Feline News for Aug to Nov '09

Hi everybody. I so regret that I've been unable to blog for the past four months. Various professional and personal engagements have kept me away from the blogosphere and the world of wild cats. Having passed the licensing exam that allows me to practice as a doctor in Australia, I've been looking for opportunities to further my career prospects in medicine. Time spent with family and friends, though precious, had also curtailed my aptitude towards blogging to an extent. Fortunately I do find some free time now and can present the news related to cats for the past few months. Most of it is quite distressing actually and this fact has spurred me into preparing this post and continuing with this blog to get the word out about the plight of the wild cats...

Starting with tigers - the news is negative for most of the individual subspecies. Siberian tigers, the largest of the wild cats, have suffered from a forty percent decrease in their numbers in the wild in the past twelve years according to a recent study in Far East Russia's Primorye region. This comes on the back of a report in July that indicated a severe shortage of diversity in the gene pool of these tigers, making them susceptible to diseases. Previously thought to be the only tiger subspecies on the rise, these great cats now face an uncertain future, threatened by rampant poaching and logging. More here, here, here and here.

The news related to Bengal tigers is equally distressing. They continue to face a threat from poaching, driven largely by a demand for their skin and body parts in China. This fact has become increasingly established recently with emergence of several reports pointing to a well organized criminal enterprise operating freely in parts of India, China and Southeast Asia. Exploiting porous borders, weak legislation and corruption the illegal wildlife trade amounts to billions of dollars annually. There is a constant demand (in China) and supply (from India) that is unfortunately not being checked at either end effectively by authorities. To make the matters worse, it has recently emerged that China has quietly changed rules that could allow the sale of products derived from body parts of endangered animals. The legislation, enacted in 2007 but kept secret to prevent uproar in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, could ring the death bell for the tiger. China is also lobbying in global wildlife forums for lifting the ban on trade of tiger parts and continues to refuse to shut down the tiger farms that keep this business alive while slaughtering the magnificent cats for their parts. To learn more about this illegal wildlife trade, view this must-watch video below. To read more the background of this video and related news, go here, here, here, here, here and here.



Moving to India now where more than sixty tigers have died in the forests this year, a third of them due to poaching, the recent news is not very promising either. Conservationists were shocked in September when the country's top court ordered the release of Sansar Chand from police custody. Indicted in numerous crimes and featured in several documentaries, Sansar Chand is the most notorious kingpin in the annals of wildlife crimes in India. He has singly been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of tigers and leopards in the country over the past few decades. What impact will this ruling have on India's last remaining big cats, only time will tell. A number of articles have appeared over the past few months detailing the current status of tigers in India and the dire circumstances that they face. You can read them as well as more about the above news here, here, here, here, here and here.

To Sumatran tigers now, the smallest of the tiger subspecies who are fighting for survival in the face of rapid habitat destruction and unchecked poaching alongside many other endangered species in the Southeast Asian islands. Recent reports have revealed an alarming surge in deforestation of their habitat. Forty percent of lowland forests in the region have been cleared in the past fifteen years. Illegal logging continues as well and lax legislation coupled with the vicious demand and supply cycle listed above continues to take its toll on the endangered tigers of Sumatra. Recently the island was shook with a crime as barbaric as it was daring. Sheila, a tigress that was part of a conservation program and had been living in a zoo in Jambi, Indonesia, for the last twenty years was brutally murdered inside her cage. Her body parts were mostly removed and thought to be sold later in black market. Even though the killer was later apprehended, the thought that tigers are unsafe even in zoos now must be chilling for the conservationists in Sumatra. To read more about the above you can go here, here, here and here.

Moving to Malayan tigers, the newest of the tiger subspecies that reside solely in Malaysia. The authorities here too are fighting an uphill battle against the many threats to their big cats. While the authorities plan to double the number of tigers in the wild to one thousand animals by the next decade, tigers keep getting snared and poached from the forests and the smuggled parts keep appearing in other parts of the world. Following is a heartbreaking video of such an incident, that might be a little graphic for some to view. To read more about all of this go here, here and here.



Moving to leopards now. While the spotted cats often fare better than their larger feline cousins in the wild owing to their well developed stealth and survival skills, not all leopards are safe from man. Amongst them are the Snow leopards that continue to suffer from the same threats as the tigers. Their skins are in high demand in Tibet and China where they are often worn or adorned as symbols of beauty and prestige. To read a report exposing the trade of tiger and snow leopard skin, go here.

To Cheetahs, and they are facing a unique threat as well. This is in the form of a species of thorn bush that is ravaging through the habitat of the big cats in Namibia, Southern Africa, causing great damage to the ecosystem and loss of millions of dollars of annual revenue. To learn more about this danger to the sleek felines and the efforts underway to control it, go here.

And finally lions. Unfortunately they too are facing a grave danger in Africa. Kenya, home to tens of thousands of lions in the past, is now down to its last two thousand. And even these might be lost in the next couple of decades. The danger here is chiefly conflict with humans. As population grows and people and their cattle compete directly with lions and their prey for resources, the predators increasingly come into conflict with people. In the end the lions lose out, getting speared, shot and of late.. poisoned. Furadan, or Carbofuran, is an extremely toxic pesticide that has been sold over the years to farmers in Kenya for usage in their fields. However, people have found this tasteless and odourless chemical to be extremely effective in killing lions. Carcasses of their prey are sprinkled with this poison and the lions returning to feed are subsequently killed, alongside other scavengers. Entire prides of lions have been killed this way and the whole population of the big cats in the country is under direct threat from this substance. Even as the sale of Furadan to Kenya was stopped recently by the manufacturing company, the product continues to be available for sale in stores throughout the country. Below is a video detailing the crisis. To read more you can go here, here and here.



In spite of all this gloomy news, there are some positive developments too. In September a fourteen month old cub was successfully released into the wild in the Russian Fareast. It had accidentally wandered into a village in March and was found to be in a state of starvation upon its capture. After months of being nursed back into health it was eventually released to the wilderness. A police boss was sacked in Siberia over accusations of complicity in poaching, in a sign of stricter enforcement of wildlife laws. Several of the tigers are to be relocated to Northeastern China to aid in the recovery of tiger population that used to survive there in the past. And prime minister Vladimir Putin is set to chair a summit in Vladivostok to launch a global campaign to save the tigers from their current state of decline and double their numbers in the wild over the next thirteen years. More on the above here, here, here and here.

Authorities in India are planning to set up a tiger protection force in several of the reserves. Some of the reserves have been provided with significant amount of funds to assist them in supporting and relocating people that dwell inside and around the periphery of forests. There have been several recent high profile arrests including that of the brother of Sansar Chand. There is talk of introducing tigers and lions to new sanctuaries and also to set up a new tiger sanctuary in India. A proposed mining as well as scientific venture in proximity of tiger habitat has been overruled. Plans are also underway to improve the legislation in favor of protection of tigers. Nepal is planning to sign agreements with China and Thailand to control smuggling of endangered animals across its borders. Bangladesh has come up with its first formal plan to protect the wild tigers. To read more about all of the good news vis-à-vis bengal tigers, you can go here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

For the Sumatran tigers too there is hope. Authorities have successfully raided and arrested people involved in killing and trading tigers and their parts. Despite the multitude of challenges facing them dedicated conservationists persevere in their efforts to protect their fauna and flora. To read more about their brave and tireless efforts, as well as the news above, go here, here, here, here and here.

And there are efforts underway to protect the Malayan tiger too. Scientists believe there is still hope for the big cat and the proposed plans to double its number might well bear fruit provided the undertaking of committed endeavors occurs over the coming months and years. For more go here, here and here.

For the leopards too there comes some good news with the recent seizure of several of their skins alongside nearly two tons of ivory in Kenya. Sixty five people were also arrested in the three month long operation that will hopefully serve to deter future poachers and smugglers. And the snow leopards get some help too. This time from one of my favorite brands: Apple. With the release of its new operating system 'Snow Leopard', Apple is not only serving to raise awareness about the beautiful cat, it is also promoting the sale of adoption kits to raise funds for conservation. Full reports about the above here and here.

The cheetahs also have their share of good fortune. India is planning to reintroduce them into its grasslands decades after their extinction in that country. The world's fastest man, sprinter Usain Bolt is aiding the launch of a program to conserve the world's fastest land animal. A game reserve in South Africa recently welcomed two male cheetahs after they were recovered from a cattle ranch. And in Namibia a farmer called the conservation fund set up for cheetahs to rescue the animals after they wandered on to his farm, instead of shooting the animals as has been the practice in the past. More on these here, here, here and here.

For the lions too there are some positive news. After years of delay the rare Asiatic lions are set to be moved to a new home in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The king of beasts have also found good friends in the Jouberts, National Geographic's explorers and photographers who aim to promote conservation while raising awareness through their work. And Kenya's parliament is moving forward to ban Furadan as the prime minister is being pressed to act urgently in this regard. Hopefully there will be news to celebrate soon for the majestic cats. To read more you can click here, here, here and here.

Finally there are some very exciting news for two of the smaller wild cat species. First ever video footage of the Bornean Bay Cat has emerged. Residing solely in the island of Borneo the reclusive feline is amongst the least studied of the feline species. However, recently it was captured on film by scientists working in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. This has come on the heels of another exciting discovery for researchers. The rare African Golden Cat has been photographed by a camera trap in the forests of Uganda in East Africa. To date only a single known photograph of the secretive cat exists. This is therefore quite a significant discovery that will not only help in the understanding of this feline but also encourage others in their efforts to study and better understand these and other rare cats. To read more about these and see the captured images go here and here.

That is all for the cat-related news of the past four months. I hope this was not all sobering. To cheer up, watch this video of the mean kitty . Have a great week!