Weekly Feline News

Here are the cat-related news for this past week..

First leopards... the rarest of all leopards - the Amur Leopards, are under imminent threat of extinction in the wild after one of the last seven remaining females of the subspecies was killed by natives in Barsovy Wildlife Refuge in Fareastern Russia. There are only twenty five of these majestic cats left in the world and the loss of every individual animal brings them closer to eradication in nature. The sad news came only recently after scientists had finished an eight year long study on the genetic profile of these cats, suggesting ideas for their conservation in the wild. More here and here.

However, there is good news for Amur Leopards too. Officials have come up with a plan to extend their reserve in the remote Siberian wilderness. The newly proposed specially preserved natural territory will extend across the border region of Primorsky and China, and be a major boost for the conservation of the leopards and prey in their natural habitat. Full account of the proposed reserve here.

Now to another endangered subclass of leopards - the Persian Leopards, the largest yet least known and understood of all leopards. These great cats were thought to have gone extinct in Iran, but have recently made a comeback. Still they remain critically endangered and face various threats to their survival in nature. Here is a report about them.

To India, and the Indian leopards - two of which have been somewhat rogue this past week - attacking people on separate occasions. Whilst one has managed to escape after injuring a woman in the Gir Forest, the other has been declared a maneater after it attacked two young boys in Garhwal, one of them fatally. More on them here and here.

Now to the bigger cousin of the leopard - the third largest wild cat, Jaguar. Controversy is surrounding the capture and euthanization of Macho B, the last known wild jaguar in United States. The fifteen year old big cat was the oldest jaguar to ever have been documented in the wild. According to reports he was first trapped and tranquilized in med February for placement of a radio collar on his neck. On March 2nd, he was again captured by wildlife officials and flown to Phoenix Zoo where he was euthanized on the same day, after it was presumed that he had irreversible renal failure. Now, however, doubts are being raised over the whole affair. The wisdom behind repeated anesthetization of such an old animal is being questioned. Also the diagnosis of kidney damage, and thus the need for euthanization is being disputed. A criminal investigation has been launched now into the affair. More on this here, here and here.

Jaguars are still prevalent in South American forests. Here is an interesting account of an encounter with one of them in a jungle in Brazil. To read more about the conservation efforts being made to protect them, go through the blog.

Now to tigers, and the news is mostly good here this week. The government of India is allocating close to sixty million rupees to move over nine hundred families from one of the forests there, the Manas Tiger Reserve. The move is set to reduce the incidence of conflict between people and tigers there, and also to allow the predators and prey animals there, freedom of movement. Quite a positive step! One that has been matched by the proposed allocation of new territory to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in the country's north. The famed Pilibhit Reserve is the same forest from where a tigress moved out in late November owing to lack of prey and territory to undertake a four hundred mile trek across the country, before she was finally dubbed a maneater and shot. So, a positive move that will help prevent the tigers from straying out of the forests of Pilibhit, by increasing their habitat area. More here and here.

There's good news for lions too. And it comes from the least expected place - the war-torn border between Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo, in Africa. Despite the ongoing armed conflict in the area, a recent study has shown a very promising sign for the lion population there - a significant number of prey animals. This has been concluded after a study that suggests that the prey density in those parts could support the largest potential population of lions in Central Africa, as many as nine hundred animals! This is of course possible only if positive conservation steps are taken now in the right direction. Let's hope that the findings of this trial are given due consideration by the relevant authorities there. Full report here.

And to read another interesting report about African Lions, this time in Kenya, you can go here. And for an interesting article on Asiatic Lions, here.

Here's something else which is interesting, this time relating to Mountain Lions. According to new research it has now emerged that if you come across a cougar in the wild, it may be a better idea to run than to stay and hold your ground. Even as this goes across conventional wisdom, the advice might prove to be life-saving in certain circumstances, according to authors of this study! More here.

And finally, here is a thought provoking article on captivity of animals in zoos...

Until next week, all the best :)