing a tiger, in a way that doesn’t harass it.

Eye of the Tiger

People need to be willing to say, “If I see a tiger, I’m lucky”—not “my trip is successful only if I see one.” India also has leopards, elephants, the incredible Asiatic wild dog, critically endangered frogs, a huge diversity of birds.

Greatest Show

Around a hundred years ago, India was like Africa in terms of large mammals, but our population boom and economic growth have pushed a lot of wildlife into smaller pockets. Yet India still has charismatic animals as well as millions of people. No other place on Earth supports all these fantastic species and also this many people tolerating them.

Mountain Time

I could hike the Western Ghats mountain range for days. The views go on endlessly, in extraordinary shades of blue and green. It’s one of India’s biodiversity hotspots, with 20 percent of the country’s tigers, the largest number of Asian elephants, three bear species, leopards.

Lush forests cover the Western Ghats mountain range (Photograph by ramanathan, Flickr)

Most people come to India between October and March, but it’s phenomenal to experience summer monsoons in the Ghats. It’s not for people who can’t handle leeches or muddy boots, though.

Capturing Predators

So many tourists walk around with their fancy cameras, obsessed with getting the perfect photograph. They forget to watch, and to see other wildlife. They forget to live the experience.

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More Images - Cheetah Cubs at the Smithsonian

 

 

AWWWW! 

Image of the Day

Amir in the water, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Image of the Day

Tiger licking his back in a funny position, a photo by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

Australia Zoo tiger handler Dave Styles wakes after 'intense battle'

THE tiger handler attacked at Australia Zoo has woken after multiple surgeries and an "intense" 10-day battle in intensive care. Dave Styles' distressed family says the big cat handler has demonstrated his "strength and fighting spirit" and "exceeds expectations" since being savaged by a tiger named Charlie on November 26. "Well after 10 days of heavy sedation, multiple scans and a few trips to the surgeon's theatre

Dave has finally woken with his cheeky grin still intact," Andes Styles posted on Facebook in the most recent update on December 6. "He's just finished a debrief of how intense a battle it's been and other than a few scars and temporary paralysis to his vocal cords he's pretty much all cleared for a full recovery. "A lifetime of gratitude to all the staff at Brisbane Royal for their amazing work, to the Aus Zoo family for their continuous care and support, and a special thank you to the crew who's actions in those first few moments saved as all from the unimaginable."He's obviously still a little sore and it'll be a few more days in ICU but he'll be in touch ASAP."

The November 26 tiger attack at Australia Zoo. Picture: Channel Seven. Source: Supplied

Mr Styles, who has worked with big cats since 2005, suffered three large puncture wounds near vital blood vessels and significant blood loss when the six-year-old Bengal bit him on the neck. Shocked witnesses told The Courier-Mail of seeing the playful big cat snap, grabbing and dragging the handler into the pool inside the tiger enclosure, shortly after the daily tiger show. The 30-year-old, who was wearing a blue poncho-like top with bags over his hands, had raised Charlie since he was a cub.

The November 26 tiger attack at Australia Zoo. Picture: Channel Seven. Source: Supplied
 

Initially Australia Zoo would not reveal which tiger was responsible for the attack but later said it was a Sumatran-Bengal. However the Zoo's website states Charlie is one of their three Bengals. The Zoo, which admits the handler was dressed as one of the tiger's favourite biting toys rather than in his usual khaki, has been accused of deliberately exciting the animal while preparing to film a BBC documentary. Zoo director Wes Mannion told AAP that the bag-like suit was used as an 'enrichment" tool during tiger playtime and that Charlie had mistaken Mr Styles for a toy.

The November 26 tiger attack at Australia Zoo. Picture: Channel Seven. Source: Supplied
 

The handler was also wearing a BBC GoPro camera on his head when he was attacked but the Zoo said it was just to familiarise Charlie with the device and that it wasn't filming. The BBC crew, who is spending six months filming at the Zoo, also denied they were filming at the time of the incident. 'The crew was not in the enclosure when the incident happened, nor was anyone from the BBC directing the filming," they said in a statement. However HDSports owner Shane Peterson told The Courier-Mail the GoPro appeared to be recording during the attack.

Channel 7 film grabs of the tiger attack on at Australia Zoo David Styles Dave Source: Supplied
 

Witness Carly Fritsch told The Courier-Mail said the cat seemed to being trying to keep the man in the water after its initial grab at him. '(The trainer) was wrestling with one of the tigers and it suddenly grabbed his shoulders and lunged at his neck,'' she said, adding that zoo staff quickly came to the rescue. Mr Styles' sister Mel Santo has expressed her gratitude to Zoo staff, including head tiger keeper Giles Clark, for dragging her brother to safety.

Australia Zoo tiger handler Dave Styles. Picture: Facebook. Source: Supplied
 

"My beautiful little brother, I can breathe a bit better knowing that you are doing better. Even though I'm thousands of k's away from you right now, we will be back very soon. Can't wait to see your beautiful face and your gorgeous smile," she wrote on Mr Style's Facebook page on December 6. "I'm grateful for your strength and your fight as I'm sure it's those two things that have had a lot to do with how you're progressing. Stay strong sweetheart, I love you very much. "A very special thank you to the guys at the zoo for your prompt response. Can't tell you how grateful I am for what you did on that dreadful day."

Mr Styles remains at Royal Brisbane Hospital where he has undergone soft-tissue surgery. Hospital staff are said to be "blown away" with their patient's "strength and fighting spirit."

Australia Zoo tiger handler Dave Styles. Picture: Facebook. Source: Supplied
 

News.com.au has repeatedly contacted Australia Zoo since the incident but has not received a response. It is understood the Zoo has not had any media staff since December 1. Media reporting on Robert's birthday celebrations on December 1 were told not to ask the Irwins questions about the attack.

News.com.au has also sought comments from Workplace Health and Safety, which is investigating the incident, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, which is working with the zoo to ensure a full investigation is carried out.

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Tiger suffocated handler, coroner finds

LIAM HYSLOP

Last updated  11/12/2013

DAVID ALEXANDER/The Press

DALY MNCUBE: Killed by a 260kg white tiger as he cleaned the animal's cage in May 2009. A zoo's practice of cleaning enclosures with the animals still in them proved fatal for a senior big cat handler.

Coroner Brandt Shortland found Clifford Dalu Mncube died of suffocation and a vasovagal reflex (similar to choking) when a white tiger named Abu mauled him in front of a group of tourists and a fellow handlers Zion Wildlife Gardens on May 27, 2009.
Other wildlife parks with big cats isolated and secured their big cats while cleaning enclosures, but Zion allowed theirs to roam freely, Shortland said.

Mncube and fellow worker Martin Ferreira were cleaning the white tiger enclosure when Abu approached Mncube from behind and bit him on his right leg. Abu was a hand-raised tiger but had a history of attacking staff.

At first Mncube thought this was a playful act but when Abu did not let go he realised he was in extreme danger. A colleague who was leading a tour heard him call out to Ferreira "help me Martin, I'm in trouble".
Mncube, the most experienced big cat handler at the park, did not panic as Abu tried to drag him into a small enclosure, the report said.

Ferreira tried desperately to get Abu to release Mncube by punching and hitting him while trying to keep the other tiger, Rewa, away from the incident. Mncube said to Ferreira "this is serious mate, just help me please".
The group tourists saw the attack as the third staff member went to help the pair. He blasted Abu in the face with a fire extinguisher to no avail. He then radioed a "code red" alert to the rest of the staff who rushed to the scene.

By this time the animal had dragged Mncube back out into the enclosure and staff were continuing to blast it with the fire extinguisher and poke it in the face with a cattle prod. Abu released Mncube for a time but started to bite him on the head and neck. Ferreira said he could hear the bones crunching. As this point Ferreira knew Mncube was most likely dead as there was much blood at the scene.

Abu released Mncube and walked away, allowing staff to extricate the handler. He was pronounced dead by ambulance staff shortly after. Abu was shot three times from outside the cage. The gun was then handed to Ferreira, who shot Abu twice in the shoulder and two more times in the head, eventually killing him. Shortland said shooting the animal was appropriate under the circumstances and acknowledged the bravery of Ferreira.

Park operator Glen Holland considered Mncube the best cat handler he had ever seen. Holland was appointed operator of the park in 2008 during a bitter management dispute between owners Patricia Busch and her son Craig. He told the inquest that he was staggered by how much unprotected contact with big cats there was at Zion. He immediately put in place a two-person cleaning process and was trying to implement rules to contain the big cats while their enclosures were being cleaned.

Specialist veterinary adviser Dr Barry Ward said in evidence that a lot of work was needed at Zion to improve the safety standards but the park was adequate under law at the time of Mncube's death. Under the law big cats have to be confined during cleaning, unless a senior handler grants discretion to allow them to roam around, which Mncube did. Shortland recommended regulatory reform and new legislation for health and safety in zoos and animal parks.

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