Lots of similarities between little, big cats

By With the Kids

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staffNovember 8, 2014 

Berani, then a 6-month-old Malayan tiger cub, practices some hunting skills while bounding through an enclosure at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. LUI KIT WONG — Staff file, 2013

• LEARN MORE
  
  BECOME A TIGER AMBASSADOR: Help by encouraging big companies to buy only palm oil that is grown without hurting tiger habitat. Learn more at pdza.org/pawsforthecause.
  SAVING TIGERS: Learn more at pdza.org/save-tigers.
  SEE ENDANGERED TIGERS: Watch the zoo’s website, pdza.org, and Facebook page for the public debut of the three new Sumatran tiger cubs.
  VIDEO OF TIGERS IN THE WILD: Go to bbc.co.uk/nature/life/tiger.
  

People are fascinated with cats. The evidence is all over the Internet. We love filming and watching YouTube clips of our feline friends stuffing themselves into boxes, chasing laser pointers, sleeping on our laptops and scaring our dogs.
But, what about their big, striped cousins? While our pet cats’ antics can be endlessly entertaining, they also give us clues about how wild tigers survive.

BORN TO HIDE

Cat owners seem to spend a lot of time looking for their furry buddies, eventually finding them under the bed, nestled in the closet or on top of the refrigerator.
For tigers, hiding is a way of life. They’re ambush predators, sneaking up on their dinner to catch the animal by surprise. Of course, you can’t have a good surprise without first hiding. So, tigers tend to stick to habitat with lots of cover, such as tall-grass jungles, forests and mangrove swamps.
Their stripe pattern also helps tigers to disappear. Dark stripes break up the silhouette of a tiger’s body, making it difficult for a prey animal to recognize. The rust-orange and white coat blends in well with the brown tones of tall, dry grasses, and the tree trunks, underbrush and fallen leaf-litter.

STALK, JUMP, POUNCE

House cats love to creep up and pounce on things: Potted plants, a dangling foot or the dog’s tail. Tiger cubs play the same way, chasing and pouncing on each other, dried leaves, insects and whatever else they can find. This behavior builds great hunting skills.
As adults, tigers carefully stalk animals such as deer, wild pigs and water buffalo. Once they sneak close enough, tigers need a successful jump attack to secure their meal.
Luckily, tigers are built for pouncing. The biggest tigers can weigh more than 600 pounds. They use their sheer weight, heavily-muscled front legs and large paws to knock their prey to the ground. Then, 3-inch-long claws and canine teeth help tigers to finish the job with a swipe or bite to the neck or throat. Still, even with all of this power, researchers report that tigers make a catch only once every 10-20 tries.

NIGHT CREATURES

After dark, pet cats often become extra playful and more willing to jump after that feathered lure we keep dangling in front of them. They might look a bit wild-eyed as they leap around furniture, twisting and tumbling after each other or a crumpled napkin.
Nightfall is tiger time as well. Although the big cats can move around during the day, they do much of their hunting at night when deer, wild boar and other favorite prey animals come out to forage for food.
Like our stealthy house cats, tigers are well-suited for life in the dark. They use 6-inch long whiskers on their muzzles to feel their way around. Tigers also have shorter whiskers above their eyes, on their cheeks, behind their front legs and scattered on other parts of their bodies. Whiskers can sense changes in air pressure, so a tiger can feel when something moves nearby in the darkness.
Little cats and big cats both have specially adapted eyes for seeing well at night. Have you ever seen a house cat’s eyes glow? The cause is a mirror-like part of their eye, called the tapetum lucidum. This “mirror” bounces incoming light back through the eye again to help brighten up what tigers and little cats are seeing. Scientists calculate that cats can see about six times better than humans at night.

AFFECTION OR COMMUNICATION?

Cats do all kinds of things that seem affectionate to us. They rub against our legs and hands, purr, and lick themselves, us and other pets.
Tigers use similar actions as communication. Tigers are loners most of the time, so when they do feel social, such as during courtship or while mom is raising her young, they need to give each other very clear signals to avoid fights.
A friendly signal is when tigers rub their cheeks against each other or objects, especially while chuffing. Chuffing is a welcoming vocalization that sounds like “f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f.”
Tigers and house cats also rub up against things to mark their territory. With scent glands in their cheeks, chins, lips, backsides and between their toes, cats leave smelly trails wherever they walk, rub or spray. This behavior tells other animals that a cat or tiger lives there and claims that area as home territory. Smelly trails can further help young tiger cubs to follow right behind mom.

SERIOUS VIDEO

People have great fun recording their pet cats doing all sorts of comical things. Wildlife biologists do the same thing with tigers, only their recordings have a serious purpose. Tigers are endangered, meaning very few are left in the wild. One big reason is that tigers are losing good habitat to palm oil plantations and farms. So, biologists use video cameras and other technology to learn more about tigers and to help protect them. In wild tiger territory, researchers set up hidden cameras with heat and motion sensors that trigger the cameras to record when tigers walk by. Looking at the pictures and video clips, biologists can figure out how many and which tigers are living in each watched area. That way, they can decide what places are the most urgent to protect.

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Big cat sanctuary holds annual fall festival

Posted Friday, Nov. 07, 2014
 

By Diane Smith

BRIDGEPORT — Blue-eyed beauty Acari cradles a pumpkin with her paws.
Crunch. 

Pumpkin pieces fly as the white tiger flashes her teeth, chomping away at the holiday treat. A large chunk gets caught in her teeth, but she quickly shakes it away.
Crunch. Crunch. 

“She’ll tear it to shreds,” said Heidi Krahn, executive director and founder of the Center for Animal Research and Education (CARE) in Bridgeport. The nonprofit group provides a sanctuary to 41 exotic cats, including tigers, lions, leopards and cougars.

This weekend, people can see the cats firsthand at CARE’s Fall Festival, the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser. Those attending will see cats tearing into cardboard boxes filled with chicken treats and adults can even play tug-of-war against a tiger (with the protection of a fence between the two participants). The cats will also bob for pumpkins.

“That is going to be a lot of fun for her,” Krahn said, nodding toward Acari. “Tigers like water and obviously pumpkins.”

 

If you go---
The fourth annual CARE Fall Festival is Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 15-16 at the Center for Animal Research and Education, 245 County Road 3422, Bridgeport, off Farm Road 2123.
Tours begin at noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for the tours are $20, $10 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the facility or online at carerescuetexas.com.

The event will feature cubs Araali and Zuberi, tours and information sessions about the big cats and lemurs. Games, refreshments, face-painting, prizes, arts and crafts also will be offered.

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Your Daily Cat (catch-up posts)

 

Exploring Amur leopard cub by Tambako The Jaguar

Cute but wet baby Amur leopard! by Tambako The Jaguar 

Close sand cat by Tambako The Jaguar 

Male Asiatic lion lying on the grass by Tambako The Jaguar

Lions vs Porcupine (viral video)

#Jaguar Cub at Milwaukee Zoo Dies

MILWAUKEE —The Milwaukee County Zoo said one of two baby jaguar cubs has died.

Anahish, born Aug. 14, was killed by another jaguar inside the Big Cat area of the zoo.

VIDEO: Jaguar cub killed at the Milwaukee County Zoo

"It's a sad day today. We all feel it immensely," veterinarian Dr. Vickie Clyde said.
Zoo officials said an interior door was left open in the Big Cat holding area.  A 2-year-old adult jaguar, Zean, entered the area where the cubs' mother, Stella, and the cubs were housed.
Officials said that Zean fatally injured the female cub.
"Those cats are not supposed to be in the same space together. It's only natural for a young male like that to attack something young, especially associated with a female he is very familiar with. It was his mother also,” zoo director Chuck Wickenhauser said.
Zoo personnel said a necropsy will be performed on Anahish. The cub's mother and brother appear agitated, and zoo officials will keep them out of the public exhibit at this time.
The jaguar that attacked is leaving Milwaukee for another zoo in a few weeks, but his departure was previously planned.
The zoo is investigating why the door was left open.

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Inside story of big cats by BBC Big Cat Diary presenter

Inside story of big cats by BBC Big Cat Diary presenter

First published Friday 7 November 2014

 

BBC Big Cat Diary presenter Jackson Looseyia will give the inside story on the lion prides featured in the programme when he visits Goodworth Clatford on Wednesday, November 26.
Looseyia, who grew up in the Masai Mara, will be joined by fellow Kenyan Josh Perrett to talk to an invited audience about growing up surrounded by wild animals and turning wildlife knowledge into a profession as a safari guide and TV presenter.
Richard Smith, MD of Hampshire-based Africa specialist Aardvark Safaris, said: “There are a few tickets left so if anyone wants to join us please do get in touch through charlotte@aardvarksaf aris.com or 01980 849160.”

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Dog disease threatens Siberian tigers

by Sarah Zielinski

7:30am, November 4, 2014

The world’s dwindling tiger population is threatened by poaching and humans encroaching on the big cats’ habitat, but canine distemper virus may also be a problem, a new study finds.

Stuck with my Camera/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Despite its name, canine distemper virus can infect plenty of non-dog species, including ferrets, seals and cats (though not the domestic variety). Though it’s been known that big cats can be infected with the virus since the 1980s, it wasn’t considered a threat to such species until 1994, when the virus swept through the Serengeti lion population, killing 1,000 animals, about 30 percent of the population.

Tigers have also proven vulnerable to the virus: Cases of the disease have been found among wild tigers in Russia in 2003 and 2010 and in India earlier this year. And with the tiger population having dwindled to around 1,000 breeding females worldwide — due mainly to poaching and human conflict — there is worry that the virus could add to the cats’ troubles.

Because the tiger population lives split into small groups, deadly diseases should theoretically have trouble gaining a foothold. For a pathogen to persist, there needs to be susceptible hosts to which an infected host can pass the disease. This is more difficult where there are fewer animals in a population. But because canine distemper virus can infect so many different species of animals — including many that coexist with tigers as well as the domestic dogs often found on the edges of tiger territory — the big cats can have many opportunities for exposure.

Martin Gilbert of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Bronx, New York, and colleagues studied tigers in Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik, a nature reserve in the Russian Far East along the Sea of Japan. They looked at how the virus might spread among tigers in the reserve and then simulated what would happen if the virus infected populations of tigers in sizes ranging from three to 288 cats.
Under the most conservative infection scenario, populations of 25 tigers were 1.65 times more likely to go extinct within the next 50 years if canine distemper virus arrived than if the disease never infected a cat. About half the world’s tigers now live in populations of 25 or fewer cats, the researchers report in a study published October 29 in PLOS ONE.

The Serengeti lion population was able to recover from the 1994 event, but Gilbert and colleagues warn that tigers may have a tougher time. The big orange-and-black cats reach sexual maturity at an older age than cats such as leopards and cougars, and tiger populations take longer to recover from the loss of mature individuals.

“In lieu of a practical means of delivering [canine distemper virus] vaccines to wild tigers, the most viable strategy to ensure their conservation is the maintenance of large connected populations within protected areas that buffer the effects of local declines,” Gilbert and colleagues write. That would allow a population that loses some cats to the virus to recover with the addition of healthy tigers from farther away, improving the likelihood that the group survives the outbreak.

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#Cat lovers want to open Seattle’s first cat cafe

Posted on November 5, 2014 | By Lynsi Burton

Could a cat cafe open in Seattle? (file photo)

Everyone’s had this experience, right? You’re in a coffee shop enjoying a hot Americano and croissant and Facebooking on your MacBook, but something’s missing.

Like … a cat in your lap. Thrusting his head under your hand for a pet while you’re trying to type.
Maybe that has never occurred to you at all. (Me, I like dogs.)

But Seattleites Matt Lai and Louisa Liu hope that by next summer, coffee and tea lovers will be able to hang out in an oasis of adoptable cats: Seattle Meowtropolitan.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding page — complete with visual renderings and business details — is collecting money for the effort until early January toward Lai and Liu’s $50,000 goal.

Co-founder Louisa Liu and Ouji. (courtesy photo)

Seattle Meowtropolitan is not intended for cat owners to bring their cats to their coffee dates or freelance writing sessions. Rather, the co-founders envision a haven of adoptable cats interacting with cat lovers who want to pet them and possibly take them home.

Details have not been finalized, but the cafe would partner with an agency that would facilitate cat adoption, Lai told seattlepi.com.

The co-founders are still looking for a space for the cafe, but hope they can settle in downtown or Capitol Hill — somewhere easily accessible by public transportation.

So if they can raise enough money and secure a location, you could soon be enjoying a catpuccino with a furry feline friend.

Connect with Seattle Meowtropolitan through Indiegogo, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their website. They’re for real.

Puppy-loving entrepreneurs, it’s your turn. I want puppies and craft brews in a sunny beer garden by next summer.

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Beaufort SC businessman to add #lions, #tigers to flea market

By ERIN MOODY

November 5, 2014 

Jeff Lowe of Beaufort Liquidation said Nov. 5, 2014, he plans to open a "Safari"-themed indoor flea market with lions and tigers, including this baby tiger he said was born at a zoo without enough room. SUBMITTED PHOTO

A Beaufort business owner has announced plans to reopen a Burton flea market, this time with a big twist — a 6,000-square-foot enclosure for lions and tigers.

Beaufort Liquidation posted the “Safari Flea Market” announcement Tuesday to the Facebook account managed by owner Jeff Lowe.

The initial post — which has been deleted — and subsequent social media postings quickly led to an outpouring of online comments for and against the plan, as well as a petition to stop it.
Lowe opened a warehouse and flea market in summer 2013 at 5 Parker Drive, the former 84 Lumber building near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. That outdoor market was shut down last spring after Beaufort County officials decided not to exempt it from rules about businesses operating within a buffer zone near the air station.

Lowe has said he plans to open an indoor market at the same spot. “The county’s decision to close down my outdoor flea market awoke my passion for wild animals, so recently I started rebuilding the menagerie of exotics that I kept for many years prior to moving to Beaufort,” according to the Facebook post.

The remodeled building will also include 150 flea-market tables, and Lowe intends to open by Black Friday, Nov. 28, according to the post. A veterinary clinic for low-cost animal care would be included, he wrote.

Social media and online reaction to the announcement was swift and mixed. Some posted words of support, curiosity and excitement. Others, like Stacey Johnston, were concerned about the health and safety of the animals and the public. “Animals, I think, serve a purpose in our society, but when I read this on Facebook, I could not believe this was approved through codes,” she said.

Johnston began a Change.org petition calling on Beaufort County Council and Beaufort City Council to prevent the animal exhibit. Within about 24 hours, the petition had more than 1,000 signatures.
“I thought, ‘I’m not going to sit here and let it go by,’” Johnston said. “I’m going to get as many people to take notice of this as I can.”

It is legal to own big cats in South Carolina, and these are not Lowe’s first exotic animals. He said he’s been caring for large cats for decades. “Nobody knows better how deadly they can potentially become when grown, and yes, I have owned fully grown cats,” he wrote in an email Wednesday on his way back from Georgia. Lowe said he was returning to Beaufort after picking up a tiger cub born in a zoo that had no space for her.

“If people don’t agree with my decision to spend my money helping animals that very few people can help, that’s their right,” he wrote. “There are thousands of these cats in backyards and apartments of drug dealers, and without people willing to step up to care for them, they would likely be destroyed.”

Beaufort County attorney Josh Gruber said there are no regulations preventing the flea market from having animals on site. But he said the county would monitor activities to make sure all zoning regulations and local, state and federal laws are followed.

“The keeping of lions and/or tigers on this property is not currently regulated in any manner under our zoning code,” he said. “Therefore, we will be primarily monitoring this aspect of Mr. Lowe’s business from a safety and humane treatment standpoint.”

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Big cats rehabilitated at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue

by Stephanie Mason

9 am, November 5, 2014

 

A tiger paces in a filthy cage filled with cow carcasses and his own feces. The animal is emaciated and dehydrated. He has no fresh water or place to move.

This particular instance happened about two weeks ago and is what rescuers from Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue found as a result of a court ordered removal of the animal from a private owner. According to Wildlife Coordinator Emily McCormack, this is a common occurrence.

With somewhere between 10,000 to 20,000 wild cats kept as pets in the United States, McCormack said that Turpentine Creek is a necessary facility that focuses on rescuing animals as well as educating and informing the public about them.

According to Jennie Willis Marko, instructor of animal behavior at Colorado State University, the behavior of large cats makes them destructive and unsafe to people who do not understand them.
“Big cats certainly have more ability to injure people because of their size,” Marko said.

CSU natural sciences master student David Enden works with a number of organizations to help rescue abandoned, neglected, abused and unwanted big cats in the United States.

Since he was young, Enden has wanted to work with wild cats. When he started working at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, his love for big cats only grew. This was largely as a result of a connection he made with a rescued lion named Thor.

“He is my daily reminder of why I get up after four hours of sleep and keep going,” Enden said. “He is the aspect of my life that will always do that for me.”

Thor is a 13-year-old male lion who was rescued from a private owner who used him in the entertainment industry. He came in to the facility malnourished and in overall poor health.
“Even to this day he is so unpredictable,” Enden said. “One second he can be fine and the next second he will yell at me.”

There is a website for donations to get Thor into a habitat. Enden is working on a documentary that includes his journey in bonding with Thor and other experiences with wild cats he has worked with.
Turpentine creek is one of the top 10 rescue facilities in the country. They receive a large amount of exotic rescue animals from private zoos shutting down or from individuals surrendering their grown animals. McCormack has been part of the process in putting together the Big Cat and Public Safety Act.

“Because there are not enough laws against exotic animal trade, then there is anything from people owning them as a pet all the way to hoarding — which is pretty scary,” McCormack said.

Animals at Turpentine Creek are given regular veterinary care and fed the appropriate amount. Their population of over 100 cats are fed a total of 800 to 1,200 pounds of meat a day. The animals in a habitat are on a ¼ acre of land by themselves.

After wild animals have been brought into the human world, it is important for activity, enrichment and problem-solving behavior opportunities to be a part of their routine.

“I think wild creatures experience life very differently than captive held creatures of any kind,” Marko said. “Our goal of keeping animals in captivity … is to make their quality of life as comfortable as possible.”

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Meet Monty: The Adorable Cat With An Unusual Face

"A year ago, we adopted little 3-year-old Monty boy from an animal shelter. Monty was born without a nasal bridge (the bone in the nose) which affects him now and then and makes him sneeze a bit. Nevertheless, his personality, he showed from the very beginning, is rare as a diamond! Monty shared a room with some of the other cats from the animal shelter that acted a little aggressive, but Monty remained uneager to pick a fight. Monty also has a tendency to urinate in his sleep due to a leaky/loose bladder. He becomes embarrassed when he finds out, so we are struggling to encourage him not to be since this is a problem he can't fix and has to learn to live with. He loves lying on your lap and at night he'll keep you company until you wake up. His favorite place to cuddle is by far in the arms of his dad Michael. Monty is almost never afraid, he even loves being at the vet, a brave little fella. We wish for Monty to be an ambassador for 'crooked' cats or cats that may not look perfect in everyone's eyes! We also want to raise attention to the fact that looking different doesn't mean you can't be fantastic."

Follow Monty on facebook here.

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12 Truths All Cat Owners Have Come To Accept

 

By Lindsey Robertson

November 05, 2014

1. Your sink is basically just another sofa bed. 

(Reddit: rlucas6130)

2. The Dog is not in charge. 

(Reddit: raybanpat)

3. "Mischief" takes on a whole new meaning when felines are involved. 

(Reddit: LaXG00n)

4. Selfies are now a group activity.

(Reddit: hightechkid9)

5. There IS such a thing as a post-meal snack. 

(Reddit: eps0r)

6. Computers are not for work, they are for warming. 

(Reddit: Traxe55)

7. Sometimes you have to just let them sit and think about cat stuff. 

(Reddit: Ukulele_Henry)

8.  There is nothing more sacred than "Stare Out The Window" time. Do not disturb.

(Reddit: gakamora94)

9. A box will always be more appealing than an expensive toy ... 

(Reddit: Captain_Ashley_Bob)

10. ... The same goes for fancy beds. 

(Reddit: Laritd)

11. Sleeping can actually be an all-day activity. 

(Reddit: jacqulep)

12. Most important of all: you know you will never find a more entertaining or snuggly companion.

(Reddit: kirbyfood)

If you feel ready and able to provide a loving forever home to a cat, you can check out adoption options on ASPCA's website.

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"Kittens Time Lapse" 50 days in 5 minutes

Maine to create 22,000 acre habitat for Canada #lynx

November 4, 2014

(Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie)

AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has permitted Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to continue its trapping programs, despite the risk of taking the protected Canada lynx. Maine is the first state to have an "incidental take" plan for Canada lynx. "People can continue to enjoy one of Maine's long traditions, furbearer trapping, while taking steps to avoid harming Canada lynx and supporting a larger effort to provide habitat that helps us recover the species," said Assistant Regional Director Paul Phifer of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region. "This illustrates how the Endangered Species Act allows for some flexibility when applicants have demonstrated that they have minimized and mitigated the effects on protected wildlife."

Trapping for common species like coyote or fox, creates a risk of incidentally taking a Canada lynx. An "incidental take permit" allows for trapping to continue as part of the regulated trapping program and the Maine IFW will take measures to minimize the taking of the lynx. The take of the lynx will be offset by providing a 22,000-acre lynx habitat on state's Seboomook Unit in nnorthernMaine. "Our analysis through the permitting process confirmed that trapping does not pose a significant threat to Maine's lynx population," Phifer said. "The most important factor to maintaining a healthy population of lynx in Maine is having sufficient habitat, which is why the plan focuses on managing habitat for mitigation."

Maine IFW said that incidental take plans, known also as habitat conservation plans, identify the impacts to specific species from a project or program.

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Tell tale signs of critically endangered Amur Leopard in China

Wed, Nov 5th, 2014

By Agencies

Beijing: It is heartening to note that the Chinese authorities believe they have found traces of the rare Amur leopard also called Far Eastern Leopard in the country’s Northeast.

Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and Jilin

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and Jilin Province of northeast China, and is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996 by IUCN.
Forestry officials in Shulan city in Jilin province confirmed the existence of the leopard after analysing hair samples collected at a site where a domestic animal had been mauled to death. “After comparing DNA, we concluded it was an Amur leopard,” Bi Jingji, division head of Shulan’s forestry bureau said on Wednesday.

In late October, Sun Jianwen from Badao village discovered that one of his cattle had gone missing. The cattle’s carcass was found in a nearby ravine the next day with one of its hind legs completely ripped off and injuries to a foreleg. It was this information that sparked an investigation into the existence of the leopard in the area, Bi said.

Amur leopards differ from other subspecies by a thick coat of spot covered fur. The Amur leopard is the only leopard subspecies adapted to a cold snowy climate. Due to the small number of reproducing Amur leopards in the wild, the gene pool is so reduced that the population is at risk from inbreeding depression. There are believed to be less than 50 wild Amur leopards left, mostly in the Far East area of Russia, China’s northeast and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. China has around 10 of the leopards in the wild.

It was the first time the threatened big cat has been spotted in Jilin province which administers Shulan city, in almost 20 years. Tang Jingwen, deputy secretary-general of the wildlife conservation association of Jilin city, said the ban on hunting in recent years has helped such leopards to multiply in Jilin province.

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Charity 'extremely concerned' about lions and tigers at Scots farm

STV
5 November 2014 

Fraserburgh: Animal charity raises concerns over big cats.Born Free

A leading animal welfare charity has raised serious concerns over five big cats being kept at an Aberdeenshire farm.

Three tigers and two lions are spending the winter at the Circus High School animal training centre near Fraserburgh. Wildlife charity Born Free said it is “extremely concerned” about the standard of accommodation the animals are being kept in. The group claims the big cats have been seen "repetitively pacing" in their enclosure and have displayed aggressive behaviour.

A spokesman for Born Free said: "We have received alarming reports of big cats being kept on a farm in Aberdeenshire. As quickly as possible, we dispatched an investigator to check on the situation. The three tigers, two male and one female, and two male lions, had previously been touring the UK with Peter Jolly’s Circus. As this circus has finished performances for the season the cats and their trainer are spending the winter on the farm in Fraserburgh. The big cats are living in three cages of a traditional circus beast wagon. The female tiger lives on her own, while the two male tigers share a cage, as do the two male lions. The beast wagon is attached to a small circular pen that the animals can access when they are not locked away. The lions and tigers must share this pen and during the investigator’s visit there was always at least one big cat locked in the sleeping quarters. Born Free is extremely concerned that these cats are being housed in this manner."

Aberdeenshire Council said no regulations have been breached at Circus High School and confirmed they have carried out checks at the farm. They added: "We are satisfied with the health, welfare and security arrangements in place and the enclosures will be inspected on a regular basis."

Circus High School could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Aberdeen SNP MSP Kevin Stewart has tabled a motion at Holyrood calling for a ban on animals being used in circuses.

The motion "calls on the Scottish Government to introduce legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses."

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Phantom #cats of the Himalayas

Snow leopard

By Sarah Marshall

I’d been warned about it; the swirling black hole that sucks away all breath, body warmth and rational thinking. But here I am, coiled tightly into a ball like a startled millipede at the bottom of my sleeping bag, struggling to gasp the thin, icy air that circulates the mountaintops at 3,700m above sea level, while reminding myself exactly why I’ve chosen to camp in temperatures that dip to a mind-numbing minus 27 degrees at night.

Harsh, hostile but overwhelmingly beautiful, the Himalayan mountain range is a fitting habitat for one of the world’s most elusive and endangered big cats: the snow leopard. Coy, aloof and enigmatic creatures, they are notoriously difficult to spot, and at their home on the roof of the world, they rarely entertain visitors.

But one of the most accessible and opportune places to see snow leopards is Hemis National Park in the eastern Ladakh region of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state. Accessible, though, is a word used relatively.

During the summer months, the park’s valleys become a magnet for backpackers and hardy trekkers heading to the Stok Kangri peak, but when temperatures plummet like a skydiver in freefall, the crowds disappear.

After landing amidst the snowy jagged peaks of the military airport at Ladakhi capital Leh – a reminder of our proximity to the Pakistan border – we drive into the granite folds until we reach the end of the road.

Our simple eight-tent camp is in the Husing Valley, with no running water or electricity, and the toilet – which affectionately becomes known as slum dogs – is essentially a hole in the frosty ground.
Snow leopard tourism is still in its infancy, and capturing the cats on film or video has become a holy grail for wildlife enthusiasts.

The conditions are punishing and the odds are stacked against us, but even the knowledge that these mountain ghosts might have drifted along the same ridge where I’m now sitting causes my heart to race with excitement.

Every morning, before sunrise, a team of eagle-eyed spotters recruited from nearby villages head out to set up spotting scopes, searching for the 10 snow leopards that realm this valley. Being crepuscular, dawn and dusk are the best times to catch the cats.

With radio signals limited, communication is mainly human, and news of sightings is delivered by resilient messengers who sprint with remarkable ease at such high altitude. After combing ice crystals from my hair and applying heat pads to every extremity, I set off to join them. Struggling to gain any purchase on the loose scree, every footstep feels arduous, and as we gain altitude, my breath quickens.

The sun now out, the temperature has risen to a tropical four degrees. Paul amuses us with games and jokes, shooting the breeze with delightfully tasteless punchlines. Remembering that it took the BBC’s Planet Earth team three years to get decent video footage of snow leopards, I realise that a trip of this nature requires some serious patience.

After six hours, we’ve seen nothing, save a few blue sheep kicking up dust storms as they scamper down bone dry precipices. So as stars begin to light up the night sky, we head back to camp, huddle around a gas heater and play Pass The Pigs.

The following morning, though, we awake to a much more welcome furore – news that a snow leopard has been spotted close to the camp. Tugging on base layers and pulling a down jacket over my pyjamas, I pick up my camera and race out. With no food and little sleep, I’m exhausted, and rely on our wonderful porters to haul me up the last few metres.

Ahead of me, cumbersome camera lenses form an arc along the ridge, like firearms on the front line.
And then she appears on the horizon, silhouetted against the blue daybreak sky, and flanked by her two princes, both one-year-old juveniles. Standing before us is a third of the valley’s snow leopard population. Paul is beyond desperate and breaks his tooth trying to set up his tripod in haste.

Using their muscular, bushy tails for balance, the trio drop down sheer escarpments and leap between ridges, traversing gaps several times their body length. Against a mottled backdrop of the sandy rock, their camouflage is incredible and we struggle to keep sight of them.

Finally, they settle in a cave, and even though they are 2km away, the excitement is palpable. For 22-year-old porter Stanzin, who lives in a nearby village, this is his first sighting of a snow leopard, and I know the goosebumps on his arms and neck have nothing to do with the cold.

We stand on a snowy 45-degree angle slope for seven hours, becoming intimately familiar with every crag, crevice and contour on the rock face, until the sun falls behind the mountain, pulling the plug on our electrifying show.

Although nothing more than mere specks in scopes, our sighting of snow leopards is worth more to me than any HD image beamed on a giant plasma TV screen.

Because this is real.

They may appear more intangible than supernatural phenomena, but these mountain ghosts are out there somewhere. Be patient, bide your time, and there’s a chance you might find that holy grail.

• Sarah Marshall was a guest of Exodus who offer the 15-day In Search Of The Snow Leopard tour from £2,099pp, including flights, seven nights hotel accommodation, five nights fully-serviced camping and one night homestay. Departures February 6 and 15, 2015.

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Iberian Lynx reintroduced to Portugal

The plan to reintroduce the rare Iberian lynx to the wild in Portugal has taken a giant step forward the country’s environment ministry has announced.

The lynx has been allocated 2,000 acres in Mertola, 180km southeast of Lisbon to live, hunt and breed thanks to the land owners signing contracts with The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry (ICNF).

“It is a decisive step in the project, starting the definition of the geographic setting, working closely with the owners and managers, of the reintroduction site of the lynx in Portugal,” said Miguel Castro Neto, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Planning and Nature Conservation.

The agreement allows the lynx to live and, hopefully, thrive in a protected area, while the land owner will be able to attract tourists hoping to see one of the most endangered feline in the world.

The Iberian Lynx is the world's most threatened species of cat and is classed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Numbers have declined by more than 80 percent over the last 20 years.

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Franklin County Big Cat Refuge

   A Franklin County man trying to save big cats in Texas has been charged with misdemeanor possession of a wild animal.

   For six years, Charles Earhardt and his family have been working with abused and neglected lions and tigers in Texas trying to place them in refuges or private reserves. He most recently ran one in Galveston, but when he brought one lion and three tigers in three weeks ago to his Franklin County home and his tiger mountain refuge center, his neighbors understandably objected.

   Other area homeowners are not upset about the cats being mistreated, they're well fed they're well taken care of. What they're upset about is the cats being here to begin with. Its a mostly weekend community near lake Bob Sandlin, and they didn't want any lions or tigers around.

   A petition signed by numerous homeowners got the county involved, and according to a 2001 state code, Texas counties can decide whether someone can own a wild animal. Franklin County says no.
   

Earhardt pleaded not guilty to the charge. He intends to continue his work the help the big cats. A trial date has not been set yet. 

 

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Girl aged 8 mauled to death by circus tiger after sneaking into big cats' cage for closer look --where were her parents?

• Nov 03, 2014 13:52
• By Steve Kelly

A little girl has been mauled to death by a circus tiger after slipping through bars and into the big cats' enclosure to get a closer look at the fearsome beasts. Eight-year-old Juan Niu was attacked after sneaking off from her family to get a better look at the huge predators. The youngster had been taken to Leheledu Amusement Park while visiting relatives in China's south-western Chongqing municipality.

Park managers had hired a travelling circus to entertain visitors and had set up temporary holding pens for the animals. The young girl walked up to the cage and managed to slip through the bars at which point she was pounced on by a tiger, and mauled in front of horrified park visitors. Although animal trainers were quickly at the scene and rescued the child, she was barely alive when she was taken to hospital and was declared dead on arrival. The park has offered the family compensation and promised to beef up security to make sure nothing like this happened again.

Park spokesman Manchu Hung said: "Nothing terrible like this has ever happened before and we take the safety of our visitors very seriously. "We will pay all compensation necessary to the family and will make sure it's not possible for anything similar to ever happen again."

Only last month, a nine-year-old boy had his arm torn off by a bear when he had jumped past the guard rail and reached inside the cage to feed it at a zoo in China's Henan province.

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Wildlife behavior to change with the weather

Mountain lions, like the one in this file photo found in a tree by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife researcher, remain active throughout winter.

The forecasted change in weather this month is expected to trigger some different animal behaviors throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. Lower temperatures will encourage the local deer and elk populations to begin their move to lower elevations and may finally slow down the bear sightings in Aspen.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Ranger Kevin Wright said the bears are starting to go into hibernation. He said sows with cubs usually start denning around mid-to-late October. “From talking with hunters in some of the higher places recently, they’ve seen a few sows and cubs,” Wright said. “That indicates those particular individuals are moving towards their den sites, but obviously we’re still getting reports of sows with cubs in town, so they’re still around. If we get a really good cold snap, that’ll help. The boars, or the males, they usually start hibernating around mid-November.”

Wright said the bears don’t necessarily head to higher elevations to den. “A lot will go higher elevations,” he said. “But some bears will den just about anywhere. In Aspen, I’ve seen bears den in some of the old mine shafts literally right next to houses. About 60 percent of the bear dens are associated with some type of rock outcropping, but there’s not one set place you can say they den and they usually don’t use the same den, year after year.”

Wright said he’s seen den sites made under root systems, under trees with low-hanging branches and even under people’s decks. If the public does come across a hibernating bear, Wright said it shouldn’t be a dangerous situation if the bear is left undisturbed. “I think it would be rare for someone to come across a bear’s den because it’s going to be hidden,” Wright said. “A bear den is usually back in some type of cavity. For the most part, they’re pretty lethargic, but they can wake up and move in an instant.”

Mountain lions are another predator that live in the area and remain active all winter. There have been recent big cat sightings in Aspen near Koch Park and at the Marolt Open Space. Wright said it’s likely the same cat because the sightings have all come within a mountain lion’s travel area.

A mountain lion’s primary prey source is mule deer, so they’re usually going to be around where the deer are congregating, but they’re also opportunists and will attack small mammals or unprotected pets that are roaming free. As the deer and elk move down in the winter from the higher elevations, the mountain lions will follow.

Wright said a person is much more likely to see a mountain lion in the winter than in the summer. “Like with any wild animal, you have to exercise caution around big cats,” Wright said. “It’s very rare for a big cat to attack a person. We’ve only had three fatalities in the last 100 years by mountain lions in this state. If you look at how many people have been hurt or injured by dogs, you’re going to see a much higher percentage.”

Wright said big cats are commonly most active around dawn, dusk and during the night. He said people should take care of their pets and always keep them on leash, especially if walking them during those times when big cats are active. “Unfortunately, we’ve had instances where people let their pets out at night and something grabs them,” he said. “It could be a lion, a coyote or a bobcat, depending on the size of the pet. If it’s a small pet, we’ve even had foxes grab them.”

Wright said there’s an abundant population of coyotes in this area. They primarily eat small rodents, but can be deadly to house pets, such as dogs. “A coyote will act like it wants to play and try to lure the dog away from its house,” Wright said. “But there’s usually a couple more nearby and they will pack up on it and kill it. It’s just another reason for people to understand that they need to control their pets. If they allow them to roam and run free, they do have that chance that something can grab it.”

As the weather changes and winter sets in, the local elk and deer population also will make their way down from higher elevations in search of food. Wright said there are already some deer and elk in the Aspen area, but the temperatures have been so high and the weather so dry that the real migration to lower elevations hasn’t kicked in yet.

He warned that when the deer and elk make their way down, drivers need to use extra precautions.

“The time change is here now, so more people will be driving in the dark,” Wright said. “That’s a tough situation with all the deer and elk activity, but it’s pretty much unavoidable.”

He reminded everyone to keep pets away from deer and elk because that’s a losing combination, especially for the wild animals. Deer and elk have to survive winter conditions with calories they’ve mostly put on prior to winter. If they get spooked or chased, they burn up valuable calories that are needed for survival. “We’ve had dogs outright kill deer and even small elk,” Wright said. “Sometimes they’ll hamstring them. I’ve seen deer standing alive with their guts hanging out of them. Dogs are very inefficient predators. They can do a lot of damage without killing a deer.”

Wright said he hopes the public will use caution and remain bear aware, especially businesses in Aspen where unsecured garbage remains a problem. In his opinion, this has been one of the worst seasons for trash violations throughout the valley.

In the upper Roaring Fork district that encompasses the East/West Sopris Creek area up to Aspen and Independence Pass, Wright said they’ve to put down nine bears this year. “We’ve had years where we’ve put down more bears,” he said. “But the trash issue, especially in Aspen, needs to be taken care of. It’s not a good situation. Trash and the fruit trees are still major attractants.”

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Your Daily Cat

Last portrait of Madiba by Tambako The Jaguar

Zolushka - IFAW releases an Amur tiger back into the wilds of Russia (video)

 

In this short video, produced by IFAW, an incredibly rare orphaned Amur Tiger is rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to its wild habitat. http://ifaw.org

Your Daily Cat

 

Caracal in nice light by Tambako The Jaguar

Calls for wild animal ban as circus big cats arrive in Scotland for first time in years

MSP Kevin Stewart has urged the Scottish government to take action against a traveling circus which uses big cats. The arrival of lions and tigers from a circus in England to Aberdeenshire – the first wild circus animals to be seen in the country for years – has caused uproar, and led to a motion from Aberdeen MSP Kevin Stewart calling on the government to ban circuses from using wild animals. The move has been welcomed by Animal Defenders International (ADI) which has campaigned for a UK-wide ban for many years.

ADI President Jan Creamer, who is currently leading a mission to rescue big cats and other wild animals from circuses in South America said, “ADI applauds efforts by Kevin Stewart MSP to ban circuses from using wild animals in Scotland. Without action from government, the arrival of big cats in Aberdeenshire could be the first of many, making Scotland a destination for circus suffering that it has not been for years. We can’t let that happen.

Earlier this year, the government opened a public consultation on the use of wild animals in circuses and Scottish nutritionist, presenter and author Gillian McKeith gave her support for ADI’s call for a ban. Gillian commented on having seen wild animals in circuses when she was younger: “As I grew up I realised those few moments of entertainment came at a terrible price for the animals. “Once I was aware of the suffering involved, I vowed never to take my children to a circus with wild animals.”

The results of the consultation have been delayed until the New Year, prompting a warning from ADI President Jan Creamer that “Scotland risks being the destination for its England’s wild animal acts. “Less than two weeks later, the lions and tigers arrived in Aberdeenshire, prompting Mr Stewart’s motion.”


The big cats have been touring over the last year with one of the two circuses licensed to perform in England with wild animal acts, and are set to spend the cold winter months in the North East.
Earlier this year, ADI revealed footage of the animals, who are owned and trained by Thomas Chipperfield and have been performing at Peter Jolly’s Circus, pacing up and down in their cages. This abnormal and repetitive behaviour, known as a ‘stereotypy’, is commonly observed in circuses but not seen in the wild, and indicates compromised welfare and suffering.

Circus inspection reports released to ADI earlier this month revealed a string of welfare and animal management issues at Peter Jolly’s Circus. These included the circus failing to provide animals with water in a pre-performance holding area and withholding water for the tigers to bathe in, denying them the ability to perform this natural behaviour, albeit in a small tub of water.

The big cats’ microchips had also not been read since they were acquired, owing in part to the animals being insufficiently trained.

The reports also stated how snakes had been allowed to get to an “advanced” state of putrefaction, preventing a post-mortem examination to determine their cause of death; veterinary records were found to be incomplete; humidity readings for the snake vivarium were not recorded and the raccoon’s enclosure size was noted as being “only just acceptable.”

ADI is currently working with Government authorities in South America to help enforce wild animal circus bans in Peru and Colombia as part of a groundbreaking rescue mission, Operation Spirit of Freedom. They have 22 lions and 11 monkeys currently in their care. Having been removed from the circus, the animals will be relocated to their permanent homes once they are fit and ready to travel. ADI undertook a similar rescue in Bolivia, having secured a nationwide ban on all animal circus acts, and the award-winning documentary Lion Ark – which charts the historic mission – will be screened at Glasgow Film Theatre on November 15th.

Public support for a ban in the UK has been consistently high for 15 years, with a Defra public consultation showing a resounding 94% of respondents supporting a ban. Over 200 local authorities in the UK already have bans on the use of animals in circuses, and 28 countries worldwide have national restrictions in place.

The British Government has remained committed to banning the use of wild animals in circuses since it announced it would prohibit such acts in 2012. Former Defra Minister Jim Fitzpatrick MP has introduced a Bill which will have its second reading on November 7th.

ADI’s campaign to stop circus suffering in Britain is supported by politicians of all parties, leading animal protection groups and celebrities including Ricky Gervais, Dame Judi Dench, Brian Blessed, Twiggy, Eddie Izzard and Sir Roger Moore.

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Tiger Temple Thailand: a Must for Tourists OR a Front for Flagrant Animal Abuse?

Madison Montgomery
October 31, 2014  

Every year, hundreds of foreign tourists flock for the chance to view and interact with tigers at the Tiger Temple Thailand. Here, visitors are given the once in a lifetime opportunity to frolic with tiger cubs and pose alongside larger cats. Guests can also help feed cubs and exercise the lazier adults … something you rarely get to do in the United States! Maybe there’s a reason for that … when you understand the fact that tigers are endangered and that holding them in captivity can cause them to become distressed and aggressive,  it seems like big cats don’t make for the best candidates for hands on entertainment.


But the Tiger Temple claims they’re helping tigers! According to the Temple, they support tiger conservation by rescuing tigers from poachers and allowing them to live peacefully alongside monks!
The Tiger Temple Thailand also takes part in its own breeding program and is technically licensed as a zoological facility. Stop right there. Let’s get one thing straight. Both these things means that Tiger Temple cannot be recognized as either a conservation NGO or a sanctuary. While the Tiger Temple may make their claims, about “rescuing” tigers or “supporting” conservation, we have to wonder if these claims are at all true. While the park does bill its charges to patrons as donations (according to Right Tourism), but there is no evidence suggesting those donations go in any way towards wild tiger conservation efforts.

Also, the fact that these tigers are raised by monks, not wildlife experts or conservationists, seems a little bit suspect. Like all wild animals, tigers require highly specific living conditions and diet. Not to mention an in-depth understanding of tiger behaviors is key to keeping guests safe. What are these monks doing that other wildlife experts aren’t to make these particular tigers so docile and friendly around guests …?

Although we know that these animals would (sadly) never stand a chance in the wild, we have to ask you a question: just because a group of wild animals can’t be released back into the wild, does that mean we have the right to treat them as we please while they’re in captivity? Learn more about what goes on at Tiger Temple, and you can be the judge.

Where do the animals come from?

In the 1990s, the trade of tigers was banned worldwide, but unfortunately this ban didn’t stick. Today, tigers and other big cats have become big in the trade of illegal wildlife. With their cute faces and fluffy fur, who wouldn’t want a little pet tiger cub?

Under Thai law, the exchange of tigers internationally is entirely prohibited, but after a series of investigations between 2005 and 2008 took place on the Tiger Temple, it was discovered that at least seven tigers vanished from the facility without any context, and five new tigers appeared – again –without explanation.

Evidence was later found that workers at the temple had coordinated deals with a tiger farm in Laos where older felines were traded for cubs. The cubs were then given the same names as their traded counterparts to hide the fact that tigers were being imported and exported between multiple facilities.

Another big rule in tiger-owning facilities is that, under the Thai Wild Animals Reservation and Protection Act of 1992, a facility must possess a government issued license in order to breed tigers. The Tiger Temple has not provided evidence of possessing such a license, yet they have successfully bred tigers resulting in 10 cubs. For those of us who know the intense struggles that tiger populations face in the wild, this may sound like a step in the right direction for tiger conservation. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

According to Care for the Wild, “To be part of a conservation breeding program, the genetic make-up and history of an animal’s parents must be known. But the original animals at the Temple are of unknown origin, nor have they been DNA-tested to identify their sub-species. With this background, the Temple cannot participate in any recognised conservation breeding programme.”

That being said, the animals bred at the facility are not viable for release as their species type is unknown. Without DNA tests, who is to say that these tigers are pure Indochinese or Bengal tigers (as is presumed) versus cross-breeds and hybrids?

History of Abuse

Care for the Wild International carried out several Tiger Temple investigations between 2005 and 2008. After collecting data from each investigation, an entire report was created that states in the executive summary that the Tiger Temple Thailand’s “success is based around claims that its tigers were rescued from poachers and live and move freely and peacefully amongst the temple’s monks, who are actively engaged in conservation and rescue work.”

Despite these seemingly positive claims, it appears that Tiger Temple Thailand may have more to hide. 

Back in 2013, a 19 year old college student was knocked to the ground and bitten by a large tiger while at the popular tourist attraction. With an infected four-inch gash in her thigh, the student needed to stay in a hospital for two weeks and was unable to walk independent of either a wheelchair or crutches for a month after the incident.

The question now becomes, what prompted the attack on the 19 year old student? Sure being in the vicinity of a predatory big cat is already prancing on the toes of danger, but what exactly pushes tigers to act this way in captivity?

Poor Living Conditions

The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries: Standards for Animal Care of Felids requires that permanent enclosures housing two tigers must reach at least 1,200 square feet.

According to CWI, tiger enclosures at Tiger Temple Thailand fell incredibly short of this standard with their cages only reaching 122 square feet. Furthermore, the CWI reports that the enclosures are, “totally free of any enrichment for the tigers. At any one time only around 10 tigers are out and about and the others are locked up in their concrete floored enclosures.”

Tigers spend between 20-21 hours in their cages a day. With this, there have been reports of tigers exhibiting signs of zoochosis (or repetitive behaviors exhibited by captive animals that appear to be under extreme stress), pacing constantly or obsessively chewing on their paws.
Tigers kept in captivity are supposed to have ample shade and water to escape heat. At the Tiger Temple, the cats are forced to interact with guests for about three hours at a time in direct sunlight. Temperatures where the facility resides can get to around 104 degrees Fahrenheit … a heat that makes even humans complain.

 

Care for Young Cubs

Temple workers have actually openly admitted to taking tiger cubs from their mothers at around three weeks of age.Young tigers become wholly dependent on human care in their early in life, deeming them completely unacceptable candidates for release into the wild.  At this young age, the tigers are taught how to “appropriately” interact with humans, and they start their “training.” CWI, as well as a number of tourists, have documented physical abuse and mistreatment of the tigers at the facility. To make the tigers cooperate with humans, they are beaten and taught to be submissive to their keepers.

Caretakers at Tiger Temple claim to have other plans for young tigers. According to a report by ABC news, one cub caretaker stated, “What [we] intend to do here is, once they’ve got the area to release them, we’ll move into a breeding program where the new cubs will be taught to look after themselves and from thereon they’ll teach the next generation to fend for themselves and be released.”
Though this notion is optimistic, it is entirely unrealistic. Sorry, Tiger Temple … it’s just not gonna fly.

 

Socialization? For Once, It May Be a Bit Much

In the wild, adult tigers tend to live out solitary lives, only joining the company of another tiger when it’s time to mate or when cubs are too young to live on their own.

At Tiger Temple Thailand, felines interact with and live amongst multiple other tigers. Actually, “multiple” doesn’t even come close to describing the amount of tigers at this popular tourist stop. At one point, the facility housed 90 tigers at once … that’s definitely more than your average zoo.

Furthermore, tigers are also forced to interact with both workers and guests on a daily basis. There have been several claims made by tourists on tourism sites, as well as investigative reports. that workers roughly handle their animals by pulling on tiger’s tails and hitting them with thin canes. Tigers are also agitated by the tourists who think it is acceptable to sit on the animal’s backs or irritate the cats by getting too close when space is clearly needed.

  The CWI report states that the staff at the temple was “unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with potential emergencies” and that workers “failed to prevent direct contact even when the tigers [were] aggressive.”

While there have been rumors about Temple monks drugging the animals so that they act calmer near tourists, there is no evidence that this practice occurs. Still, tigers living at the facility are frequently noted as being oddly lethargic and calm. While drugs and medications may not be used, tigers may become submissive to workers after years of man-handling and physical abuse. One look at this video may have you thinking the same thing.

What you can do?

Based on what we know about the many claims and the we do not recommend this park to animal lovers. If you find no wrong in tiger selfies or watching monks pull on a tiger’s tail, that decision is entirely up to you. If you want to stop the activities at Tiger Temple, here’s what you can do.

Boycott Tiger Temple Thailand

Like any customer dependent facility, Tiger Temple Thailand is entirely dependent on their visitors in order to continue existing. For anyone who plans on traveling to Thailand, a good decision you can make is to simply cross this tourist trap off your list and go on another adventure.

Leave a Review on Trip Advisor

To further boost public awareness about the Temple, leave a review on TripAdvisor. Follow this link (or this link … it’s up to you!), and write a review that either highlights your personal qualms with the park OR you can submit a link to this article. If you have visited the park and were less than impressed by the tiger’s conditions, please submit your images to add a visual touch.

Expose Others

Let us know (in the comments sections) about other animal attractions that should be banned for the way they treat animals.
  Lead image source: AxelBoldt / Wikimedia Commons

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