Member Photos: Rusty-spotted Cat

Many of our ISEC Canada members are keen photographers, and include both amateur and professional photogs. We are always happy to showcase wild cat photos on this blog, so if you have any pictures you would like to brag about, please email them to our office at isec@wildcatconservation.org. Click on photos to enlarge.

Ben Williams in the United Kingdom has sent us more wild cat photos. This week we’re featuring the tiny Rusty-spotted Cat, photographed at Port Lympne Wildlife Park in Kent.

The Rusty-spotted cat of India and Sri Lanka is possibly the smallest wild cat species on earth, rivaled only by the tiny Black-footed cat of southern Africa.  Adults weigh from 1 to 1.5 kg (about 3.5 lbs). They are only 35 – 48 cm (14 – 19 in) in length, with a 15 – 30 cm (6 – 12 in) tail. Very little is known of their life in the wild.

Read more about the Rusty-spotted cat on our website

Fishing cats will dive head-first into water after their prey.

Yum!

Andean Cat Alliance Newsletter

Reprinted with permission of the Andean Cat Alliance, a group of professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru working to develop coordinated actions for the conservation of the Andean cat and its habitat.

Andean cats show up in photos and paintings in Lauca National Park, Chile

By Agustin Iriarte, Rodrigo Villalobos and Nicolas Lagos

During the first half of 2011 we have been very active in the Region XV of Arica and Paranicota, with education campaigns and new surveys. The team produced new, colourful education materials in Spanish and Aimara, the native language, including 1000 posters and 1000 brochures with information about Andean cats and the fauna and flora of the High Andes. We distributed these materials among 12 rural schools and discussed with students about the threats Andean cats face and why it is import to protect them. In the schools of Ticnamar and Putre the children created amazing paintings depicting animals of their region in great detail and with bright colours.

At the same time, Andean cats made themselves visible in 10 of our camera-traps, distributed in 31 sites over an area of around 2,000 km². Our intensive work, with a sampling effort of 5,842 trap-nights, was amply compensated by images of seven different Andean cats, among them two kittens!

The Itinerant Exhibition spreads the plight of Andean cats in Bolivia

By Gabriela Aguirre

Through informal environmental education the Itinerant Exhibition brings information about Andean cats and High Andes biodiversity to many students, to the general public in El Alto city, the local Zoo Vesty Pakos Sofro and to Sunday fairs in La Paz. Our main objective has been to raise awareness of the need to protect Andean cats and the High Andes ecosystem as a whole, and to create positive attitudes towards conservation.

As a result, more people know about Andean cats and are aware of their conservation challenges, mainly from hunting. When people possess the knowledge needed to develop a positive attitude, they become active conservation subjects themselves, wokring in favour of the protection of Andean cats and their habitats. This is a versatile education strategy that the Andean Cat Alliance will soon implement in other regions and countries.

Protecting Andean cats from persecution in the Patagonian steppe

By Susan Walker, WCS Argentina – Patagonian and Andean Steppe Program

The population of Andean cats of Patagonia was only discovered in 2005. Genetic analysis indicates a long history of isolation of this population from the cats of the Andes. In Patagonia, Andean cats are killed by goat herders who consider them a threat to their goats. During the past year we documented numerous recent killings of Patagonian cats, especially in one large plateau of southern Mendoza. Here at least 12 herders have seen Andean cats, and at least 10 of the cats have been killed since 2008. Given the natural rarity and low density of this species, and that we have probably not documented every cat killed, this rate of killing could result in extinction of an important sub-population, interrupting connectivity with the southernmost cats in Neuquén province.

We are seeking to prevent this local extinction through a pro-active approach to immediately stop killing of Andean cats in the plateau, including “payment for services” to herders when photos of Andean cats are taken on their lands, in addition to continuing to provide them with assistance for reducing predation losses.

Establishing the foundations for long-term conservation of Andean cats in Bolivia

By Juan Carlos Huaranca and Lilian Villalba

Our efforts are giving fruit and we can now confirm the existence of an Andean cat population in the area known as Ciudad de Piedra (Stone City) in the department of La Paz. Our camera-traps captured three different Andean cats and eight Pampas cats, with a density estimated at 0.018 and 0.049 individuals per km² respectively These results coincide with those from studies in other regions, which showed Andean cats to be the less abundant of the two felids.

Equipped with a set of camera traps, we are now planning to survey other areas in the country, in collaboration with the Institute of Ecology at the University Major de San Andres and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Donate to this project

More about the Andean Cat Alliance 

Member Photos: Caracal

Many of our ISEC Canada members are keen photographers, and include both amateur and professional photogs. We are always happy to showcase wild cat photos on this blog, so if you have any pictures you would like to brag about, please email them to our office at isec@wildcatconservation.org. Click to enlarge photos.

Ben Williams in the United Kingdom has sent us more wild cat photos. This week we’re featuring the Caracal, photographed at Port Lympne Wildlife Park in Kent. 

Caracals are one of the few wild cat species that are not listed as endangered. There is concern however, at the severe loss of habitat throughout their African range, and their Asian status is critical.

These cats are known for flushing birds from the grass, jumping up and knocking them down with their front paws. They can reach heights of  10 feet doing this. In ancient times, Caracal were tamed and used for hunting birds, much the same way as Cheetahs were trained to hunt gazelles. This unusual cat behaviour is the origin of the phrase ‘to put the cat amongst the pigeons.’

Read more about the Caracal on our website.

The Tragedy of Large Cat Ownership

I write this about three hours from Zanesville, Ohio. As many of you have may have heard, there was a very sad incident there this week. A man held fifty-six exotic animals on a farm, in a private zoo.* This included eighteen tigers, seventeen lions, three leopards, and at least one cougar. On Tuesday, he opened the cages, releasing them, then took his own life. In the interest of public safety, the sheriff’s department, overwhelmed and ill equipped, had no choice but to put down all but six.

For the animals, there is no part of this story that is not tragic. Wild animals are simply not meant to be pets. There are many reasons for this. In part, this is because it actually hinders conservation efforts by removing the individuals from the gene pool. More importantly, especially in this case, is that caring for a wild animal, especially a big cat like a lion or tiger, is simply beyond the capacity of most people. It is very expensive to care for these creatures. Indeed, the owner was deeply in debt. It requires equipment, staff, space, and proper enclosures. This is simply beyond the capacity of most amateurs. Further, there needs to be a plan for the long-term well being of the animals, should their caretaker is no longer able to do so. Unfortunately, these animals lived their lives in small cages, suffered from neglect, and ultimately left on their own.

Ohio has some of the most lax laws regarding animal ownership. The prior governor of Ohio instituted an executive order banning private ownership of such animals. It was never enforced, and the current governor allowed it to lapse. In fact, the owner in the Zanesville case had faced charges of animal cruelty in the past, and would not have been allowed to keep these animals under the old rule. There is now a call for stronger laws in the state.

Zoos and rescue organizations that specialize in big cats have the experience, equipment, and capability for managing wild animals. They will be accredited by an organization such as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums or Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, which works to ensure the care of the animals is in their best interest. These are things that are beyond individuals.

The tragic lesson is that wild animals, such as big cats, are not pets. Most people are not able to provide them the support they need. Leave them in the wild, or visit them in an accredited facility. The only cat that should be in houses are domesticated cats.

*Some images in links may be disturbing.

Clouded Leopard Hijinks

You know how it is on the internet. You start looking for something, get sidetracked, forget what you were looking for… While I have no idea where I was going, I just found this adorable video on the Clouded Leopard Project website.

You’ll smile, you’ll laugh, you’ll want to help clouded leopards. Watch the video!

Member Photos: Margay

Many of our ISEC Canada members are keen photographers, and include both amateur and professional photogs. We are always happy to showcase wild cat photos on this blog, so if you have any pictures you would like to brag about, please email them to our office at isec@wildcatconservation.org. Click to enlarge photos.

Ben Williams in the United Kingdom has sent us more wild cat photos. This week we’re featuring the Margay Leopardus wiedii, photographed at Port Lympne Wildlife Park in Kent. 

Margays are one member of the small spotted cat trio in South America that also includes the Ocelot Leopardus pardalis and the Oncilla Leopardus tigrinus. The Margay is smaller than the more common Ocelot, but larger than the tiny Oncilla. Their similarity to one another can make identification difficult. Researchers have discovered that all three are often called ‘tigrillo’, or perhaps ‘tigrillito’, when local people are shown pictures and asked to identify the wild cats that live in the area.

Now I ask you – is that not THE most adorable small wild cat of all?! Not that I’m partial or anything, but just look at that face…

Read more about the Margay on our website

Pat Bumstead

I Have a Mouse!

One morning, a wayward mouse and a sand cat remind me that, no matter how cute they are, cats are predators.

Cheetah is Alien to Rajasthan, says expert

Concern among a section of conservationists over a move to “re-introduce” cheetahs in Rajasthan, India has been echoed by the former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, V.D. Sharma. “The cheetah is alien to Rajasthan, so why introduce it here? They are using the word ‘re-introduction’ but I would insist that this is going to be an introduction of cheetah in Rajasthan as it never existed here in the wild,” said Mr. Sharma, author and specialist on lesser cats, talking to The Hindu newspaper.

“Is there any ecological gap or void which needs to be filled through the introduction of the cheetah here?” he asked. “We are planning to introduce an alien animal spending several hundreds of crores of rupees. The major concern is that introduction of the cheetah is contemplated in basically tiger land. If there is money to spare, it should be for conserving the tiger habitats,” said Mr. Sharma who has had a long association with Rajasthan’s tiger habitats as Chief Wildlife Warden in the past.

Mr. Sharma said Rajasthan has a long documented record of hunting expeditions by the rulers of Jaipur, Bikaner, Dungarpur and others but there is no reference to cheetahs. “There is no record of shooting a cheetah anywhere in Rajasthan. The museums have no stuffed cheetah or preserved skin of this animal kept as trophies,” he added. Former Rajasthan States had cheetahs as captive animals procured from abroad. “It was introduced as a hunting animal. Some of the captive cheetahs might have escaped to the wild and got killed. We don’t hear about any cheetah population,” Mr. Sharma said.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Rajasthan had vast stretches of grass-shrubland with black bucks and chinkaras, ideal for the presence of cheetah. Yet there were none. “It never went extinct here as it never existed,” Mr. Sharma said.

Project will now go to Madhya Pradesh

Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he felt Rajasthan was the best site suited for re-introduction but the government there was not agreeing because of protests by the local people. He said he tried to explain that oil and gas exploration could be done even if the cheetah was introduced there and the area would not be declared a national park or sanctuary. Now Madhya Pradesh is going to be the first option, as the Chief Minister there has given a committment and was very keen on the project, he said.

Source: IUCN/SSC Cat News, Spring 2011

Panthers and Other Black Cats

October is a month for black cats. Among wild cats, panthers are the most well known black cat…but there are no panthers.

Wait, isn’t that a picture of a panther dozing in San Diego?

Not exactly. Depending on where you are standing on the globe, “panthers” are jaguars or leopards that are melanistic, that is to say, have an excess of dark pigmentation. You can even see the spots. Note the two jaguars below (from the Toronto Zoo). One is melanistic; the other is not.

Melanism in leopards is due to a recessive gene, where in jaguars, it is due to a dominate one.

Other cats can have melanistic traits. Servals, for example, have been shown as melanistic. Camera traps have reported melanistic marbled cats. Black house cats are the result of one gene. Add to it the tabby gene, and faint stripes may be visible.

I often confuse jaguars and leopards, especially in photographs. Fortunately, the wonderful Big Cat Blog helps me know my spots.