Tests will give more info about cougar killed in Ga.

Tests will determine more about panther By Rob Pavey - Outdoors Editor Sunday, November 30, 2008 Georgia authorities are continuing an inquiry into how a 140-pound panther ended up in Troup County, Ga., where a deer hunter shot and killed it. "Unless someone comes forward with more information it will be difficult to determine where it came from," said John Bowers, assistant game management chief for Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division. The hunter, Dave Adams of Newnan, killed the big cat Nov. 16 with a muzzleloader while hunting on public Corps of Engineers land near West Point Lake. A necropsy -- the animal version of an autopsy -- was conducted by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study Center in Athens, where doctors concluded the cat was most likely reared in captivity. Its digestive system, for example, was completely empty, indicating it had not eaten in a long time, Bowers said. "It could mean the cat was accustomed to someone feeding it, and without someone doing that it was unaccustomed to hunting on its own." The state is holding the skull and hide of the cat pending the outcome of an investigation. "We're still awaiting the results of some DNA testing," he said. Such tests can help determine which regional subspecies of panther the cat is most closely related to. "We still don't know if it's a western cougar, a Florida subspecies or what," he said. Panthers are presumed not to exist in the wild in Georgia, Bowers said. Adams faces no charges for shooting the panther. "He hasn't been charged with anything," Bowers said. "A wild animal, a wild cougar, technically is considered a game animal and there is no season on one, so if it was a wild cougar, it was killed out of season. But if it is an exotic animal that escaped, it's not considered wildlife and it can be killed." However, if someone should spot another panther, state authorities don't recommend shooting it. "Our suggestion is, if possible, try to get a picture of it, maintain your distance, don't panic and remain calm," Bowers said. "After it passes, mark its tracks so you can find them again and contact DNR so it can be investigated." From the Sunday, November 30, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/11/30/out_502115.shtml -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Panther Attacks: Fact Or Fiction?

By GARY R. MORMINO Tribune correspondent Published: November 30, 2008 Wildlife biologists insist there has never been a documented case of a panther attack on a human in Florida. That may be true, but century-old newspapers reveled in reporting such attacks. In 1897, The New York Times recounted three panther attacks in the Sunshine State. In one account, Ed Jenkins was driving a buggy near Tarpon Springs when he noticed "two baby catamounts by the roadside." When Jenkins picked up the wild cubs, "the mother catamount sprang on the buggy, seizing Mrs. Jenkins's dress. Jenkins struck the animal with a small club, and she secured a firm hold on his arm. He had his knife out by this time, and a furious fight began, the horse dashing madly along, the panther dragging back of the seat. "Mrs. Jenkins began striking the beast over the head with the club. It let go its hold on Jenkins, and pulled his wife half out of the vehicle. Jenkins fell out on top of the panther. They fought in the road, the animal drawing the blood at every dig. Finally Jenkins cut its throat." What became of the baby catamounts? Readers might recall Jody Baxter, the youthful protagonist in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's classic novel The Yearling (1938). Preparing for a climactic hunt, Jody "pilfered a quart of meal from the barrel and hid it, for Flag, in his own new knapsack made of the hides of the panther kittens." In March 1897, the Times reported another "Florida Incident." U.S. Sen. Matthew Quay of Pennsylvania, vacationing in St. Lucie, caught a "fine tarpon after a hard tussle." As the fishing party returned with its catch, "a scream was heard, and a big, dark body dropped from a tree upon the astonished bearers of the fish and began taking huge mouthfuls out of the tarpon, growling angrily all the while." The senator's hunting guide, Seminole Jim, challenged the panther with a club. The Seminole's blow felled the panther, but the aroused animal was "ready for a fight." Seminole Jim then "inflicted the death blow" with a knife. The hide was shipped to Beaver Falls, Pa. In April 1916, the Tampa Daily Times reported that a 150-pound panther attacked Walter B. Meiller near Fort Ogden. Meiller, a hiker, "clubbed the animal to death." It was the largest panther ever killed in the area. Albert DeVane wrote about pioneer life in Florida and reported killing a panther in Lake Placid in 1912 measuring "nine feet from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail." Elderly readers of The Tampa Tribune in the 1940s, '50s and '60s supplied plenty of panther-attacks-human anecdotes. In 1948, Leslie S. Bray, "an esteemed old-timer," shared a tale from his boyhood in eastern Orange County. A man who lived near a swamp on the St. Johns River was walking along a road "when a large panther suddenly appeared and boldly blocked the trail." Bray continued: "Unarmed, the man picked up a light-wood stick just as the panther leaped upon him. Fighting for his life, the man struck again and again, while the beast clawed his clothes to shreds and ripped deep gashes in his flesh. At last, the man was able to land a blow that stunned the animal, after which he killed it. ... This true story was written up in the Orlando Reporter and was said to be the first known record of a Florida panther attacking a man in broad daylight." In May 1960, 92-year-old D.B. McKay, five-time mayor of Tampa and founder of this Sunday history column, reminisced how discussions of panthers brought "back some of my boyhood memories about this dangerous beast." A reader of the column sparked a debate by writing, "Most people in those days declared the panther would not attack a human unless cornered." J.H. Smith, a veteran logger on the Ocklawaha River, wrote in with a story about a man who went for a walk between the Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers. "He cut himself an oak cudgel before starting out. When the man's body was discovered several days later, there lay beside him a dead panther. He had killed the panther and the beast had also killed him." These stories, half heroic, half tragic, do not resolve the debate as to whether panthers ever attacked humans in Florida. They do add to the colorful history of the state, and an acute sense of loss. Gary R. Mormino is co-director of the Florida Studies Program at USF St. Petersburg. He invites your letters and stories. Reach him by e-mail at gmormino@stpt.usf.edu or in care of the Florida Studies Program, Snell House, 140 Seventh Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/30/tr-panther-attacks-fact-or-fiction/ -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

9th Florida panther roadkill of 2008

Driver on Alico Road responsible for another panther death By VALLI FINNEY (Contact) Originally published 3:22 p.m., Friday, November 28, 2008 Updated 6:59 p.m., Friday, November 28, 2008 NAPLES — An endangered male Florida panther was killed by a vehicle Wednesday evening on Alico Road in south Lee County. The panther's carcass was near Devore Lane in the eastbound lanes of Alico Road. It weighed between 145 and 150 pounds and was believed to be four to five years old, Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said. Information was not available on whether the animal was collared or if it had a microchip, Morse said. "The majority of panthers are not collared," he said. "A lot of kittens have had chips put in them." Whether this is one of the chipped animals was not immediately known, but FWC has been chipping the animals for a number of years. Three panthers died in September, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 16 for 2008, according to FWC online records. At least seven have died from collisions with vehicle, two from fights with other panthers and seven from other or unknown causes. Online information was not available for October and November. Panthers can live 12 years or more in the wild and only about 70 adult cats remain in the wild. Vehicle collisions are not uncommon and humans can lessen the risk of one by watching for the cats and obeying the panther speed zones throughout Southwest Florida, Morse said. "People need to be very careful in regard to panthers and highways," he said. "Not only is it bad for panthers (a collision) but it could cause serious problems for drivers, too." FWC and other law enforcement agencies regularly patrol panthers zones and drivers caught speeding through the zones can be issued a hefty ticket. For information about panthers, go to http://www.panther.state.fl.us/. E-mail Valli Finney at vallimfinney@yahoo.com. -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Return of the lynx to Germany, Central Europe

Die drei großen Beutegreifer fühlen sich in Deutschland und Mitteleuropa nur langsam wieder heimisch Rückkehr von Wolf, Bär und Luchs Der WWF Deutschland zieht eine durchwachsene Bilanz für die angestrebte Rückkehr von Wolf, Bär und Luchs nach Deutschland und Mitteleuropa. „Die Wiederansiedlung der ausgerotteten Beutegreifer ist von zaghaften Erfolgen und dramatischen Rückschlägen geprägt", sagt WWF-Artenschutzreferentin Izabela Skawinska-Luther. „Wir machen zwei Schritte vor und einen zurück." Zwar streifen Wolf und Luchs wieder durch deutsche Wälder, doch nach Ansicht des WWF kann noch nicht von einer dauerhaften Rückkehr gesprochen werden. „Luchs und Wolf leben inzwischen wieder in 19 Ländern der EU, aber in Deutschland tut man sich mit dem Willkommensgruß noch schwer", sagt WWF-Referentin Skawinska-Luther. "Wolf" Heulen in der Lausitz Mittlerweile haben schätzungsweise 40 Wölfe in der Bundesrepublik ein Zuhause gefunden. Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der sächsischen Lausitz, wo 2008 die inzwischen fünfte Wolfsfamilie gegründet wurde. Doch auch zahlreiche andere Bundesländer, wie etwa Brandenburg, Bayern, Niedersachsen oder seit diesem Jahr auch Hessen, können sich wieder als „Wolfsländer" bezeichnen. Doch immer wieder werden Wölfe angeschossen oder beim Überqueren von Straßen getötet. So haben sich die bestehenden Populationen zwar auch 2008 erfolgreich fortgepflanzt, können jedoch noch längst nicht als stabil bezeichnet werden. „Es gibt in Deutschland genug Platz für Wolf und Mensch. Allerdings liegt es allein in unserer Hand, ob der Wolf auch die Möglichkeit erhält, dies zu beweisen", sagt Izabela Skawinska-Luther. „Leider kursieren noch viele scheußliche Ammenmärchen, die mit der Realität rein gar nichts gemein haben." So ergaben etwa aktuelle DNA-Untersuchungen aus Schweden, dass die Hälfte aller vermeintlichen Wolfsrisse in Wirklichkeit auf das Konto von Hund und Fuchs gehen. Rückkehr auf leisen Pfoten Leise und unspektakulär vollzieht sich die Rückkehr des Luchses nach Deutschland. Heimisch ist die Großkatze wieder in Eifel und Harz, dem Bayerischen Wald, der Sächsischen Schweiz oder dem Schwarzwald. „Die Populationszahl ist derzeit jedoch noch zu klein, um dauerhaft eine ausreichende genetische Variabilität sicherzustellen", sagt Izabela Skawinska-Luther. Erst Anfang November 2008 war ein weibliches Tier bei einem Verkehrsunfall im Harz getötet worden. Aus diesem Grund wäre es dringend notwendig, Wanderkorridore einzurichten und die einzelnen Inseln miteinander zu verbinden. Doch auch der Luchs birgt Konfliktstoff in sich, wie sich derzeit in der Schweiz beobachten läßt. Die dortige Population ist die grösste und wichtigste im Alpenraum. Doch in Regionen, wo die Bestände der scheuen Katzenart steigen, kommt es vermehrt zu Konflikten mit Jägern, die den Luchs als Konkurrenten betrachten und einer dauerhaften Wiederansiedlung entgegenwirken. Aussterben geht in die zweite Runde Die Freude über die Rückkehr der Braunbären nach Österreich 1989 war groß - und kurz. Fünfzehn Jahre nach dem erfolgreichen Wiederansiedlungsprojekt begannen plötzlich die Tiere zu verschwinden. Zwei Männchen sind der verbliebene Rest einer einst stolzen Population in den Nördlichen Kalkalpen. Eine Reproduktion findet aufgrund fehlender Weibchen nicht statt. „Es ist ein tragisches Kuriosum: Der Braunbär droht in Österreich zum zweiten Mal auszusterben", warnt Izabela Skawinska-Luther. Der WWF startete 2006 eine Rettungsaktion für die Bären und erinnert die Österreichische Regierung an ihre Verpflichtung zum Schutz der seltenen Tiere. Nach Ansicht internationaler Experten sind rasche Bestandesstützungen der einzig mögliche Weg, um das Überleben der Bären zu sichern. Und das kann nur erreicht werden, wenn Weibchen aus anderen Teilen Europas, etwa Slowenien, in Österreich ausgesetzt werden. „Der Zusammenbruch der österreichischen Bärenpopulation hat gezeigt, wie verletzlich und bedroht Wolf, Bär und Luchs in Mitteleuropa noch sind", erklärt WWF-Artenschutzreferentin Izabela Skawinska-Luther. „Es liegt allein an uns Menschen, ob wir die Rückkehr dieser Tierarten zu einer Erfolgsstory oder einem Drama werden lassen." Quelle/Autor: Europaticker erschienen am: 2008-11-30 http://www.umweltruf.de/news/111/news0.php3?nummer=20317 -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Cheetah to get added UN-backed protection

World's fastest animal, in race for survival, to get added UN-backed protection 28 November 2008 –The critically endangered cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, is set to obtain added international protection next week at a United Nations-backed conference seeking to strengthen conservation of species that often cross national borders. The cheetah, which reaches speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour but is now racing against extinction with only about 10,000 adults surviving, is among some 30 endangered land and marine animals on the agenda of the 9th conference of parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). "Species that migrate across countries and continents are facing ever greater hurdles from loss of habitat and feeding grounds to unsustainable use and the unfolding and often complex threats emerging from climate change," said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) which administers the CMS. "Indeed the world is currently facing a sixth wave of extinctions mainly as a result of human impacts. Urgent and accelerated action is needed to ensure that a healthy, productive and functioning planet is handed on to the next generation," he added. More than 100 government representatives at the five-day conference, beginning Monday in Rome, will consider proposals to strengthen conservation by putting the animals on CMS appendix I, listing them as in danger of extinction, or appendix II, listing them as suffering from unfavourable conservation status and in need of international cooperation. Some of these animals are important economically, providing a significant source of tourism revenue. Proposed steps range from tackling over-hunting to removing physical obstacles on the animals' migratory paths such as border fences to calling for regional agreements for protection. Migratory animals to be considered include:     * The cheetah, which has suffered a dramatic 90 per cent decline over the past century, becoming extinct in 18 countries of its original range, with less than 10,000 adults surviving in Africa and a meagre 50 in Asia, mainly around Iran's Kavir desert, due to severe habitat loss, over-hunting and poor breeding in captivity.     * The Saiga antelope, which used to roam the Eurasian steppes but is now on the brink of extinction for the second time in just 100 years. After being nearly exterminated in the 1920s, numbers went up to 2 million thanks to Soviet conservation efforts, but have now shrunk to just 50,000 due to hunting and obstacles on migration routes. Today they are confined to isolated pockets in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.     * Barbary sheep, agile climbers of the Sahara and Sahel region of Africa, are now also threatened by unsustainable and illegal hunting. The species is proposed for appendix I, committing all parties to prohibit hunting and removing obstacles to their migration like fences or habitat conversion.     * The African Wild Dog has been eradicated from Western and most of Central Africa, with fewer than 8,000 estimated to survive due to conflict with humans and other animals, as well as infectious diseases. Fences on migration paths also endanger them. The proposed Appendix II listing would call on nations to establish regional agreements for their protection. Other animals include seven species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, such as the reclusive Irrawaddy dolphins which used to inhabit coastal areas and estuaries throughout south-east Asia. Today, habitat loss, live capture, entanglement in fishing nets, electrocution and boat collisions put the survival of the remaining small populations at risk. The Black Sea Bottlenose Dolphin, unique to one of the most degraded marine environments in the world, has also suffered from uncontrolled hunting and by-catch, despite the ban on cetacean fishery in the sea since 1983, while the West African Manatee, one of the world's most camera-shy species, has been endangered by their only significant threat, humankind, due to poaching, habitat loss and other environmental impacts. Other animals on the agenda include three shark species, spiny dogfish, and seven birds, such as the Saker falcon, prized as hunting companions by royalty and the aristocracy in Central Asia; the Egyptian vulture, poisoned by feeding on carcasses of feral animals laced with pesticides; and the Peruvian tern, threatened by disturbance in its breeding grounds from human activity. "The Convention on Migratory Species is an important part of our international cooperative response to such challenges. It reflects the shared responsibility of nations for these species as each year they attempt their epic journeys across continents and oceans," Mr. Steiner said. Robert Hepworth, Executive Secretary of UNEP-CMS, added: "Many migratory species are now important parts of the local and international economy, generating income and supporting livelihoods via industries such as tourism. For example, an estimated 150,000 people visit the Serengeti (in Tanzania and Kenya) annually in order to see its famous wildlife. Based on 2003 figures, the park generates income of $5.5 million from tourists." http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29109&Cr=species&Cr1=# -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Release of Iberian lynx aims to improve genetic viability

Medio Ambiente libera un ejemplar de lince ibérico en Doñana Esta iniciativa está dirigida a elevar la variabilidad genética de la población de linces en este paraje natural. Con esta suelta controlada también se consigue reforzar la presencia de machos en la zona. Redacción - 26/11/2008 15:44:03 La Consejera de Medio Ambiente, Cinta Castillo, ha procedido a la liberación de un ejemplar de lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus) procedente de Sierra Morena en el Espacio Natural de Doñana. Esta actuación, prevista en el actual proyecto Life lince, se repite por segundo año consecutivo –tras la liberación de 'Baya' en 2007- y está dirigida a elevar la variabilidad genética de la población de linces de Doñana. Además, con esta suelta controlada (traslocación según la terminología científica), también se consigue reforzar la presencia de machos en la zona. El animal, un macho nacido en 2006 de nombre 'Caribú', se ha liberado provisionalmente en el interior de un cercado de algo más de cuatro hectáreas ubicado en la Reserva Biológica de Doñana donde confluyen las zonas de campeo de dos hembras territoriales. Esta instalación cuenta con sistemas de videovigilancia mediante los cuales los técnicos pueden seguir sus movimientos veinticuatro horas sin necesidad de perturbar al felino. Repitiendo la metodología empleada en 2007 con 'Baya', el macho se ha liberado en el periodo previo al celo para que, llegado este momento, se haya aclimatado al medio. Cuando los técnicos constaten su adaptación total a su nuevo medio y se produzcan las primeras interacciones con las hembras de la zona, se procederá a la liberación definitiva del felino, que porta un collar radioemisor que permitirá el seguimiento continuo a los equipos de campo. Antes de la suelta, los equipos de trabajo del proyecto Life han trabajado en el interior y en las proximidades del cercado en actuaciones destinadas a la mejora de hábitats, tanto para el lince, como para garantizar densidades adecuadas de conejo, su principal especie-presa. La presencia del segundo macho de Sierra Morena en Doñana responde a la planificación prevista en el actual proyecto Life lince y sirve como experiencia previa a la reintroducción de esta especie que se llevará a cabo en 2009 en Guadalmellato (Córdoba). El plan de reintroducción del lince ibérico ha sido recientemente sometido al consenso de la comunidad científica internacional reunida la semana pasada en el III Seminario internacional para la conservación del lince ibérico celebrado en la Universidad de Huelva. El cercado de videovigilancia está integrado en la red ITCS de la Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC) y permite a todos los ciudadanos acceder a las imágenes a través de Internet. http://www.diariodigitalagrario.net/versiones/rc2/articulo2.asp?id=43214 -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Lynx, wolves released in Switzerland - WWF

Des lynx et des loups en liberté en Suisse, mais plus aucun ours, selon le WWF AP - 25.11.2008 - 15:15 Une centaine de lynx et huit loups se promènent en Suisse mais il n'y a plus aucun ours en liberté sur le territoire helvétique, selon un bilan tiré mardi par le WWF. L'organisation de défense des animaux souhaite une meilleure collaboration avec les éleveurs et les autorités. Le loup est en train de coloniser progressivement le nord des Alpes. L'an dernier, on dénombrait officiellement cinq individus, aujourd'hui ils seraient huit. Les cantons concernés, dont Fribourg et Vaud, se préparent en général activement au retour du prédateur, selon le WWF. La situation est particulièrement tendue en Valais, dans le sud de la Confédération, où a péri la plus grande partie de la centaine moutons tombés sous les crocs du loup en Suisse l'an dernier. D'après l'organisation écologiste, la protection des troupeaux y laisse encore trop souvent à désirer. La louve du Chablais, par exemple, a pu tuer une quarantaine de moutons qui n'étaient pas assez bien gardés. Si la Confédération ne veut pas accorder au Valais l'autorisation de tirer ce prédateur, c'est qu'elle estime que les conditions ne sont pas réunies, les mesures de protection étant insuffisantes. Des conflits agitent aussi le Tessin, où les éleveurs de chèvres du Val Verzasca font de l'opposition. Quelque 150 chiens de protection ont oeuvré sur les alpages pendant la période d'estivage. Si la situation du loup semble malgré tout s'améliorer, celle de l'ours et du lynx reste très insatisfaisante aux yeux du WWF. L'ours des Grisons "JJ3" a été abattu en avril dernier, "prouvant que la Suisse n'était pas encore préparée à la présence d'un ours problématique". Il a fallu depuis trouver une parade au goût trop prononcé du plantigrade pour les déchets, avec le développement de conteneurs à l'épreuve des griffes. Des discussions avec les milieux concernés des Grisons ont eu lieu et doivent préparer au retour de l'ours. Selon le WWF, la Suisse abrite par ailleurs une centaine de lynx. La population helvétique est la plus importante de tout l'arc alpin. Mais dès que le nombre de félins s'accroît dans une région, les conflits avec les chasseurs augmentent aussi. Les pressions du milieu de la chasse et l'autonomie dont jouissent les cantons dans leur gestion du lynx nuisent au développement de sa population. Pour Kurt Eichenberger, du WWF, les pays alpins et les cantons doivent faire preuve de solidarité. A moyen terme, il faudra aussi une hausse des moyens financiers à disposition pour les mesures de protection. APBobcats circulate in this area, but they're not really a danger unless they become cornered or threatened, Paul said. http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/depeches/people/20081125.FAP9915/des_lynx_et_des_loups_en_liberte_en_suisse_mais_plus_au.html -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Uninvited bobcat visits Missouri school

Uninvited bobcat visits Northland elementary school Posted on Mon, Nov. 24, 2008 A bobcat was removed from the grounds of Maplewood Elementary before classes began this morning, North Kansas City School District officials said. Jody Paul, owner of Critter Catchers, a wild animal relocation company, worked with a Missouri conservation official to trap the cat, which weighed about 30 pounds. No tranquilizers were used. Instead, workers used spray from a fire extinguisher to herd the cat into the cage about 8 a.m. It will be released into a wildlife area, Paul said. The bobcat had been lying next to a side door at the school. School security and police kept bystanders back as they arrived for the school day, said Jon Brady, the district's safety and security coordinator. Bobcats circulate in this area, but they're not really a danger unless they become cornered or threatened, Paul said. http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/906830.html -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Scientists are optimistic about Iberian lynx survival

El lince ibérico se recupera Científicos internacionales se declaran optimistas ante la supervivencia del felino LIDIA JIMÉNEZ - Huelva - 24/11/2008 El lince ibérico no sólo es ágil, rápido y preciso, también es fuerte. Tan fuerte que, con la ayuda de varios proyectos de recuperación, ha conseguido superar la situación de "peligro crítico de extinción" en la que se encontraba desde 1960. Ésta ha sido la conclusión de los 200 expertos llegados de 13 países y reunidos la semana pasada en Huelva. El lince ibérico no sólo es ágil, rápido y preciso, también es fuerte. Tan fuerte que, con la ayuda de varios proyectos de recuperación, ha conseguido superar la situación de "peligro crítico de extinción" en la que se encontraba desde 1960. Ésta ha sido la conclusión de los 200 expertos llegados de 13 países y reunidos la semana pasada en Huelva para celebrar el III Seminario de Conservación del Lince Ibérico. "Hemos pasado de una crítica realidad de extinción a una situación sólo de vulnerabilidad", explicó Urs Breitenmoser, presidente de los especialistas en felinos de la UICN (Unión Internacional de la Conservación del Medio Ambiente). Como prueba del éxito, se ha previsto adelantar la reintroducción de tres parejas mixtas de linces en zonas específicas de Córdoba y Jaén. En vez de esperar a 2010, los ejemplares se introducirán en 2009. El total de linces supervivientes en Andalucía es de 200 ejemplares. Se encuentran, sobre todo, en Sierra Morena y Doñana. Estos 200 linces representan la totalidad de la población mundial de esta especie, conocida científicamente como Lynx Pardinus, ya que sólo se encuentra en la Península Ibérica. La situación, aunque se haya evitado la extinción, sigue siendo crítica. Baste recordar que en 1960, el número de linces que campaban a sus anchas por la península era entre 5.000 y 6.000 ejemplares (ver tabla). A partir de aquel año, debido a la edificación excesiva y a la transformación de los campos agrestes en parcelas de cultivo, comenzó el declive. En 1990, su hábitat se redujo notablemente. En 2002 se tocó fondo con apenas 100 linces desperdigados en zonas incomunicadas de Andalucía. Ahora, en 2008 la cifra subió a 200. Y, lo más importante, los ejemplares están controlados. Los expertos coinciden en que evitar la extinción es un triunfo. "Estamos esperanzados, optimistas y con ganas de seguir trabajando", afirmaba Miguel Ángel Solá, director del programa de conservación LIFE Natura. Especialistas en la reintroducción de otras especies emparentadas con el lince compartieron en la Universidad de Huelva sus éxitos y sus fracasos. La supervivencia del lince boreal (Lynx Lynx), el canadiense (Lynx Canadensis) y el gato montés (Felis Silvestres) fueron algunos de los casos expuestos ante un auditorio plagado de biólogos, científicos y voluntarios. Destacó la presentación de Marianne Hartmann, de la Universidad de Zurich (Suiza), sobre la reintroducción del gato montés en Alemania. "Mi proyecto funcionó y mis gatos están sanos", contó. Las causas de la casi extinción del lince ibérico, también conocido como "fantasma del matorral" fueron básicamente cuatro: La desaparición de los matorrales mediterráneos provocada por la extensión de la agricultura; la edificación excesiva desde 1960; la escasez de conejos, que conforman el 85% de su alimentación y la actitud "poco amigable" del hombre (atropellos y caza furtiva). La Junta de Andalucía aprobó el primer programa de actuaciones para la conservación del lince en 2000. Contó con un presupuesto de 3.245.465 euros. Este programa fue la base para el proyecto Life, que se inició en 2002. La Unión Europea ha ido aportando fondos hasta cubrir un 30% del presupuesto total. "La novedad de este año: la reintroducción de nuevos ejemplares", valoró Solá, responsable de Life. Astrid Vargas, directora del programa de cría en cautividad, también celebraba algo: el nacimiento de 13 cachorros este año. En el futuro próximo, estos linces también podrán soltarse. Se están buscando acuerdos con Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha y Portugal. Francisco José Marín, secretario de Medio Ambiente, ofreció su apoyo a proyectos futuros. "Os recuerdo que la consejería está a vuestra entera disposición", dijo en el salón de actos. "Ser testigo de la supervivencia de una especie sólo puede ocurrir una vez en la vida. Debemos sentirnos muy felices por haber recuperado al lince ibérico", concluía Urs Breitenmoser. La suelta de ejemplares, en un año La introducción de linces en zonas adecuadas para su desarrollo se ha adelantado un año. En 2009, en lugar de 2010. Esta anticipación se debe al éxito de los planes de conservación. En la actualidad pueden considerarse hábitats adecuados para la cría tres zonas concretas: Hornachuelos y Guadalmellato, en la provincia de Córdoba, y Guarrizas en Jaén. "Se soltarán tres parejas mixtas en cada sitio", explica Miguel Ángel Solá, director del proyecto Life de recuperación del lince. La primera pareja se llevará a Guadalmellato previsiblemente en febrero, un mes antes de la temporada de partos, aunque también se podría esperar hasta otoño. El lugar elegido, tras muchas discusiones y proyectos, ha sido los alrededores de Guadalmellato por las condiciones óptimas de matorral y conejo en la que se encuentra. La forma es la opción más conservadora: soltar dos ejemplares de sexos opuestos. Después, tras comprobar los resultados, se llevará a cabo la segunda suelta en Guarrizas. Las instalaciones de cría albergarán a la pareja visitante hasta 15 días antes del parto. Entonces se sacará el macho para evitar que su presencia en un cercado de dimensiones reducidas cree problemas entre el macho y sus cachorros. "La instalación se abrirá cinco semanas después del parto, tiempo suficiente para que los cachorros tengan un tamaño suficiente y evitar así el periodo crítico de peleas", detalla Solá. El objetivo a largo plazo consiste en la supervivencia de 30 hembras territoriales en Guadalmellato y Guarrizas y establecer 15 más en Hornachuelos. Las hembras suelen tener entre dos y cuatro cachorros. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/andalucia/lince/iberico/recupera/elpepusoc/20081124elpand_9/Tes -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

NTCA to come up with tiger magazine

NTCA to come up with tiger magazine

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 6:37:00 PM
PTI

NEW DELHI: Keen to create awareness about conservation and protection of endangered Royal Bengal big cats, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has planned to publish its magazine exclusively devoted to the species.

"It would be a bi-monthly journal highlighting new initiatives of the Authority, important decisions taken relating to tiger conservation, tiger estimation/monitoring updates and poaching figures and anti-poaching operations," Rajesh Gopal, NTCA member secretary said.

The Authority is yet to decide on the name of the magazine which would also dwell on sensitive issues such as man-animal conflicts, eco-tourism initiatives and eliciting public support and peoples participation.

"Without community participation, wildlife cannot be saved. Hence the magazine will serve as a bridge between the readers and authorities highlighting the steps being taken to make the conservation more community oriented," Gopal added.

People too can send their suggestions as well points out gaps in our conservation steps so that corrective measures can be taken, he said while pointing that the journal, being a government document, cannont be compared with those published by the NGOs.

Tiger, being umbrella species in the ecology, has been high on the government agenda which has been taking several measures to save it from extinction.

As per the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimate there are only 1,400 tigers left in the country.

The NTCA was formed with an objective to preserve and conserve the animals by creating special reserves devoid of human interference.

There are more than 30 tiger reserves in the country and human settlements are being relocated in lieu of compensation to boost the population of big cats.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1209558

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger dies in Rajshahi zoo

Tiger dies in Rajshahi zoo

Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi
Sunday, November 30, 2008 11:44 AM GMT+06:00

The lone Royal Bengal Tiger of Rajshahi Central Zoo Samrat died in his cage yesterday.

Refuting allegations of poor care, zoo officials said the 17-year-old tiger died of old age related diseases.

Samrat was weak during last three days and the tiger reduced its daily meal of 12kg meat, said zoo veterinary surgeon M Forhad Uddin. "Captive tigers usually live less than 20 years, the average lifespan of tigers in the wild," he said.

Samrat was living without a companion since June, 1997, when he was brought to the zoo.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=65553

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

TIGERS LEOPARDS vs Pumpkins!

Each year we are lucky enough to receive left over pumpkins from stores after halloween, pumpkins are a great source of enrichment for our cats, as well as a great source of entertainment for the staff and volunteers at Big Cat Rescue! All the cats love to play, eat and generally demolish the pumpkins, providing them with hours of entertainment, watch as we show you what they get up to when they are given one of their favourite treats, for tour times and more information please visit:
http://www.bigcatrescue.org

2 Escaped Servals Shot in KS and PA same day

Kansas City police shoot African serval cat

KANSAS CITY (AP) - An exotic African cat roaming a Kansas City neighborhood has been shot and killed by police.

The cat was a serval, an African breed that resembles a small cheetah. Servals have spotted coats and long necks. They stand about 20 inches at the shoulder.

Police received several calls from a northern Kansas City neighborhood from residents worried the cat was dangerous to children. But efforts to trap it over several weeks were unsuccessful, and an officer shot it Thursday with a patrol rifle.

Police think the cat was dumped or had escaped from people who were keeping it as a pet. The identity of the owners is not known.

(http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/11/24/news_state/039state25topcat.txt)


Pa. officials: Exotic cat killed near Philly

Associated Press - November 26, 2008 7:05 PM ET

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Chester County farm caretaker says he thought he was shooting a bobcat in the chicken coop -- then his heart sank when he saw it had a collar.

The animal he killed was a serval, a small, cheetah-like exotic cat that someone was keeping as a pet.

George Heim runs the Garrett Mill Farm about 20 miles west of Philadelphia.

He says he called a friend who works for the state game commission and was told he could shoot the animal. The game commission confirmed his account and says Heim was within his legal rights to protect his chickens.

Heim says once he realized he'd shot a pet, he was sad for the animal -- and angry at its owner for allowing it to be out.

Servals are found in many parts of the African continent. They are carnivorous and typically weigh about 35 pounds.

(http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?S=9421360)
--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

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Wisc. zoo sends lions cubs to Miami

Lion cubs off to Florida; zebras here to stay By Janine Anderson Journal Times Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:47 PM CST RACINE — Thanksgiving Day is your last chance to see the full Pride of Racine at the zoo. Male lion cubs Jabari and Kwame, two of the four cubs born to Elsa and Aslan on Sept. 6, 2007, are headed to the Miami Metro Zoo in Miami, Florida. The cubs are scheduled to leave on Friday. The moves are part of the Lion Species Survival Plan program, a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species in zoos and aquariums in North America. The SSP manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is genetically diverse and has animals of a variety of ages. Elsa and Aslan will remain here indefinitely, zoo officials say, but Bomani and Kya, the two remaining cubs, will be moved to other zoos in the near future. The Racine Zoo's four lion cubs, seen here at 7 weeks old, are scheduled to be split up. Two of the cubs are headed to the Miami Metro Zoo on Friday. Buy this photo at http://www.jtreprints.com Journal Times file photo As the cubs leave, the zoo's two new zebras make their public debut. "That whole half of the zoo, often in the winter and in the cooler days in the shoulder months, it doesn't have any animals outside," said Jay Christie, president and CEO of the Racine Zoo. "The giraffes and rhinos, if it's below 35 degrees, they're inside," he said. * The presence of the zebras is expected to help people see more animals, which zoo visitors do sometimes ask for, according to Christie. Zebras, while from the same general region as the rhinos and giraffes, are much more cold-tolerant, Christie said. "They'll be outside unless it's bitterly cold, in which case no one's at the zoo anyway," he said. Eventually, Christie said, they hope to have another cold-tolerant African animal move into the old giraffe enclosure. The giraffes will be moving into the new space created for them west of the old enclosure. Among the animals under consideration are ostriches, Ankole-Watusi cattle or Arabian camels. Though people stay home, Christie said, the animals are sometimes more active than during the more popular warmer months. "The colder it gets, the more exciting (the animals) get," Christie said. "They tend to get more active." Winter highlights are the wild goats, whose coats fill out and can be "quite striking with the snow as the backdrop," Christie said. The tigers and Canada lynx also enjoy the colder weather, he said. Wednesday was the first day that T.J. and Brandi, the two female zebras, were on display. The zebras were acquired from the Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria, Ill. They can be found in the black rhinos' exhibit, since the rhinos are often indoors during the winter. One is a 25-year-old Grant's zebra; the other is a 4-year-old Damara zebra. The most noticeable difference in the two subspecies of zebra is the existence of a gray shadow stripe between the Damara zebra's dark stripes. This is the first time in 26 years the Racine Zoo has had zebras in its collection. The Racine Zoo, 200 Goold St., is open daily. Current hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children between the ages of 3 and 15. Zoo members are free. For more information on Zoo events and programs, explore www.racinezoo.org or call 262.636.9189. http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2008/11/27/local_news/doc492dec899de53518231390.txt -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Baby jaguar thriving at Palm Beach Zoo - Florida

By BILL DIPAOLO Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, November 20, 2008 WEST PALM BEACH — The baby jaguar thriving at the Palm Beach Zoo is a girl. The cub, which weighed about a pound and a half when it was born Oct. 28, should be available for public viewing around Christmas. The cub remains unnamed, and zoo officials may hold a contest to name the baby jaguar, Lovett said. In the meantime, zoo officials are keeping a watchful eye on the now 4.9-pound cat, which Keith Lovett, the zoo's director of living collections, said is a boost to the endangered species. "This is great news for jaguars. Their numbers are plummeting worldwide because of habitat loss. It also brings prestige to our zoo's breeding program," said Lovett. The cub's mother, Nabalam, has had two previous litters. The first was a litter of two, and both cubs are now in other zoos. The second litter was also a litter of two. One is now in another zoo. The other, a female named Izel, remains at the Palm Beach Zoo. Jaguars are especially tough to breed because the males and females can't be kept together all the time. "We have to clock the female's reproductive cycle. When it's right, we put the male and female together. It's not as easy as it seems," said Lovett. Female jaguars usually have three or four kittens in a litter. This latest cub was larger than normal, Lovett said. "We do examinations twice a week," he said. "She's making steady progress. She has a good mother who is very attentive." Zoo officials waited to remove the cub from the mother before doing a medical exam to determine the cub's sex. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/11/20/1120newcub.html -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Baby jaguars debut at Brevard Zoo - Florida

BY CHRIS KRIDLER • FLORIDA TODAY • October 21, 2008 Two jaguars were born at Brevard Zoo on Sept. 29, the zoo announced today. The two cubs are the second litter for Masaya, who had a girl, Nindiri, in June 2007. Nindiri now lives at the San Diego Zoo, as part of a breeding program to increase the number of jaguars in the managed population. Last year, there were just 44. It's not yet clear if the baby jaguars are males or females, but they're doing well, according to zoo officials. The cubs weigh about 5 pounds each and are gaining more than a pound a week, animal curator Michael Magaw said in the zoo's press release. "They are quite active and vocal even at this early age," he said. The cubs won't be seen by the public until mid- to late November. For now, mother Masaya is understandably protective. "It's really only two keepers she'll let nearby, and then Michael," marketing director Andrea Hill said. The zoo's most recently unveiled baby is a Visayan warty piglet. The striped tyke started scampering around her enclosure with her mother last week. It's a busy time for the zoo, which had record attendance Saturday for the first weekend of Boo at the Zoo, with 2300 people, compared with the usual 1500. The addition of theatrical performances and other enhancements helps explain the allure, Hill said. "It was great. Everyone raved about the new performances. It was just fun for everyone. Everyone was positive." Boo at the Zoo concludes this Friday through Sunday. See the accompanying box for details on the evening event. Contact Kridler at 242-3633 or ckridler@floridatoday.com. http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081021/BREAKINGNEWS/81021023 -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Good news for tigers: "Green" palm oil sales expected to pick up

Date: 27-Nov-08 Country: INDONESIA Author: Aloysius Bhui JAKARTA - Palm oil producers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea may sell 1 million tonnes of "sustainable" palm oil next year, up ten-fold on 2008 although still only a tiny fraction of global sales, officials said. Under fire from green groups and some Western consumers, the palm oil industry established the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004 to develop an ethical certification system, including commitments to preserve rainforests and wildlife. RSPO palm oil sales have been slower than initially envisaged and if next year's target is reached would still represent only 2.6 percent of the total output of Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's top two producers. "With just one and a half months left, sales of sustainable palm oil this year will not be as big as the certified output capacity," said Derom Bangun, a vice chairman of the RSPO. The first sale of the certified products is due to hit the market this month with a shipment from Malaysia to Rotterdam. The 500 tonne shipment was produced by United Plantations, with Unilever and Britain's third largest grocer J. Sainsbury among the buyers. A host of products on an average supermarket's shelves contain palm oil, ranging from margarines and biscuits to lipsticks, shampoo and detergents. The issue of "green" palm remains contentious and some conservation groups argue that the current voluntary rules are ineffective in protecting the environment. At an RSPO meeting last week, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono defended Indonesia's drive to expand palm plantations despite calls from some green groups for a moratorium. "The government has its own program of preserving our forests; we aim to keep 60 percent of our forests in addition to allocated protected forests," the minister was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying in a statement at the conference in Bali. Greenpeace said in a statement that RSPO was failing to take action against members who continued to destroy swathes of Indonesia's peatlands and forests. "Sustainable palm oil continues to be a farce while RSPO stands exposed as a weak and ineffectual industry body," said Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Campaigner. Three planters -- Sime Darby Plantations Bhd and United Plantations of Malaysia, and New Britain Palm Oil Ltd of Papua New Guinea -- have so far been approved by the RSPO. The three's combined certified sustainable palm oil output is 631,257 tonnes a year but they only started selling this month. Additional output next year is expected to come from other companies to be certified, with at least four Indonesian companies -- PT Musim Mas, PT Phindoli, PT London Sumatra, and PT Sime Indo Agro having being audited and awaiting certification, said Desi Kusumadewi, a spokeswoman for RSPO Indonesia. "We hope that in very near future, PT Musim Mas will get the certification. That will increase the output of sustainable palm oil," Kusumadewi said. She said other Indonesian planters were expected to apply for certification next year, including PT Asian Agri. Malaysia and Indonesia, home to more than 4 percent of the world's rainforests, produce nearly 85 percent of total palm oil. According to Hamburg-based oilseeds analysts Oil World's forecast, Indonesia and Malaysia's combined crude palm oil output may be 36.89 million tonnes this year and 38.4 million in 2009. (Editing by Ed Davies) http://www.planetark.com/enviro-news/item/50685 -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Judge: Enforce trap limits that save Canada lynx - Maine

BY KEVIN MILLER Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 11/27/2008 BY KEVIN MILLER Bangor Daily News A federal judge ordered Maine wildlife officials on Wednesday to take immediate steps to prevent Canada lynx from being caught in the type of trap that killed one of the threatened cats earlier this month. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock was a minor victory for two animal rights' groups that claim Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife officials are violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing trapping practices that could harm lynx. But Woodcock denied the groups' larger request for a temporary suspension of some trapping in lynx territory. In issuing his decision on the request for a temporary injunction, Woodcock said the groups to date had failed to prove the species was "irreparably harmed" when a lynx is trapped and released uninjured. The Animal Welfare Institute and the Wildlife Alliance of Maine filed suit in District Court earlier this year after eight lynx -- a federally designated threatened species -- were reported caught in leghold traps during the 2007 trapping season. All of the lynx were subsequently released with little to no visible injuries. Two more lynx have been caught in leghold traps and released this year. But the groups' case gained traction when it was revealed that a lynx was found dead in a trap in Aroostook County on Nov. 17. The wildcat died in what is known as a "body-gripper" trap that had been set for other species. DIF&W officials, however, said the trapper had not properly followed trap setting rules specifically meant to prevent lynx from being harmed. Earlier this week, DIF&W officials announced plans to clarify the rules governing such body-gripper traps before next year's trapping season to avoid similar incidents. But in his ruling Wednesday, Woodcock said he was "perplexed" as to why DIF&W wasn't acting immediately to ensure the state's trapping regulations are compliant with the Endangered Species Act. "The state says additional protection can wait until next year. However, as the Nov. 17, 2008, incident confirms, the risk to the lynx is present today," Woodcock wrote. "The court concludes the Endangered Species Act requires greater urgency." DIF&W Commissioner Roland "Danny" Martin said in a statement that the department was reviewing the judge's order and would discuss it with the state's attorneys next week. The issue has also been put on the DIF&W Advisory Council's agenda for next Thursday. The council could vote to initiate an emergency rule-making process to change the trapping regulations before the current season ends on Dec. 31. Woodcock will continue to hear arguments on Wildlife Alliance of Maine's and the Animal Welfare Institute's larger case. The groups want a permanent injunction to prohibit trapping that could endanger lynx until the state receives a federal permit allowing the "incidental take" of lynx through otherwise legal trapping. He made clear Wednesday that he did not believe the evidence submitted so far supported additional restrictions on leghold traps. "However, with the recent death, the plaintiffs have demonstrated harm to at least one lynx from the Conibear trap," Woodcock wrote. "It is a greater leap to extrapolate risk to the lynx as a species from the death of one, but the risk of the current Conibear restrictions to some lynx is unarguable." Skip Trask with the Maine Trapper's Association said he believes the judge would have denied all of the group's petitions for temporary relief had the one lynx not been killed. Trask said he was pleased that trapping can continue, albeit likely with revised rules. "We will certainly support the emergency rules to fix what appears to be an oversight," he said. Daryl DeJoy, Wildlife Alliance of Maine executive director, said the groups continue to believe that both body-gripper and leghold traps pose significant risk to lynx and could irreparably harm the species. DeJoy said he believes the state of Maine is in clear violation of the Endangered Species Act by allowing any trapping that could ensnare lynx. DeJoy also said he doubts the federal incidental take permit will be issued any time soon. "In the meantime, I believe lynx will continue to be taken," DeJoy said, "and I expect very little reporting from here on out unless the lynx is completely unharmed." DIF&W largely relies on trappers to report accidental trapping of lynx. The parties also disagree about the overall health of the lynx population in Maine, which is the only state in the Eastern United States with a self-sustaining population of the wildcats. While DIF&W estimates the population at 500 and possibly growing, others say the numbers are shrinking as populations of the cats' primary prey, the snowshoe hare, decrease. http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5649286.html -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Colo. group partners with students to study cougar

Rocky Mountain Cat Conservancy partners with students to study lions Taking the classroom back to nature In a win-win partnership, the Rocky Mountain Cat Conservancy (RMCC) has teamed with local middle and high school students to study mountain lions in an effort to learn more about this important predator and how to keep it wild. Mountain Lion Clues is an education program designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain field work experience recording lion tracks and other signs, and checking self-triggering cameras as part of this long-term research in Estes Park and along the Front Range. "Students benefit from this program by supplementing their classroom work with real field experience, and our organization benefits by having them collect important data that provides clues to lion ecology and what these animals need to thrive in their mountainous habitat," said Caroline Krumm, lion biologist and director of RMCC. Mountain Lions Clues includes a group of Estes Park students who along with their science teachers Melinda Merrill and Rob Liebman are setting and are regularly checking cameras in key lion habitats along the perimeter of Rocky Mountain National Park. Students and researchers are already reaping the benefits. In the first week of operation the cameras captured two lion photos along with a coyote, fox, and other wildlife species. "Providing students with the opportunity to learn about lions in their habitat can really make a difference in their school curriculum," said Merrill. "The students are really excited to be a part of this study and feel they can help make a difference." RMCC's researchers have been studying the elusive mountain lion in the park and the surrounding region for nearly four years. The MacGregor Ranch is one of the main trapping locations with its prime lion habitat and proximity to the park. Since RMCC's inception, MacGregor has been a key partner with the organization allowing researchers on the property to capture and radio collar lions. MacGregor Ranch also encourages students to "become history keepers who appreciate and study history and who work to preserve the past for future generations." The MacGregor research site helps put wildlife conservation in context with the natural history of the area. The high-tech cameras used for this study are combined with lures such as call boxes that emit animal sounds designed to attract lions to the camera. Once the animal passes in front of the camera, it is then triggered to take a picture. "Camera traps are important to our study because they establish presence of lions and can reveal information about resident cats, such as their size and features," Krumm said. 'These data are helpful with gaining some information as to their numbers, territories and health. We know more about grizzly bears and wolves then we do about mountain lions. Our research is designed to gain clues about this top predator and piece together information so the public and resource managers can better understand the roles and needs of this species and what we can do to coexist." http://www.eptrail.com/news/2008/nov/27/rocky-mountain-cat/ -------------------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger pugmarks found in Uttar Pradesh village

Tiger pugmarks found in Uttar Pradesh village

Lucknow, Nov 25 : Much to the surprise of officials and locals, pugmarks of tigers have been found in an Uttar Pradesh village which has no forest around, an official said Tuesday.

"Pugmarks of an adult tigress and cubs were found by our officials Tuesday in Nagra village in Shahjahanpur, some 250 km from Lucknow," divisional forest officer B.C. Tiwari told IANS by telephone.

He said the tigers are probably hiding in sugarcane fields. "We are yet to ascertain the exact number of tigers hiding in the fields, where an intensive combing operation has just been launched," he added.

According to forest officials, services of three elephants have been sought for the combing operation.

As Shahjahanpur has no forest area, officials believe the tigers have strayed from the Dudhwa Tiger reserve, located in the neighbouring Lakhimpur Kheri district.

Dudhwa, India's second largest tiger reserve after the world famous Corbett National Park, recorded a tiger population of 106 as per the official census undertaken last year.

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-51275.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Dudhwa tigers attack village cattle

Dudhwa tigers attack village cattle

26 Nov 2008, 0411 hrs IST, Neha Shukla, TNN

LUCKNOW: As the harvesting season of sugarcane crop sets in, the tigers of Dudhwa have returned to haunt the locals yet again. The dense growth in sugarcane plantations which provided a shelter for the tigers is getting cleared, forcing them to venture into human habitations.

On Tuesday, two separate incidents were reported from the protected and reserve forest areas where the tigers had killed the village cattle. Both the villages, where incidents have taken place, are close to the sugarcane fields. After killing the cattle, the tigers retreated into the fields.

This has put the local forest staff on their toes to trap the wild cats before they claim their first human kill. The tigers have been making on-off appearance in the villages for the past two to three days. But, now after the kills, their presence is more than confirmed.

In the first incident, reported from Kishanpur village in the Kishanpur sanctuary of Dudhwa national park, a tigress killed a goat and retreated into the sugarcane belt. The forest staff is keeping a watch and trying to trap the beast before it turns into a man-eater. "We are at the spot trying to trap the animal,'' said PP Singh, deputy director, Dudhwa.

Another tiger is on the prowl in Mohammadi range of South Kheri forest division. After a half-eaten body of a bull was found lying in Kutubpur village under Pasgawan development block on Tuesday, the forest staff and the local conservationists in the area have been on the vigil.

The bull, in all possibility, was killed on Monday night. Going by the tendency of the tiger to hover around its kill, the said animal is expected to be in the vicinity of the kill.

The prime concern of the forest team is not only to ensure the safety of the villagers but also that of the tiger as it is now under threat of a possible backlash by the villagers. "We are guarding the kill so that no one can poison it,'' said a local forest staff.

The heavy rains and the floods that hit Dudhwa this season had brought a lot of tigers out of the forest area into the sugarcane belt. The heavy floods had washed away the tigers' prey reducing the already-little prey base within the forest area.

Resultantly, tigers ventured out in the sugarcane belt for want of prey. Since the same is being cut now, tigers have only the village cattle to depend on.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Dudhwa_tigers_attack_village_cattle/articleshow/3756721.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Mexican jaguar gets root canal, DNA taken for population study

Endangered Jaguar Gets Tooth Surgery DNA Sample Also Taken For Population Studies   POSTED: 8:42 pm MST November 22, 2008 UPDATED: 7:20 pm MST November 23, 2008 PHOENIX -- An endangered jaguar on loan from Mexico is being treated at the Phoenix Zoo for injuries suffered while in captivity.   Illegally captured from the wild and then seized by Mexican law enforcement officials, the young male cat suffered damage to its canine teeth while being kept in an inadequate enclosure, said Tom Cadden of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.   The Mexican government authorized a one-year loan of the cat so that the necessary dental surgery could take place at the zoo, Cadden said.   A board-certified veterinary dental specialist, Dr. Chris Visser, volunteered his time to perform the surgery with assistance from dentist Dr. Louis Visser, anesthesiologist Dr. Victoria Lukasik (one of two veterinary board certified anesthesiologists in Arizona), and cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Brian DeGuzman.   The extent of the damage was unknown until X-rays and blood were taken after the cat was sedated, Cadden said.   Based on the results, veterinarians chose to extract three upper incisors and perform four root canals on the other affected teeth, Cadden said. A follow-up procedure is planned in about six weeks.   "Dr. Visser has long been a tremendous asset to the Phoenix Zoo, donating his time to perform many procedures on our animals," said Phoenix Zoo CEO/President Bert Castro.  "We are grateful that Dr. Visser's work will improve the quality of life of this jaguar and hope to learn more about this magnificent animal through some important DNA studies we will be conducting."   While the jaguar was sedated, veterinarians also took blood and tissue samples as part of a DNA study being done to learn more about the jaguar population segment that uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern extent of its range, Cadden said.   "We look forward to gaining new information from the lab tests that were done today to learn more about a virtually unstudied segment of the jaguar population," said Arizona Game and Fish Department project manager, Bill Van Pelt. "We hope to use the test results and visual observations of the jaguar over the next year to learn more about how this animal varies from individuals in other population segments throughout Mexico, and Central and South America."   The loan was orchestrated by Game and Fish and the zoo as a way to provide needed medical care to the animal, Cadden said.   Even with the surgery, the jaguar will not be returned to the wild. Preliminary evaluations conducted in Mexico shortly after placing the animal in a zoo determined the tooth damage was too extensive to allow the animal to be successfully returned to the wild. Jaguars range from southern South America through Central America and Mexico and into the southern United States.   By the late 1900s, jaguars were thought to be gone from the U.S. landscape, but two independent sightings in 1996 confirmed that jaguars still used Arizona and New Mexico as part of the northern most extent of its range.   The species has been protected outside of the United States under the Endangered Species Act since 1973. That protection was extended to jaguars within the U.S. in 1997, the year after their presence in the Arizona and New Mexico borderlands was confirmed.   A group -- the Jaguar Conservation Team -- was established in Arizona and New Mexico to conserve the species.   The jaguar loan and medical services are a cooperative international effort of the Mexican government, the Centro Ecologico de Sonora, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Phoenix Zoo. http://www.kpho.com/news/18042276/detail.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger truths? Not from zoos or TV shows

Tiger truths? Not from zoos or TV shows

Both distort the true character of the wildlife they present to the public. -ST

Tue, Nov 25, 2008
The Straits Times

By Nirmal Ghosh, Thailand Correspondent

Some years ago, on a now memorable New Year's Eve, I was walking with two friends in a dense jungle in northern India when a wild tiger growled at us from a distance of about 4m.

We kept our cool and simply walked away. The tiger, which had been disturbed while taking its afternoon snooze, sent us an unmistakable signal with a series of menacing growls - but it did not attack.

Had we panicked, run and inevitably fallen in the undergrowth, we would have spooked it and it would have lashed out at us, and I would most probably not be alive today to write this piece.

Whatever the species, animals act for a reason, even if that reason is not readily apparent to humans.

A tiger in its natural state would avoid humans. But if it did encounter a human and it felt threatened, it would first try to drive the human away with a short charge and a series of snarls, designed to intimidate the human into backing off. It would feel threatened if the human made any abrupt move or sound.

If the human did not back down in the face of its threat, but continued to agitate it, the tiger might well attack.

Mr Nordin Montong would have known all this. The 32-year-old from Sarawak, a contract cleaner at the Singapore Zoo, chose a path that would inevitably lead to his own death when he entered the white tigers' enclosure on Nov 13.

The white tigers might not have intended to kill him. They were probably just defending themselves against a perceived threat. As captive-bred tigers, they would have had little or no experience of killing. But just a mauling from such powerful animals would normally be enough to cause severe injuries that could easily lead to death.

Tigers are like all cats big and small - predators by nature even if they have little experience of killing. Prey that runs around, struggles or tries to get away would excite them further, and they would continue to maul this prey until it grew still. Tigers behave no differently from a household cat playing with a ball of string or a mouse.

Yet, at least one visitor to the zoo thought at first that the dreadful scene in the tiger enclosure was a 'show'. Following the tragedy, there has been a scramble to find out more about tigers in order to explain what happened.

It is ironic that after the millions of hours of programming that have been run on TV channels such as Discovery, Animal Planet and National Geographic, we are still far from understanding the realities of nature.

Further, the role that zoos perform arguably does not help us bridge that distance; it might even reinforce the divide.

The days of the measured wildlife documentary are regrettably almost over. TV networks today have to compete with a range of media determined to use shock tactics to draw in audiences whose attention span is decreasing in direct proportion to the increase in news that feeds on and emphasises conflict, sensation, titillation and the bizarre.

Whether a khaki-clad TV personality wading into a swamp and pulling out an anaconda from the water is a true reflection of reality is questionable. Most of the viewing public would not know that, invariably, such scenes are rigged. Snakes and other animals used to produce such sequences are usually already habituated to humans.

It is doubtful whether showing the general public scenes that would not occur in real life furthers their understanding of nature.

The trend towards sensationalism, with ever-increasing scenes of predation and aggression hogging the screens, exploded in the 1990s because of the proliferation of network TV and the competition for audiences.

But the compulsion to sensationalise emerged long before that. In the early 1900s, British writer and cinematographer Cherry Kearton wrote: 'People who try to give us 'sensation' both in films and books appear to imagine that... the wild life of animals is sadly in need of a little 'gingering up'.'

Wildlife is often portrayed as strange, exotic and dangerous, or conversely, cute and cuddly. Both views are distortions.

Animals need not be feared, but they need to be respected, just as much as people respect one another and give one another space.

Zoos, unfortunately, use wildlife as exhibits. White tigers are one example; they have been selectively bred for commercial purposes.

Essentially, white tigers are inbred, and there have been many deaths and deformities in cubs in the process.

Since the original white tiger was captured as a cub from the wild in central India in 1951, there have been only a handful of purported sightings of white tigers in the wild. What value is there in displaying a white tiger in a zoo, therefore, if not as some sort of freak show?

Singapore's zoo does a better job than almost any other in the world of keeping its exhibits in sound condition and also of educating the public.

But the bottom line is that animals in zoos are usually bored and often stressed; captivity is captivity even if the cell is a five-star enclosure.

As a result, zoos often only reinforce people's sense of separateness from nature, contributing to rather than reducing a general lack of understanding of the essential character of nature.

There was some encouraging news in the public response to the tragedy in Singapore. During a New Paper poll of 100 people, 99 said the tigers should not be punished in any way. Many have pointed out that the tigers behaved according to instinct. Senegalese poet-conservationist Baba Dioum famously said: 'In the end, we will conserve only what we love and we will love only what we understand.'

It is questionable whether breeding species selectively for entertainment and exhibition in zoos, and emphasising bizarre and sensational aspects of wildlife in the media, will further our knowledge of the world around us.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20081124-103080.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

National City Bank Donates $10,000 To Central Florida Zoo For Tiger Exhibit

National City Bank Donates $10,000 To Central Florida Zoo For Tiger Exhibit

By Shonna Green

Sanford, FL - The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens announced today that it received a $10,000 donation from the National City-Harbor Foundation. The donation will help fund Phase I of the Zoo’s $11.5 million “Get Your Wild On” Capital Campaign by supporting the “Tiger Outpost” exhibit.

“The donation from National City enables the Central Florida Zoo to bring the critically endangered Sumatran tiger to the Zoo. Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction with only 300 tigers remaining in Sumatra. With so few left in the wild today, zoos will be the only place to see these tigers in the very near future” said Joe Montisano, CEO of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. “The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is deeply concerned about the fate of tigers in the wild. Ultimately, this will allow the Zoo be a major part of the effort to exhibit and hopefully breed this species to help save it from extinction.”

“We are thrilled that National City has donated to the development of a new exhibit for our Zoo. We greatly appreciate their vision and philanthropic support of the Zoo. Their gift will provide a significant boost in our fundraising efforts,” Montisano went on to say.

The Central Florida Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to engaging and educating our guests by sharing knowledge and celebrating our natural world. The Zoo is committed to excel as a dynamic regional resource providing a unique interactive experience with the natural world.

“We are proud to support the construction of the new Tiger Outpost at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens and their mission to provide environmental education for both children and adults living in or visiting Central Florida,” said Hal Roberts, market president of the Central/Northeast Region.

The donation is part of National City’s ongoing efforts to be a contributing member of the community. National City has designated a charitable fund of $2 million to be used and administered exclusively in Central and Northeast Florida.

About National City
National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the nation's largest financial holding companies. The company operates through an extensive banking network primarily in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its core businesses include commercial and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing, consumer finance and asset management. For more information about National City, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.nationalcity.com/.

About the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is a 116-acre private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to engaging and educating our guest by sharing knowledge and celebrating our natural world. For more information regarding the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens visit http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/ or call 407.323.4450. The Zoo is located on I-4 Exit 104 in Sanford and is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-679-National_City_Bank_Donates_$10,000_To_Central_Florida_Zoo_For_Tiger_Exhibit

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Report: Tiger trafficking is big in Texas

Report: Tiger trafficking is big in Texas

05:34 PM CST on Tuesday, November 25, 2008

By Angela Kocherga / 11 News

Video Link: http://www.khou.com/video/index.html?nvid=307483&shu=1

BROWNSVILLE, Texas—Tigers are status symbols for drug traffickers say authorities.

It’s hard to know how much of the tiger trade is illegal, but it’s clear Texas is a supplier.

To get an idea of the problem all you have to do is check out the new additions at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville.

The tiger population didn’t grow as a result of a special breeding program. In fact, many of the cubs came from a Wal-Mart parking lot where they were discovered.

“When they came in they were just little bitty guys,” said Jerry Stones who works with the zoo.

“The vehicle they wanted to put them into had Mexico plates and the man didn’t speak English. He knew they were going across the river,” said Stones.

The tigers were reportedly going to a buyer in Mexico.

“My Lord, it’s unbelievable. Drugs are only part of it. There was elephant got smuggled into Mexico a few years ago. Right down here,” said Stone.

Authorities say that it’s impossible to know the size of the black market, but big cats hold special appeal as a status symbols for some.

And it’s not just tigers say officials. Lions and elephants are also in demand say authorities.

A patchwork of federal agencies oversees thousands of captive tigers in this country.

A report released by the World Wildlife Fund called U.S. regulations lax.

They say that there are so many tigers in Texas that zoos and sanctuaries are struggling to keep up with the cost of caring for the seized or unwanted animals.

The Gladys Porter Zoo now has 12 tigers and there’s a search for a sanctuary for the big cats.

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou081125_jj_kocherga-tigers-trafficking.191d33.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Lowry Zoo's Tiger Cubs Draw Ooohs, Ahhhs, Criticism

Lowry Zoo's Tiger Cubs Draw Ooohs, Ahhhs, Criticism

For information on white tigers please visit: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm

By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 25, 2008

Updated: 04:54 pm

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See The Cubs

TAMPA - Oblivious to the "oohs" and "ahhs" echoing from the overhead gallery of spectators, two 7-week-old white tiger cubs emerged from their den this morning, their official debut to an adoring public.

The as-yet unnamed cubs, with white and chocolate-brown stripes, pink noses and ice-blue eyes, were born at the Lowry Park Zoo in October to Nikki and Yala, two grown white tigers who are "an established couple."

Though rambunctious and adorable, the cubs didn't garner much favor among some conservationists, who maintain that the breeding of captive white tigers is leading to inbreeding and thus a weakened species.

They charge that zoos breed white tigers indiscriminately to draw larger crowds.

"The white tiger controversy among zoos is a small part ethics and a large part economics," said Minnesota Zoo Conservation Director Ron Tilson in an article he wrote for the Save the Tiger Fund Web site. Tilson also oversees the Tiger Species Survival Plan, which manages captive tigers across North America, including monitoring breeding practices.

Tilson, in a telephone interview this afternoon from his office in Minnesota, said no one should breed white tigers.

"There are zoos that comply with us," he said, "and there are other zoos that don't work with us. They do what they care to do in terms of the pursuit of their own self-interests. Lowry Park is one of those zoos."

The Tampa zoo has been on Tilson's radar for years. "They have been breeding a color variant of Bengal tigers, and they are highly inbred, so he [Lowry Park Zoo Director Lex Salisbury] can have white tigers they can show everyone.

"They have no conservation value," Tilson said. "They are not going to be returned to the wild, and they can't be bred with other white tigers under the Species Survival Plan."

Zoos that breed rare animals typically use the Species Survival Plan, guidelines established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure breeding programs produce healthy populations in captivity. Tilson developed the Tiger Species Survivor Plan.

'All The Genetics Are Good'

Chris Massaro, assistant curator for Lowry Park's Asian Gardens, defended the breeding program.

"We are an accredited zoo," he said. "Our breeding programs are taken seriously. We make sure all the genetics are good."

White tigers originate from Bengal tigers and are not albinos. Wild white tigers are rare because their white coats provide poor camouflage and are easily spotted by predators.

Almost all white tigers now exist in captivity. No white tigers have been spotted in the wild since the 1950s, according to Tilson's article. Conservationists figure that there is one white tiger born for every 10,000 normal ones.

The Save the Tiger Fund, which is part of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, frowns on breeding white tigers but sees the benefit in displaying them.

Garrett Barnicoat, spokesman for the conservation organization, said that while inbreeding has been an issue, there is a bigger picture.

"We realize captive white tigers are often the first point of contact for people who want to learn more about the species," he said. "People often, once they learn about the threats to an endangered species in the wild, are inspired to help preserve their habitat."

Wildlife experts say all white tigers in captivity originated with one white tiger captured in India in the 1950s. That tiger was bred with its daughter, and from there the progeny were bred with one another to produce the strand that became popular in zoos and wildlife parks.

'White Tigers Are Cool'

The Lowry Park Zoo cubs, both robust and frisky in the cool and damp morning air, were venturing out today for short periods to explore the exhibit, lined on three sides with rock walls and on the fourth by a moat. They came out of the den behind their mother, who sauntered out first to sniff around and make sure it was safe.

Mothers are critical. The cubs depend on them for everything for the first three months and nurse for even longer.

Since being born Oct. 4, the cubs have more than quadrupled in size, growing from about 3 pounds to a hefty 14 pounds.

The male and female cubs are the second litter for Nikki at the zoo and might be her last, Massaro said.

"She's getting up there," he said. Both adult tigers are about 10 years old.

The births weren't planned, he said, but weren't unexpected either.

"We just let nature take its course," he said. "We didn't do anything to prevent it."

The gestation period for tigers is three to four months. The average litter is two or three cubs, weighing about 2 pounds at birth.

The cubs likely will stay at the zoo for a couple of years and then will be placed at other zoos, he said. By doing that, they can breed in lines not associated with their own, he said.

"So far they are developing well, right on schedule," he said. "They are very strong. They are eating plenty."

What was exciting for him today was the reaction of the zoo visitors, who lined the walkway that ran past the exhibit. Adults and children, including a third-grade class from Sand Pine Elementary School, were rapt when the tigers first emerged from the den.

We had no idea the tiger cubs would be out today, said Lizette Rogers, a third-grade teacher who had brought 108 students with her. "We had planned this trip two months ago."

"White tigers are cool," said 9-year-old Drew Maldonado.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/25/251654/lowry-zoos-white-tiger-cubs-officially-go-public/news-breaking/

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger Euthanized At Zoo

Tiger Euthanized At Zoo

POSTED: 1:04 pm EST November 25, 2008
UPDATED: 5:47 pm EST November 25, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Louisville Zoo has euthanized one of its tigers.

Watch The Story

Sinda, an Amur tiger who turned 17 on Nov. 3, died at the Louisville Zoo Tuesday morning. Seventeen is considered to be geriatric for big cats.

In September, Sinda was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma, a very aggressive oral cancer.

The zoo's veterinary team consulted with a local oral surgeon, veterinary surgeon and veterinary oncologist to help determine the best course of action. While surgical removal is the treatment of choice, due to the tumor's size and location, it was considered inoperable. Sinda was prescribed anti-inflammatory medications to make her more comfortable.

Once her conditioned progressed to the point where it became painful for her to move and extremely difficult to eat, zoo staff made the decision to euthanize her.

“She will be greatly missed,” said Dave Hodge, a keeper who cared for Sinda since she arrived at the Louisville Zoo in 1999. “I will never forget her. She was the most beautiful tiger I have worked with or seen.”

Hodge also said he will remember Sinda as a great mother and caretaker for her two cubs, Anya and Irisa, which were born at the Louisville Zoo in 2004. They currently live at the Columbus Zoo.

http://www.wlky.com/news/18144270/detail.html?rss=lou&psp=news#

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Florida teen bit by cougar talks about the attack

Posted: 11:21 AM Nov 24, 2008 Last Updated: 11:21 AM Nov 24, 2008 Reporter: Kerry Sanders-NBC Email Address: news@wjhg.com   A Florida teenage girl is lucky to be alive after being attacked by a cougar.   It was supposed to be a fun and simple trip to see the animal, but it ended with serious injuries for the girl and another person in custody.   It's hard to believe Amanda Gomez was mauled by a 150 pound cougar a little more than a week ago.   But hidden beneath her long brown hair -- the tracks of wild life adventure she will never forget.   Twenty surgical staples that closed a 7 inch gash to her scalp.   "I put my hand on the back of my head and it was just like full of blood, " said Gomez.   The privately owned cougar, named Chaos, is de-clawed, but his teeth still very sharp.   "These are puncture wounds where his teeth went in," said Gomez. "This is where it first bit me, there's three bites right here. I have two more puncture wounds from the leg, it went up to my shoulder"   Richard Morales, saved Amanda from the cougar, he said, "The cat pounced outside his cage, after Amanda and her mother were invited to come close with her hands in its jaws, mom tried to pry Amanda's head loose."   "I prayed to the lord and I said we need your help and he answered and the prayer and the neighbor came running in," said Amanda's mom.   "I started beating on the cat to get the girl," said Morales. "I was able to get the girl away from the cat."   The 21-year-old man who had brought them to see the cat allegedly claimed he was a trained handler.   Turns out, he had worked for Chaos's owner cleaning cages. He now faces several charges, including   Just two days before the attack, state wildlife officers had visited the cougar enclosure and said everything was up to safety standards, the mistake, in this case they say, taking the big cat out of its cage.   "Amanda is very very lucky," said Jorge Pino, Florida Wildlife Commission.   Amanda's fear now: she'll never trust an animal, other than her pet cat.   http://www.wjhg.com/state/headlines/34991979.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Hunter kills female mountain lion in northwest Nebraska

BY DAVID HENDEE WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Published Tuesday    November 25, 2008   A mountain lion killed by a deer hunter in northwest Nebraska was a rare specimen. It was female.   A 16-year-old boy shot and killed the 97-pound female cat when it appeared on a game trail and — showing no fear — approached within 15 steps of the hunter Saturday, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.   The boy, who wasn't identified, was in a group of hunters on U.S. Forest Service land south of Chadron.   The adult cougar is only the fourth confirmed female in Nebraska during the last century, said Sam Wilson, the Game and Parks mountain lion expert in Lincoln.   "If you don't have female mountain lions in Nebraska, you don't have a population in Nebraska," Wilson said Monday. "This one is significant."   The rocky, forested Pine Ridge, where the big cat was shot, is ideal cougar habitat. Most of Nebraska's 56 confirmed cougar sightings since 1991 — some of them duplicates — were in northwest Nebraska between Chadron and Harrison. The region is immediately south of a growing population of mountain lions in South Dakota's Black Hills.   * Contact the writer: 444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com   http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10497264 ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Craig Busch: 'I didn't want to do Lion Man'

NOTE:  The website for New Zealand's Zion Wildlife Gardens advertises its white lions and "Royal White" Bengal tigers.  Since the white color comes from a double recessive gene, it can only be perpetuated in captivity by inbreeding and results in a great deal of suffering and health problems for the animals.   By TAMMY BUCKLEY - Sunday News | Sunday, 23 November 2008 Hit TV show The Lion Man has made its charismatic frontman Craig Busch a much-loved hero in more than 100 countries. But with fur flying between Craig and mum Patricia over the running of Zion Wildlife Gardens home of 42 lions, tigers and other big cats he has told Sunday News he never wanted to do the reality series which catapulted him to fame.   "I've been doing things for a long time that I don't even want to do. One of them is the TV show," Craig said in an exclusive interview outside the Whangarei High Court where the latest episode in a legal catfight between him and his mother was being played out on Friday.   "I never wanted to do that (TV show). I did it ... and who gets stomped over all the time? Me."   Limping with a broken foot his latest misfortune Craig said he was "over everything" and would "love to go to Africa right now".   "I should be there doing things for conservation. I shouldn't be in a courtroom," he said. "I've sacrificed a lot and that's all I'm going to do for the rest of my life.   "I want to see those (Zion big cats) right and I want, after I'm gone ... to see them right, in the right hands."   Craig has regularly hit the headlines since The Lion Man began in 2004 but not always for the right reasons.   In May last year he was convicted of assaulting his former partner and TV show co-star, Karen Greybrook, in 2005.   This year it was revealed Zion in Kamo, outside Whangarei has been investigated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.   And the civil clash between Craig and Patricia, who both live in the lion park, hit the courts and the TV news.   MAF has spent three months looking at animal conditions at Zion, after big cats were allegedly found in unsanitary conditions and some in crowded enclosures.   Inspectors were reportedly at one stage considering having 40 of the animals put down. But things have since improved and by the end of September MAF was satisfied the park's immediate animal welfare problems were resolved.   Craig said whoever made the suggestion to euthanise the big cats needed their "head read".   "Why would you want to do that if they're extinct in the wild?   "If anyone from MAF has said that, they need to be investigated," he said.   Zion's collection of big cats includes rare Barbary and white lions, and Bengal tigers. The legal feud between Craig and his mother is ongoing.   Patricia has worked at the park since July 2006, when she moved to support her son while he was going through a difficult period in his life and invested in the park to keep it afloat. But earlier this month, it was revealed she had suspended her son from running Zion taking the operation over and employing former Auckland Zoo chief Glen Holland as the park's operator.   Last weekend Sunday News revealed how Craig has to phone his mum every time he, his partner and their visitors want to come and go from the lion park.   On Friday, Craig sought to regain control of Zion. At Whangarei High Court, his lawyer Wayne Peters sought an interim injunction against Patricia and associated companies listed as Country Developments Ltd, Wildlife Pictures Ltd and Primal Productions Ltd for allegedly breaking agreements.   The court was told Patricia raised a loan to repay Craig's company and personal debt, and in exchange she was given power of attorney and sole directorship until he could repay the loan.   As part of the hearing, the judge Justice Paul Heath, court staff, Peters and Patricia's lawyer, Campbell Walker, visited Zion on Friday morning.   Justice Heath reserved his decision when the legal argument wrapped up about 5pm. Craig declined to comment on the court case with his mother.   "The best thing I can say, even though I'd like to say things, is no comment."   But he did say he had incurred debt as a result of running Zion.   He said he was dedicated to the preservation of the endangered big cats.   "I've been busting my gut all my life for this and sure you incur debt," he said.   "It's a big thing, you've got a lot to support.   "You cannot go through a business like this and not incur debt."   http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4770153a1860.html   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Korean tigers back from the brink of extinction, except in South Korea

Written by Gavin Hudson   Published on November 24th, 2008 Posted in Korea, Russia   "Long ago, when tigers smoked long pipes... " begin folk tales in South Korea. The stories recall a time at the farthest reaches of living memory when Korean tigers, the world's largest cats, still prowled the Korean peninsula.   Korea's national creation myth also tells of a tiger and a bear who asked the son of the ruler of Heaven if he would make them human. He agreed, but only if they could endure 100 days in a cave eating nothing but garlic and mugwort. The steadfast bear endured and became a beautiful woman, who gave birth to Tangun, the legendary father of Korea in 2333 BCE. But the tiger grew hungry and impatient. He left the cave early, unable cope with the hunger and waiting, and has been slinking through the Korean mountains ever since.   That is, until the last century when hunting and habitat loss pushed the Korean tiger over the brink of extinction in the wild in South Korea. With it went an important symbol of Korea's identity.   "Korea is the only country where the tiger is the centre of its culture," says Korean artist, Cho Hyun-Kwon. "The people feel very close to the tiger and has personified it throughout history."   Tragically, the death of Korea's last wild tiger foreshadowed the end of Korea's unity. During the tumult of the Japanese occupation, just before the nation was torn in two at the end of the Korean War, the last Korean tiger faded quietly into folklore.   It's been decades since anyone has seen a tiger in South Korea. The final tiger was captured either in 1922 or in 1944 on the southern tip of the peninsula, depending on whom you ask. But in some places, their ghosts still cast shadows across the landscape. Ribbons of morning mist cut into deep valleys, setting apart the dark mountain ridges one after another like black stripes across the skin of the land; bears, the tiger's partner in Korea's creation myth, still wander in some mountains; and autumn's tawny, dappled hillsides make it especially easy–and slightly unsettling–to imagine the tiger's presence.   The Korean tiger is the largest tiger subspecies in the world, and the largest living cat aside from the man-made liger. But today, the Korean tiger goes by a different name. It has become better known as the Siberian or Amur tiger since none survive in the South Korean wild and few if any are thought to exist in the most remote North Korean mountains. All the same, a sliver of hope still remains for this mighty tiger subspecies.   Half a century ago, the population of wild Korean, or Amur, tigers dipped to the brink of extinction at a mere 40 animals. Luckily, the survivors possessed enough genetic variety to make a population comeback possible. Their numbers are up substantially now thanks to conservation efforts, largely in Russia. Current estimates place the wild population at 431 to 529 individuals, virtually all living between the far eastern Russian regions of Khabarovsk and Primorsky, which border China and North Korea. It's a potential conservation success story, but the fate of the world's largest tiger is still far from certain.   "Wherever people and large carnivores coexist, conflicts between the two are usually inevitable," says the Wildlife Conservation Society, which has been working in Russia to bring this tiger species back from the brink. "This lesson applies to Amur tigers in the Russian Far East.  Livestock depredations and attacks on people, although exceedingly rare, impede conservation efforts. Traditionally, such conflicts were usually resolved by simply killing the tiger. Cumulatively, such deaths represent a significant mortality factor for small populations of endangered species. We have been working closely with a special branch of the Russian government to address such situations and resolve them to protect both the tiger as well as human life and livelihood. If Amur tigers are to survive in the wild, they must coexist with people."   In South Korea, the folk tales that stir memories of the country's native tiger also remind listeners of the constant conflict between tigers and humans. In the stories, the tiger, while often gullible, is nevertheless a terrifying and sometimes deceitful beast. But one tale is different. It tells of how the uneasy relationship between tigers and humans was successfully resolved by a change in the way people view tigers.   In the story, when a terrified woodsman is ambushed by a ferocious tiger, the woodsman cleverly bows low to the animal and claims him as a long-lost brother. Confused and touched by the man's respect and lack of fear, the tiger believes the man. He agrees not only to spare the man's life, but also to help him to hunt for food from that day on.   This tale may illustrate an oversimplified solution to problem. But today, it is respect–rather than fear or hatred–that conservationists hope will keep the world's largest tiger on the path to survival.   Resources for bringing the critically endangered Korean, or Amur, tiger back from the brink of extinction   Write to the US Senate to pass H.R. 1464: Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2008. Make a donation to AMUR.org. Make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Society. Make a donation to help the Amur leopard, which shares a habitat with the Amur tiger and of which there are an estimated 30-35 remaining in the wild, through ALTA Amur Leopard Conservation.   http://ecoworldly.com/2008/11/24/korean-tigers-back-from-the-brink-of-extinction-but-not-in-south-korea/   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

White Tigers Are All Inbred, Cross Eyed and Suffer Greatly

Dear Keith,  kmorelli@tampatrib.com

The part the zoo left out in their description of white tigers is that:

All white tigers are inbred and cross bred and that as a result of the nation's obsession with white tigers there is not one purebred Bengal tiger left in the U.S.  All were so greatly inbred as to be dying out, so zoos began cross breeding with Siberian tigers to get any cubs to survive at all.  Even these hybrids are usually sickly and die young.

The American Zoological Association condemns the practice of breeding white tigers and urges member zoos to only breed animals that have a conservation Species Survival Plan.

To quote from Dr. Ron Tilson, Conservation Director of the Minnesota Zoo and manager of the world renown Tiger Species Survival Plan, "The white tiger controversy among zoos is a small part ethics and a large part economics. The tiger Species Survival Plan has condemned breeding white tigers because of their mixed ancestry, most have been hybridized with other subspecies and are of unknown lineage, and because they serve no conservation purpose. Owners of white tigers say they are popular exhibit animals and increase zoo attendance and revenues as well. The same rationalization can be applied to the selective propagation of white lions, king cheetahs and other phenotypically aberrant animals."

"However, there is an unspoken issue that shames the very integrity of zoos, their alleged conservation programs and their message to the visiting public. To produce white tigers or any other phenotypic curiosity, directors of zoos and other facilities must continuously inbreed father to daughter and father to granddaughter and so on. At issue is a contradiction of fundamental genetic principles upon which all Species Survival Plans for endangered species in captivity are based. White tigers are an aberration artificially bred and proliferated by some zoos, private breeders and a few circuses who do so for economic rather than conservation reasons."

As for breeding tigers of any color, Ron Tilson says, "For private owners to say, 'We're saving tigers,' is a lie," Tilson says. "They are not saving tigers; they're breeding them for profit."

Last year, when the Tampa Zoo rescued the white tiger parents of the cubs they chose to not do the responsible thing (the thing we did when we rescued the four golden tigers that they left at Savage Kingdom to die) which was to spay the females to be sure no accidental cubs would be born.  So they had their litter last year and called it an accident.  There is no way that this breeding could be called an accident.  It is just one more example of Lowry Park Zoo's poor management.

You can find out all about white tigers here: http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2008

TAMPA - Two cute-as-buttons white tiger cubs born at Lowry Park Zoo in October are venturing into the public, giving morning zoogoers a glimpse — if they are lucky — of the rare pair.

The 7-week-old cubs were kept behind closed doors until recently, when they started exploring more of the Asian Gardens area. Their mother is Nikki, and their father is Yala.

"The family is doing well, with mother and cubs spending most of their first weeks together off exhibit for their safety and privacy in bonding," according to a written statement released Monday by the zoo. "As the cubs have grown and matured, zoo staff has begun the process of offering access to the outdoor yard for short intervals as the family establishes a new pattern of behavior."

The yet-to-be-named cubs, a male and female, are the second litter for Nikki at the zoo. Born Oct. 4, the male cub weighed 3.6 pounds and the female cub 2.5 pounds.

"The cubs are now well-bonded with mom and are moving about with improving motor skills," according to the zoo. Even though the mother and father are an established couple, zoo officials say, Yala will be separated for the time being from his cubs for their safety.

The cubs recently have been allowed into the public exhibit for short periods of time with zookeepers present, said Rachel Nelson, a spokeswoman for the zoo.

"Some guests have gotten a sneak peek by walking by the exhibits during those moments," Nelson said. The cubs "appear to be adjusting well and will start a regular routine this week."

Zoo officials say the gestation period for tigers is three to four months. The average litter is two or three cubs, which weigh about 2 pounds at birth. Cubs are born with their eyes shut and rely on their mothers for everything for the first three months and nurse for many more.

"The survival of the cubs will be dependent upon the mother's ability to care and nurture them, the cubs' ability to fight any infections associated with normal birth, and the success of weaning and independence," the zoo says.

White tigers originate from Bengal tigers and are not albinos.

"They have blue eyes, a pink nose and white fur covered with chocolate-colored stripes," according to the zoo. "Wild white tigers are very rare because their white coats provide poor camouflage, making them easily spotted by prey."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/24/241408/tampa-zoo-visitors-getting-first-looks-white-tiger/entertainment/

Tiger cubs, photo ops at Denver Nuggets game

What's Cuter Than A Mascot Holding A Box Of Kittens? By Sarah Schorno, 4:15 PM on Sat Nov 22 2008 Those feisty folks at PETA are at it again. This week's target of their ire? The Denver Nuggets. Apparently the Nuggets involved a few live animals during a game and the animal rights organization is none too pleased, calling for action on their website.   During a recent Denver Nuggets basketball game, Rocky, the team's costumed mascot, paraded around the game floor with two live tiger cubs, whom he held up in the air as the fans roared and screamed. Fans were also able to have their photos taken with the cubs. Rocky next came onto the court with a cardboard box full of kittens, announced that they were free to anyone who wanted one, and proceeded to pass them out to the crowd.   Sounds like the best arena giveaway ever to me. So what's the problem?   Handing kittens out like candy to any spectator who wants one is a virtual death sentence for the animals. All too often, people who acquire cats on a whim discover that caring for them is more work than they expected, and the animals end up dumped on the streets, abandoned in extremely crowded animal shelters, or obtained by unscrupulous individuals who sell them to laboratories or use them in dogfights or rituals.   Damn you, Michael Vick! Ruined it for everybody. Although a ring full of kittens might just make for the cutest illegal dogfight ever.   http://deadspin.com/5096753/whats-cuter-than-a-mascot-holding-a-box-of-kittens   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Okla. facility where liger killed volunteer to re-open

IN BRIEF: Broken Arrow sanctuary to open Source: NewsOk.com 11-24-2008 7:30 AM BROKEN ARROW   SANCTUARY TO REOPEN The owner of a wildlife sanctuary that closed after last month's fatal mauling of a big-cat handler plans to reopen the facility next week. Lori Ensign had said she likely never would reopen Safari's Sanctuary after Peter Getz died of injuries he received when a lion-tiger hybrid attacked him during feeding time. But Ensign said Thursday she and her staff are ready to reopen Nov. 29. Getz, 32, died after the liger gashed him in the neck Oct. 29. He had opened the cage to feed the cat, which is a violation of rules, reports show. Ensign said the cat will not be euthanized.   http://oklahomacity.cox.net/cci/newslocal/multiprovider?_mode=view&view=MultiProviderArticle&type=rss&articleId=6842231&pid=14&_action=validatearticle ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Cougar confirmed in Eastern Manitoba

Image confirms cougar in Lac du Bonnet area   By: Carol Sanders Updated: November 20, 2008 at 09:25 AM CST   Proof of a cougar prowling through a Lac du Bonnet subdivision is exciting news for conservation officials and a bit of a worry for area residents.   "You have to be very careful out here," said Vera Cardinal, councillor for the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.   "A lot of people are under the impression there are no cougars out here," said Cardinal, who received the photos from the RM and forwarded them to people in the area with the warning: "When outdoors, especially with children and pets, please be cautious."   The photos taken with a surveillance camera Nov. 11 at a home in the Cape Coppermine subdivision were submitted to Manitoba Conservation, said zoologist Bill Watkins.   He is excited because it's the first time the department has had proof of a cougar in the Lac du Bonnet area.   "We had a CO (conservation officer) visit the site. Everything matches and they found tracks."   The fact that the wild animal is a cougar is enough to send a chill down the spine of local pet owners and people with small children.   "I don't think that's a small kitty-cat," Cardinal said. "I'm not interested in running into it." She's thankful she's isn't one of the area residents who have reported spotting a big, hungry cat on the hunt.   "A cougar was seen taking down a deer on the Lee River shoreline," Cardinal said. "We have two small dogs."   A cougar sighting that can be confirmed is extremely rare, said Watkins, who works in the biodiversity conservation section of Manitoba Conservation.   The province often hears about cougar sightings a week or two after the fact, he said. By the time they can check them out, the evidence — hair, scat or tracks — is long gone.   And then there are the cougar sightings that turn out to be false.   "First and foremost, we get a lot of hoax photos," Watkins said.   Conservation officers will go to the area of a reported sighting and make sure the landscape in the photo matches reality, then check to see if the image has been digitally manipulated. They'll look for animal tracks, hair and feces and send specimens for analysis. While he hasn't received the final report on the Cape Coppermine cougar, Watkins said it appears to be bona fide.   "Rarely do people claim credit for pictures (that are a hoax)," he said. "Generally, someone who comes forward and says 'I took this picture' knows they're going to face public criticism if it's discovered to be a fake."   In the case of the cougar captured on a surveillance camera Nov. 11 sauntering through a subdivision, it was the homeowner who contacted conservation officials, Watkins said.   There are usually no more than one or two confirmed cougar sightings in Manitoba a year, Watkins said. And his department has never seen evidence of kittens or anything that would suggest cougars have bred here or taken up residence.   Their primary source of food is deer, but they've been known to eat anything they can catch.   A cougar's habitat can cover hundreds of square kilometres. Watkins said the big cats seen in Manitoba may just be passing through.   "They are very elusive creatures," Cardinal said.   carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca   http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/story/4251856p-4895605c.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Big cat fossil found in North Sea

By Paul Rincon Science Reporter, BBC News Published: 2008/11/18 23:38:51 GMT   The partial leg bone of a sabre-toothed cat has been dredged from the seabed by a trawler in the North Sea.   The rare fossil, which is between one and two million years old and was found near the UK coast, is from a type of sabre-tooth called a scimitar cat.   According to palaeontologist Dick Mol, it belonged to an animal that was as heavy as a small horse.   It is the furthest north this species has ever been found, and the first time remains have come from the North Sea.   The dry steppe landscape, criss-crossed by rivers, where animals such as the scimitar cat once roamed was flooded at the end of the last Ice Age.   The fossil remains of more common extinct beasts such as the mammoth are routinely recovered from the sea by trawlers.   Beam trawlers use special gear to touch the sea bed, capturing flatfish lying in the sand. But this also stirs up shallow, buried fossil remains which can end up in the nets.   In the Netherlands, trawlermen are paid up to 100 euros for such discoveries.   Mr Mol, who is based at the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, said the partial humerus belonged to a "huge" (probably male) cat that weighed about 400kg (881lbs).   The fossil, which was encrusted with tiny, coral-like sea creatures called bryozoans, was brought ashore by the owner of the Dutch trawler TX 1.   He then handed it to a collector, who passed it on to Mr Mol for identification.   It had been netted in the southern bend of the North Sea, an area known to yield fossils from every period of the Pleistocene. This epoch lasted either from 2.6 or 1.8 million years ago (depending on which expert you ask) until 10,000 years ago.   Warm spell   Dick Mol said the weight of the bone was an immediate indication that much of its organic matter had been converted to minerals.   The heavy mineralisation suggested it dated to the early part of the Pleistocene.   Other Early Pleistocene animals recovered from this part of the North Sea include elephant-like mastodon, southern mammoth, hippopotamus, horses, bears and giant deer.   Mr Mol and his colleague Wilrie van Logchem compared the big cat with specimens from the site of Untermassfeld in Germany, where a very similar complement of Early Pleistocene animals has been found.   They identified the find as a fragment of front leg from the scimitar cat Homotherium crenatidens .   The Rotterdam-based researcher said the sabre-tooth could have inhabited this part of North-West Europe during a warm spell between glaciations.   Top predator   "The fauna we are dealing with - the southern mammoth, the hippo, the giant deer and this sabre-toothed cat - were adapted to a savannah-like environment," Mr Mol told BBC News. "[The cat] was probably living in the forest that bordered on the river banks."   He added: "It was like the Serengeti, but in our back garden."   Analysis of the North Sea fossil suggested it was probably bigger than other H. crenatidens specimens known from Untermassfeld and from the Massif Central in southern France.   Mr Mol explained: "If we look at the bone, we can see that it was a huge animal - probably a male individual."   "We have to understand that sabre-toothed cats are specialised hunters at the top of the food chain. So they are already very rare."   The remains of only one other sabre-toothed cat - a much younger species called Homotherium latidens - have previously been recovered from the North Sea.   Scientists think the huge canines that characterise these cats were remarkably fragile. So the animals probably sank their "sabre-teeth" into the fleshy necks of their prey, avoiding bones that might crack these delicate mouth ornaments.   The big cats would then wait for the unlucky animal to die from blood loss.   Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7735544.stm ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

6 tigers dead in just two months

6 tigers dead in just two months

19 Nov 2008, 0106 hrs IST, Avijit Ghosh, TNN

NEW DELHI: India's tigers continue to die. In the last 10 weeks, six more tigers have perished due to poaching, electrocution, accident or natural
causes.

During the same period, police and forest officials have also seized four skins and 18 claws of the big cat, according to information collated by a wildlife NGO, from across the country.

On November 2, a tiger was electrocuted in Soutiya village, adjoining the buffer zone of the Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Investigations showed that the villagers were laying out naked electricity wires to catch sambhar, a widespread deer species — but a tiger got enmeshed in the wires and was electrocuted.

"Every part of the animal, including nails, was intact. Which shows that poachers were not involved," says Ramesh Pratap Singh, field director of the tiger reserve. Seven villagers have been arrested.

Earlier, on October 21, one tiger skin was seized in Kerala leading to three arrests. K Ummer, DFO of Nilambur South, says: "One female tiger skin, five feet long, was seized from a car," he said. The job was not by professionals because the skin had plenty of holes, says the forest officer. "They were not gunshot holes. Only that the skinning wasn't professionally done," he says. However, the seizure of six iron tiger traps in Satara by Maharashtra forest department on September 29 shows that poachers remain extremely active in many parts of the country.

The latest census figures released this year showed a mere 1,411 tigers alive, compared to 3,508 in 1997, a drastic dip of 60%. "With such low numbers of wild tigers we simply cannot afford to lose so many of them to criminals," says Belinda Wright of Wildlife Protection Society of India, the NGO which has collated the statistics. Experts feel the government agencies need better training, more motivation and greater resources.

"But, if they need one thing more than anything else, it is better intelligence on the ground," says Wright. Of late, the government has taken steps to shore up tiger protection, notably constituting a multidisciplinary Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. In his Budget speech this year, the FM announced a one-time grant of Rs 50 crore to National Tiger Conservation Authority.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/6_tigers_dead_in_just_two_months/articleshow/3729841.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tom III introduced to Memphis fans

Tom III introduced to Memphis fans

Updated: Nov 23, 2008 12:02 AM EST

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC-TV) - Tom III was introduced to Memphis fans at a home football game against UCF on Saturday.

The young tiger replaces Tom II, who died earlier this year after serving as the University of Memphis mascot for more than 20 years.

Tom III, who was born in August, was donated by Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue and Educational Center.

An unexpected pregnancy at the center led its directors to contact the university to offer to donate the cub.

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9399942

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger, tiger... but things still burning bright

Tiger, tiger... but things still burning bright

by Sheela Narayanon - Sat, Nov 22, 2008

GETTING back on track slowly but surely. That is the attitude the Singapore Zoo is taking a week after the fatal tiger mauling that took place at the park on Nov 13.

Cleaner Nordin Montong had climbed into the white tigers' enclosure and provoked the three big rare cats into attacking him.

Despite the worldwide media coverage about the tragic incident, the zoo's popularity was not dented as locals and tourists thronged the park over the past week.

One reason could be the zoo's new exhibit, the 3ha Rainforest KidzWorld to attract children.

It includes a maze, a carousel, a dinosaur walk and a wet play area.

The zoo's curator of zoology Subash Chandran (right) also credits the quick return of confidence to the zoo's 35-year reputation as a safe and fun place.

He told tabla! that the visitors' confidence in the zoo remained high: 'People know that we have the highest regard for their safety and we are vigilant. The zoo has always been a fun place to go and our staff is very enthusiastic.'

The new exhibit, which replaced the old children's petting zoo, reinforced that image, added Mr Chandran, 56.

'We have sessions where the children can groom the miniature horses and get to touch the rabbits,' he said.

There are also activity books published by the zoo to complement the new attraction.

The zoo veteran, who has been with the park even before it officially opened in 1973, admitted that it has been a "trying" week for the zoo's staff.

Mr Nordin, a 32-year-old cleaner from Sarawak, East Malaysia, jumped into the tigers' enclosure with a yellow pail and a broom. He agitated them by swinging his broom at them.

Two of the tigers set upon him and he later died from bites to his neck and a fractured skull.

The tigers - Omar, Jippie and Winnie - were confined to their den for five days before they were let back into their enclosure on Nov 18.

Mr Subash said the tigers were a "bit apprehensive when they saw people" but settled down quickly and were back to their "inquisitive" selves.

The zoo is reviewing its safety measures and looking into adding alarms at various points within its premises, increasing patrols and setting up a closed circuit television (CCTV) near exhibits of potentially dangerous animals.

Mr Chandran said: 'It will take time but we can get past this incident.'

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20081122-102579.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

War on snares continues: Zero-tolerance

War on snares continues: Zero-tolerance

2008/11/23

POACHERS have been hard at work and they've been at it in areas long considered safe havens. In a single operation early this month, Wildlife and National Parks Department enforcement officers cleared a staggering 500 snares from the Taman Negara national park.

This was the result of a thorough sweep of the 4,343ha park, said deputy-director general I Misliah Mohd Basir.

She said the department believed the snares were set by foreign poachers who had trespassed into the protected area in search of agarwood.

While the fragrant wood from the tree was the main target, these poachers would use the opportunity to trap, and later sell, wildlife caught in their snares.

Thousands of other snares have also been cleared in forested areas around Peninsular Malaysia, in 141 operations this year.

Only a handful can be brought to court -- if these poachers are caught in the act or in possession of snares.

In one case in Terengganu, a poacher caught with 52 snares was fined RM1,000 by the courts.

Three other cases involving poachers with a total of 50 snares are still being heard.

Last year, six cases were compounded or brought to court -- three in Perak, and one each in Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.

The poacher in Terengganu received a six-month jail sentence, while another in Perak was fined RM900 by the court.

Five people in Johor were compounded RM260 each for setting snares.

The remaining cases are still being heard in court and involve 65 snares in all.

Snares not only trap indiscriminately, they often leave some wildlife, like tigers, with terrible wounds that make them too slow to hunt prey.

This forces the injured animal to turn to cattle and humans instead, increasing incidence of conflict.

The department is stepping up efforts to clear snares, says Misliah and carries out operations at least twice or three times a month.

The Johor National Parks Corporation is also focusing on this area.

It is working with plantation owners and the state Forestry Department to detect and remove snares fringing the Endau-Rompin Johor National Park and forest reserves.

Surveys completed in October showed that most snares were outside the park boundaries.

Corporation director Abu Bakar Mohamed Salleh said discussions had been held with the 244-strong security unit of the Kulim Plantation located near the park and that they were willing to be trained to spot snares.

The corporation will also be getting a helping hand from the state Forestry Department senior staff who will take part in a training exercise to look at effective patrolling techniques and checkpoint systems used outside Malaysia.

A specially-designed patrolling and auditing system will soon be put in place and it will be GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-enabled to make it easier to do research.

"We don't have any jurisdiction outside the park but we know that poachers come in to the park from the fringes," said Abu Bakar

"With the help of the plantation, and forestry staff, we've cleared 92 wire snares so far but we will not rest. We have zero-tolerance for snares."

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/2409167/Article/index_html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Johor bans hunting of wildlife

Johor bans hunting of wildlife

By : ELIZABETH JOHN
2008/11/23

Johor has become the first state to ban commercial hunting. ELIZABETH JOHN studies the reasons behind this move

JOHOR has banned all commercial hunting in the state.

It is the first state to do this and is pushing the Federal Government to enforce it.

And the reason for this historic move? Johor hopes to increase the prey in the parks to support the tiger population and enable it to grow 50 per cent over the next decade.

Over 2,000 hunting licences were issued for various species of wildlife in Johor in 2006, according to Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
These included licences to hunt tiger prey like wild boar (750 licences), barking deer (25) and sambar deer (22).

But the corporation, a statutory body that gazettes and manages parks under the state government's care, began lobbying for the ban last year.

No hunting or harvesting licences have been issued by the state Perhilitan since April, said Johor National Parks Corporation director Abu Bakar Mohamed Salleh.

And the ban stays until the state decides otherwise, confirmed Perhilitan deputy director-general I Misliah Mohd Basir.

The surprise move is also part of a larger, serious effort to collect data, train staff, beef up enforcement and curb wildlife crime in its foremost park -- the Endau-Rompin Johor National Park.

In this, the corporation is getting the help of the wildlife and forestry departments, the Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia and privately owned plantations.

In the long term, the corporation will produce a wildlife management plan for the whole of Johor, said Abu Bakar.

At present, it has begun working on two major projects in the park.

The first is the Tiger Forever project in which nine countries are participating worldwide. The project aims to increase animal population through surveys and enforcement work in the protected areas.

The second project is a survey, scheduled to begin next year, to estimate the elephant population in the area.

The survey will also help park managers identify high human-elephant conflict areas, said Abu Bakar.

This, he said, would become crucial as the state developed and brought the two into greater contact with each other.

Under this project, park staff will also undergo training in enforcement, how to track, collect data and identify high-threat zones.

More than a dozen staff and 32 local residents, including the Orang Asli, will be trained specially for the tiger project.

The projects are being jointly funded by the state, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia and New York-based Panthera Foundation.

More than RM600,000 was spent on the projects last year and RM700,000 this year.

Some of these funds will be spent on threat analysis which will single out hot spots and help the staff focus on their intervention programmes, said Dr Melvin Gumal, who heads Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia, which provides much of the technical expertise for these projects.

"The state is putting in a lot of time and money and making a commitment to address wildlife conservation issues. It's setting a good example for others to follow."

There are also several other areas in the country where hunting and harvesting of wildlife is not allowed.

These include Langkawi, areas surrounding the Temenggor, Kenyir and Pergau dams, the Kuala Gula bird sanctuary (Perak) and several reserves like the Ulu Muda, Hulu Terengganu and Ulu Lepar forests.

These have been "no-go" areas for hunters since the late 1980s but Johor remains the only state to impose a state-wide hunting ban.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/2409108/Article/indexpull_html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger kills fisherman

Tiger kills fisherman

Calcutta, Nov. 21: A tiger dragged a fisherman looking for catch in the shallows of the Matla into the Sunderbans last evening.

Fellow fishermen, who chased the tiger, found Mangal Naiya’s body in the forest about half an hour later.

“The tiger had bitten off half his face and the eyes were gone,” divisional forest officer Kalyan Das said.

Six people, including Mangal’s mother, were in waist-deep water with hand nets when Mangal, who was nearer to the bank, cried for help. The tiger had grabbed him by the neck when he stooped to search for crabs.

Mangal, 20, is the fifth person killed by a Sunderbans tiger in the past six months. The body of the last victim could not be traced in September.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081122/jsp/bengal/story_10147232.jsp

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Mining may muffle tiger’s roar

Mining may muffle tiger’s roar

Ashwin Aghor
Saturday, November 22, 2008 3:13:00 AM

The predator has become the prey again. The very existence of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), in Chandrapur district, which is a home to many tigers, is being threatened.

The state government is all set to allow coal mining in the vicinity of the tiger reserve. Avinash Warzurkar, chairman, Mining Corporation of Maharashtra, is lobbying for allotment of coal blocks to Adani Power Limited. The corporation is also toying with the idea of floating a joint venture with the company.

Warzurkar is known to have tried to persuade Babanrao Pachpute, state forest minister, who is also advocating the project, to delay declaration of buffer zone around the TATR.

He also confirmed his meeting with Pachpute. “The company will have to submit a proposal to state government which would be sent to the central government for final approval,” Pachpute said.

On the other hand, there are people backing up the tigers as well. Amit Girhe, Srushti Paryawaran Mandal, Nagpur, said, “Mining is being planned by the company in Agarzari block which is connecting TATR. Since the population of carnivora is on the rise, commissioning of the coal mine will escalate the current problem of man-animal conflict.”

The project has already invited strong opposition from environmentalists and NGOs. “We do not think that the ministry of coal has considered all the environmental aspects in the case of proposed Lohara Coal project while allocating land. We oppose the project as it is going to prove detrimental to the TATR and the environment in Chandrapur district,” said Nishikant Kale, president of Nature Conservation Society,
Amravati (NCSA).

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1208529

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Straying tiger injures two more in Nagaon

Straying tiger injures two more in Nagaon

Nagaon, Nov. 21: A tiger which had strayed out of the Orang National Park, injured two more persons at Raha in Nagaon district this morning, taking the number of victims wounded by the animal to nine.

The tiger, which had moved along the banks of the Kopili river over the past six days, has sparked panic among the people of the district. The tiger moved towards Phuloguri Digholdori area as the forest department officials and villagers attempted to resist its movement in the Raha area this evening.

A forest department source said that a tiger, roaming freely in the area, was detected on November 17 when villagers of Soragaon and Kotohguri found remains of three cows killed by the tiger.

“Later it swam across the Kopili and reached Kampur. Thereafter, seven persons were injured after the stray animal pounced on them in Dharmukh Sengajan area.

A forest department team, along with experts from the Kaziranga National Park, rushed to the spot to get hold of the tiger through tranquillisers. “The attempt failed as it crossed the river again,” said Nagaon divisional forest officer Aftab Uddin Ahmed.

After keeping the animal confined to a nearby jungle, there was still no respite as the tiger resurfaced again this morning and killed a calf at Raha Meteka.

Two villagers of Dighaldori — Bhuban Das, 30 and Durlav Das, 42 were critically injured when they went out in search of the calf.Thousands of people from the neighbouring areas rushed to the area after the news about the sighting of the stray tiger spread.

A forest department source said that the curiosity of the villagers and their attempt to trace the tiger have made it difficult for the department to try and track it down.

When the tiger entered a sugarcane field, the people tried to kill it instead of informing the department, the source said, adding that such moves were leading to tragic consequences.


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081122/jsp/northeast/story_10145525.jsp

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Leopard strays into house; rescued

Leopard strays into house; rescued

DIGBOI (ASSAM): An eight-month-old leopard cub strayed into a house here creating panic, but was rescued and released into the nearby Upper Dihing Reserve Forest area, officials said on Thursday.

The young male had ‘strayed’ into the house on Wednesday and was locked inside by the terrified owner and his neighbours, who then informed the authorities, Ashok Kumar of the Wildlife Trust of India said.

“The leopard could have come from the Upper Dihing Reserve Forest which surrounds Digboi. Man-animal conflict is not very common in Digboi; they occur mostly in tea estates,” said Prabhakar Das, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi.

The animal was tranquillised with the help of a pole syringe using a bamboo. “Although, we had a cartridge-propelled rifle we did not use it for fear of causing undue tissue damage. The animal was hiding under a bench. One group distracted it using a flashlight while I injected the tranquillisers from behind,” said another DFO Aniruddha Dey.

“The animal is young; we are not sure how it got separated from its mother. It is not uncommon for grown-up cubs to venture into human habitation looking for easy prey,” he said.

Only a few weeks ago, a tiger got trapped in a well near Tezpur. It was later rescued and released into the Potasali range in the Nameri national park. – PTI

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/21/stories/2008112162331600.htm

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Truck stop ordered to move tiger - Louisiana

Owner may sue to keep 'Tony' in Grosse Tete cage   By GREG GARLAND Advocate Westside bureau Published: Nov 21, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.   GROSSE TETE — State wildlife officials have given the owner of Tiger Truck Stop 30 days to remove a live tiger from the premises, cheering animal welfare activists who have fought for years to close the exhibit.   But the truck stop's owner, Michael Sandlin, said Thursday he is considering filing suit to block the state from forcing him to get rid of the 8 1/2-year-old Bengal tiger named Tony.   "We're going to fight for our right to have a tiger here," he  said.   The order to remove the tiger came in a letter to Sandlin, dated Monday, from Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert J. Barham.   The letter says a 1993 Iberville Parish rule prohibits private ownership of "wild, exotic, vicious" animals for exhibition.   The ordinance means Sandlin does not qualify for a required state permit that would allow him to keep the tiger.   "The tiger presently located on the premises of Tiger Truck Stop must be legally removed from the premises to a Department-approved facility or out-of-state within 30 days from the date of this notification," Barham wrote.   Sandlin has been cited frequently over the years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failing to meet the minimal standards of care for animals used in exhibition. The most recent citation was issued in July 2007 for failing to clean cages to maintain adequate sanitation.   Sandlin denies he has failed to properly care for Tony and other tigers he has kept on the site.   Holly Reynolds with the Coalition of Louisiana Animal Advocates, expressed delight when told of the state's order.   "That's wonderful news," said Reynolds, whose group has battled the truck stop for several years.   She credited a Melbourne, Fla., woman, Sky Williamson, with waging an aggressive behind-the-scenes campaign in recent months to get the 550-pound tiger removed and placed in a healthier and more suitable environment.   Williamson, who has been working as a cable company contractor in Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, said she began working the phones and sending out e-mails ever since seeing the tiger for the first time in January.   "I will never forget that day," Williamson said. "It took me down to my knees. There were 15 big trucks lined up nearby, all of them running. The smell was horrid. There was feces all over the cage."   Sandlin said the state's letter ordering him to remove the tiger caught him by surprise. Tony had been "grandfathered" in under a state law that took effect in 2007 that prohibits individuals after that date from owning exotic and dangerous animals, Sandlin said.   However, Sandlin said, the new law required him to meet certain requirements and to obtain a state permit to continue keeping the tiger. He said he was working to comply so he could obtain the permit.   Among other things, he said, he bought a tranquilizer gun and a "kill gun" and had a microchip implanted in the animal so it could be tracked if it ever got loose.   "We've exhibited tigers for 21 years without a problem," Sandlin said.   The Iberville Parish ordinance surfaced after state wildlife officials asked the parish if there were any local laws on the books dealing with the keeping of exotic animals.   "Nobody ever noticed it before," Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso Jr. said.   Ourso said the parish government has received many calls through the years from animal welfare advocates complaining about the care of tigers at the truck stop. But he said the issue is regulated by federal and state authorities.   Sandlin said he hasn't decided yet what action he would take.   "We have to make a decision whether to relocate the tiger or file a lawsuit to stop them," he said. "We're leaning toward filing a lawsuit. We think it's very unfair."   Sandlin said he exhibited tigers at a truck stop in Houston but moved to Grosse Tete in 1987 after the Texas city passed a law prohibiting him from keeping tigers there.   "I'm really totally surprised that the state of Louisiana is bowing to pressure from animal rights activists," Sandlin said. "They're talking about taking away my right to have the cat. &hellip It's just another right we're going to lose."   As recently as 2003, Sandlin had four Bengal tigers caged at the truck stop.   He agreed to give up three — keeping only Tony — to settle complaints from federal regulators that he wasn't properly caring for the animals. He agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and repair the exhibit but admitted no guilt.   Beth Price, director of the Exotic Pets Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States, said tigers are dangerous wild animals and should be kept only in well-run zoos, not by private individuals.   According to the Humane Society, 12 people have been killed by captive big cats since 2001.   Price said the tiger needs to be placed in a different environment for its own health and safety and to protect the public.   "Hopefully this is a happy ending for this animal," she said.   http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/suburban/34859389.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Cheetah cubs born in Cincinnati Zoo facility

One Cub To Stay Here; Others Go To Columbus   POSTED: 7:40 am EST November 21, 2008 UPDATED: 8:00 am EST November 21, 2008   CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Zoo has introduced one of its newest residents to the public in time for the annual Christmas display of lights.   Tommy T, a 3-week-old cheetah cub, has taken up residence in the zoo nursery where he can be viewed during the PNC Festival of Lights through Jan. 4.   Visitors can watch him nap, play and drink formula from a bottle.   The cub and two brothers were born last month at the zoo's breeding facility in Clermont County. The other two cubs will eventually go to the Columbus Zoo.   The cub's parents are Purdy, a female from the Columbus Zoo born in South Africa, and Wild Boy, who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo and was rescued as a cub in Namibia in southern Africa.   The zoo is building a new exhibit that will allow cheetahs to run as fast as they can in the wild.   http://www.wlwt.com/news/18030890/detail.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Accidental lynx killing investigated in Maine

Article Date: Thursday, November 20, 2008 BANGOR, Maine (AP) _ Wildlife officials are looking into the accidental killing of a Canada lynx by a trapper in far northern Maine.   In a letter to U.S. District Judge, an attorney for the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said the lynx was found Nov. 17 by a trapper in northern Aroostook County.   Officials with Inland Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating whether the trap was legally set.   The discovery of the lynx could have implications for a federal court case that is seeking additional restrictions on trapping to protect populations of lynx. The plaintiffs say state officials are violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing trapping practices that can harm, kill or harass lynx, which are listed as a threatened species. ___ Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com   http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081120/NEWS0104/811209973 ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Amur tiger tracks discovered

Amur tiger tracks discovered
Thu 20 November 2008 14:06 UK — Asia,Big Cats

Amur tiger tracks have been discovered in north-eastern China, giving conservationists hope that the species remains in the area.

Tracks were spotted in Changbaishan near the Chinese-Russian border; where it is believed just 20 of the species now remain, following habitat degradation, poaching and a small prey population.

There are currently just over 500 Amur tigers left in the wild and the species is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.

Fan Zhiyong, director of China's Species Programme, explained that this discovery indicates that the tigers are moving deeper into China.

He said: "Therefore, it is of critical importance that tiger conservation occurs in the whole Changbaishan area."

The Amur tiger is also known as the Siberia tiger and is considered to be the largest of the all the tiger sub-species.

News brought to you by International Animal Rescue, leaders in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

Help IAR rescue and rehabilitate endangered wildlife.

http://www.iar.org.uk/globalnews/articles/2008/11/amur_tiger_tracks_discovered_240.html

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It's ‘Not The Tiger's Fault'

It's ‘Not The Tiger's Fault'

Zoo Owners Say Bitten Worker Admits Error; PETA Asks Probe
By Tom Mitchell - 11/20/2008

LURAY - Four days after a tiger at a local zoo bit a teenage employee, owners of the zoo called the girl's decision to touch the tiger "a mistake," adding that the victim holds the tiger blameless in the attack.

"She wants everybody to know that [the biting was] not the tiger's fault," said Jennifer Westhoff, co-owner of Luray Zoo.

The attack, in which a 5-year-old, 225-pound female Bengal tiger named "Star" bit off the finger of a 15-year-old female employee, occurred on Sunday. The victim, whose name has not been released because she is a minor, was showing the tiger to visitors at the zoo when she was bitten, said Westhoff.

Mark Kilby, the facility's other owner, said he and Westhoff have discouraged employees from handling the zoo's animals because of the danger inherent in touching or petting wild creatures. The incident, said Kilby, will force him and Westhoff to be take a harder line in enforcing that policy.

"We've repeatedly told our employees not to try to handle the animals," said Kilby. "I'm not going to be nice about it anymore."

PETA Asks For Probe

Also on Wednesday, a national animal-rights organization called for an investigation into the incident.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the USDA to look into the attack and to "strictly enforce the Animal Welfare Act."

The zoo's owners say they would welcome any such investigation.

"PETA is investigating us," said Westhoff. "We don't have any plans to hide. We're very proud of the work we've done."

PETA also has written to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry about the incident.

Quoting regulations as to the employment of teenagers, PETA stated that teens under 18 may not work in any "occupation that exposes them to a recognized hazard capable of causing serious physical injury or death."

The Luray Zoo has frequently employed people as young as 14, said Kilby. He noted that Virginia law allows minors under the age of 16 to work certain jobs as long as they have permits to do so issued by the school system they attend.

"They want to look for fault [and] I'm sorry they're going after that," Kilby said of PETA's criticism on the issue regarding the employee's age. "We [and PETA] are on the same team. But I'm disappointed in their actions."

What Happened

The mishap occurred when the girl tried to scratch a side of the tiger's face with her left hand, said Westhoff. The girl, who according to Westhoff is a Page County resident, had worked at the zoo for a year and a half.

According to Westhoff, the tiger playfully seized the girl's hand. When a woman tried to pull the hand free, the animal refused to release it and bit the girl's hand, severing her left "pinky" finger.

Touching Tiger A ‘Mistake'

The injured girl came by the zoo Wednesday after being treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center, where she was taken on Sunday. The girl hopes to return to work at the zoo, where several of her family members have worked, said Kilby.

Officials for the Virginia Department of Health, which is investigating the incident, had discussed the possibility of euthanizing the tiger to determine if it had rabies, but Kilby said that won't be necessary because the victim is receiving rabies shots as a preventive measure.

No Plans to Close

Kilby declined to discuss whether the zoo carries insurance for such attacks. He said there are no plans to close the zoo, nor has there been any indication that the USDA, which licenses the facility, intends to do so. The zoo, which is open seven days a week in the spring and summer months and on weekends from November through mid-April, will be open this weekend, Kilby said.

"We can't sit down and feel sorry for ourselves," said Kilby. "We've got to keep going."

Sunday's incident was the first such emergency in the zoo's 25-year history, Westhoff said. Westhoff, 39, and Kilby, 53, have run the zoo for the past 12 years since buying it from the previous owners.

Luray Zoo houses 250 animals, mostly reptiles, said Kilby. Besides the tiger, the zoo's 37 mammals include five other breeds of what Kilby terms "big cats" - two lynxes, one serval and one bobcat.

An official with the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn., says incidents like the one at Luray are preventable. Ron Hylton, director of conservations at the Minnesota Zoo and coordinator for the zoo's species survival plan for tigers, said tiger attacks occur "repeatedly" at privately owned zoos.

"A tiger is a wild animal, and there are just moments when the hard-wiring in their circuitry just fires off," said Hylton. "We always tell people in zoos, ‘You manage your tigers exclusively with a hands-off approach.' But the message doesn't get to some folks."

http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=33431&CHID=1

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Animal that fatally mauled worker allowed to live

Animal that fatally mauled worker allowed to live

Associated Press - November 19, 2008 9:15 PM ET

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) - A big cat that fatally mauled a worker at a
wildlife sanctuary won't be euthanized.

32-year-old Peter Getz was mauled by Rocky the liger -- a cross between
a male lion and a female tiger -- on Oct. 29 and died the following day.

Lori Ensign, the owner of Safari's Sanctuary, says she has been told the
liger will be able to live out his life at the park.

The park closed after the attack but will reopen on Nov. 29-30 to raise money
to feed its animals through the winter. A news release issued by the park
does not discuss its status beyond that.

Ensign says that Getz would not have wanted the park's mission to cease. She
says park officials will work to keep Getz's dream alive through a renewed
effort to educate people on the dangers of having exotic animals as pets.

Information from: Tulsa World,
(http://www.tulsaworld.com)
http://www.kfsm.com/global/story.asp?s=9382631&ClientType=Printable

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Serval hybrid caught in Alaska must leave state

Recaptured exotic cat must be shipped Outside ILLEGAL: Serval mix showed it can survive on the loose in wild.   By JAMES HALPIN jhalpin@adn.com (11/18/08 22:40:48)   Not two weeks after Simon the Savannah cat was scooped up in a dipnet and reunited with his owner, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which organized the reunion, is demanding that Sharon Gratrix get rid of her exotic pet.   The spotted cat is only a quarter serval mixed with a domestic house cat, but it turns out servals -- small African wildcats -- are not allowed in Alaska in any ratio. In a letter Gratrix received Monday, Anchorage wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott explains that the animal is in fact illegal -- contrary to what biologists first told her -- and that she has one month to send Simon elsewhere on a one-way ticket.   "I realize this may be a shock to you, having only recently been reunited with your cat," Sinnott says in the letter. "However, we cannot allow animals prohibited by law to remain in the state."   Simon bolted out the door of his home near Kincaid Park and was on the run for six months before being snared along the Glenn Highway Nov. 7. With a broken tail, Simon was malnourished, in shock and probably wouldn't have survived much longer, Gratrix said. Now, as Simon readjusts to domestic life and begins recovering, the thrill of the unlikely reunion has been snuffed.   "I am heartbroken. ... It never occurred to me that there could be anything illegal about having this cat," Gratrix said. "I don't think it's unreasonable that I would not have known; (Fish and Game) didn't know when they returned him to me."   Though servals are banned in Alaska, Sinnott initially said Savannah cats appeared to be legal. But state wildlife experts reviewed the case and concluded otherwise.   State law prohibits Fish and Game from issuing permits for hybrids of a game animal to be kept as a pet. Under the law, game animals are defined in part as nondomestic mammals "found or introduced" in Alaska.   "My initial confusion was well, if this Savannah cat is a hybrid of a serval -- an African wild animal -- and a domestic cat, then servals aren't found in Alaska, so therefore it's not an animal that's found or introduced in Alaska," Sinnott said.   But bringing a Savannah cat into Alaska, even as a pet, constitutes introducing it here, said Kevin Saxby, an assistant attorney general specializing in wildlife law. Fish and Game has no discretion to allow exceptions because the department cannot, by law, issue a permit for such an animal to be kept as a pet, he said.   One can request the state Board of Game put an animal, like a Savannah cat, on the "clean list" of allowable animals, and Gratrix says she plans to do it. But the board heard and rejected a request a few years back to allow servals because of concern they could threaten indigenous wildlife, either through predation or disease, Saxby said.   "The board has a general policy on all exotic species that they can only be allowed here if they can't survive in the wild and if they don't otherwise represent a threat to Alaskan species," Saxby said. "As we found out, servals can escape and survive in the wild in Alaska, and they're a threat to Alaskan wildlife."   Gratrix has 30 days to provide Fish and Game with proof Simon is gone or she could be hit with a $250 fine. She said she plans to ship Simon down to live in exile with her daughter in Arizona until, hopefully, she can change the law, which also makes one of her previous pets illegal: the Bengal cat, a hybrid of an Asian leopard cat and domestic cat.   Since that cat stopped coming home in June 2007 and never was found, despite a high-profile search involving bus-side posters, there are no plans to cite her for that pet, Sinnott said. However, there may still be others to deal with.   "(Gratrix) said there's probably 100 or more Bengal cats in town," Sinnott said. "They've even been shown in shows. She says even that there's a judge in town that has one. I wouldn't know about that, but this could go bigger than we ever envisioned."   ------------------------------------- Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.   http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/594092.html   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Oregon: Zoo euthanizes rare Amur leopard

PORTLAND -- Oregon Zoo veterinarians euthanized Fred, a rare, 17-year-old Amur leopard, who had an aggressive form of terminal cancer. Veterinarians and zookeepers were by his side when he died Tuesday.   "We had a lot of people involved in managing Fred's care," said Chris Pfefferkorn, general curator. "It became apparent that his quality of life was not improving, despite the best efforts of all involved. Zoo veterinarians and staff determined that the only humane thing to do was to euthanize him."   In September, zoo veterinarians discovered a tumor, which they removed. Attempts to eradicate the cancer with chemotherapy failed.   Pfefferkorn reflected on the loss: "Losing Fred is extremely difficult for everyone involved in his care. He was a very special cat and a wonderful ambassador for his critically endangered species. He will be sorely missed," he said.   "Fred could help improve the understanding of cancer in leopards," said Pfefferkorn. "Studying his remains can provide important insight. Through a comprehensive necropsy, we hope to discover clues on how we can improve the health and welfare of the world's few remaining Amur leopards."   Fred came to Portland in April 2000 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo. His arrival was considered a first step in returning big cats to the Oregon Zoo after major exhibit construction required removal of the old feline building.   Kia, a 12-year-old female Amur leopard who shared Fred's exhibit space, remains at the zoo. She and Fred were not a breeding pair. Kia came to Portland last year to help create more breeding space at her former home, the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania.   Amur leopards have a life expectancy of about 15 to 19 years in captivity. They are native to eastern Russia, and only about 35-45 are thought to be left in the wild.   Also known as the Manchurian or Korean leopard, the species has slowly drifted from Korea to China and finally to eastern Russia, where zoologists say it is making a last stand. The habitat today is mainly the mountains along Siberia's Amur River Valley, where habitat destruction and loss of prey species have greatly reduced its numbers. ------ Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com   http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/388477_leopard20.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

India announces long-term conservation plan for lions

Gene pool of Asiatic Lions to come up in Gujarat   Ahmedabad (PTI): Turning to science in a long-term conservation plan of endangered Asiatic Lions, an exclusive gene pool of the species will be set up with blood and DNA samples to maintain their genetic diversity.   The measure taken up by the Gujarat government is aimed at protecting the diverse gene pool of the last surviving Asiatic Lions — just 359 as per the last census in 2005 — which faces threat from poaching and deadly diseases, affecting its population in the lone habitat of the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.   The forest department would set up four gene pools at four different places around the sanctuary, Forest Conservator Mayank Sharma told PTI. Blood and DNA samples, semen and live tissue specimens of large number of lions will be preserved at these units.   "We have identified four different places, where we will build full-fledged gene pools as a part of a long term conservation plan," Sharma said.   These units would come up at Rampara and Umath in Rajkot district, Shakkarbaug in Junagadh and Barda in Porbandar. The purpose of the project is to maintain genetic diversity of the lions, he said.   The wildlife department plans to keep six to eight breeding pairs of lions in each of these gene pool, Sharma said, adding that they would be kept in captivity in huge enclosures built at each of the four identified centres.   "Each gene pool will be built at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore," Sharma said.   "We will prepare genetic profiling of each lion present in the gene pool, conduct DNA fingerprinting on them, take their tissue and sperm samples and preserve them in cold storage."   The project also plans to build a laboratory at Sakkarbaug in Junagadh for storing live tissue materials.   "We plan to keep the gene pool for the next 50 years. New techniques would have been developed for conservation of wild animals by then," the forest conservator said.   The building of enclosure has been completed at Rampara near Vankaner town in Rajkot district and lions will be introduced there by 2009-2010. Construction of enclosure is underway at Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Porbandar district.   "Enclosures will be bigger than those in Zoos. People will not be allowed there," Sharma added.   "We will not pick up lions from Gir and introduce them to gene pools. Lions straying out of the sanctuary and the injured ones after rehabilitation would be shifted to gene pools," he added.   http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200811191111.htm   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Escaped lynx found, but taken from owner due to violations - Florida

Missing Palm City Siberian lynx found, but taken from owner due to violations   By Monique Mattiace Thursday, November 20, 2008   PALM CITY — The 50-pound Siberian lynx that went missing last month is now at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter after the owner signed the animal over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.   "I felt like I didn't have a choice," said Tina Love, the lynx's owner. "(The FWC) made it impossible to keep her."   Love found the missing 7-year-old lynx sometime between the ending of October and beginning of November after a family who lives a mile and a half away from her Palm City home on Woodcreek Trail called her, Love said.   Simba was lying on the high beam of a playground set when Love found her.   "When she saw me her eyes lit up and she was more lovable then ever," Love said. But Love didn't have Simba for long.   About a week after finding Simba, the FWC came to Love's home asking if they could take pictures of Simba and look at Simba's cage, said Love.   "I let them into my home thinking all they wanted to do was take pictures, and then they told me they had to take my baby, and they started writing me citations," said Love crying over the phone.   Love was charged with two separate misdemeanors. The first was for improper caging when Simba was moved from her cage to the screened in porch, which is where she escaped from. The second was for not having an updated permit for the lynx, FWC spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro said. Love's permit for the lynx had been expired for several months.   "The rules and regulations are to keep Love safe, the public safe and Simba safe," Ferraro said.   The charges were processed on Oct. 30, and Love is set to appear in court on Dec. 4, Ferraro said.   "I didn't break any laws intentionally," Love said. "I love my baby. She's apart of our family, and if I would have known certain things had to be done then I would have done them to keep her safe."   Love said the FWC told her she had to have a fence around Simba's cage, barriers on the windows in the home and a one-year lease on where she's living now.   "When I got Simba's permit here that was never stated. They changed the law on me and didn't send me a notice or anything," Love said.   Simba will stay at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary until the case is over, Ferraro said. Then a decision will be made based on Simba's future, but Love likely cannot get the cat back. Love is having financial problems and can't afford an attorney for her case, but she said she wants to do everything she can to get Simba back.   "I would cut off my arm for her if I had to," Love said. "She belongs with her family, and I really need help getting her back."   Simba first went missing Oct. 4 on a Saturday morning after Love removed the 4 ½-foot-long animal from her cage and put her in the screen-enclosed patio. When she awoke later that day she discovered a hole in the screen and Simba missing.   Almost a week later Simba was spotted a half a mile away from home. That day Love made contact with the cat, picked her up and put her into a sheriff's office car. But, when Love and Simba were in the car no one closed the door soon enough and Simba escaped again.   Sometime after that Love found Simba and brought her home.   "The public really helped me find Simb,a and I'm so grateful for them," said Love. "It would be great now if someone can help me get her back."   http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/nov/20/missing-siberian-lynx-found-taken-owner-because-vi/ ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Cougar killed in Ga. was likely illegally-held captive

Cougar killed in Ga. was likely held captive   November 19, 2008 10:04 AM ET   COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - Wildlife officials say a cougar killed at West Point Lake over the weekend was likely held in captivity illegally.   The 140-pound, 88-inch cat was shot by deer hunter David Adams of Newnan on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land near the Georgia-Alabama border Sunday. Wildlife officials inspected the dead cougar, which had scuffed paws common to animals kept on concrete. State investigators also found the cat also had low parasite levels, which meant it wasn't feeding on wild game.   Cougars are no longer considered native to Georgia, though residents occasionally report seeing what they believe to be the large, long-tailed cats also known as panthers and mountain lions.   The nearest breeding population is in southern Florida, where the animal is called the Florida panther.   Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, http://www.ledger-enquirer.com   http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=9377797 ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Signs of Amur tiger in China give hope for struggling species

Changchun, China – The discovery of Amur tiger tracks in Changbaishan in north-eastern China has given conservationists hope for a species that is rarely seen in that area.   A walker in the region spotted the tracks and recorded them on his mobile phone. A century ago such a sight would have been fairly common, with hundreds of Amur tigers,on the prowl. It is thought that now only about 20 remain in the area.   "Tiger tracks found in this area show that the tigers are moving deeper into China from the Sino-Russian border," said Fan Zhiyong, director of WWF-China's Species Programme. "Therefore, it is of critical importance that tiger conservation occurs in the whole Changbaishan area."   There are just over 500 Amur tigers in the wild and it is listed as critically endangered on IUCN's red list of endangered species. The main threats to Amur tigers in north-eastern China are habitat degradation, poaching, fragmentation of tiger habitats and a small prey population to feed from.   WWF and its partners have been focusing their efforts to save the Amur tiger on a number of fronts: helping ungulate populations such as wild boar and roe deer – which are the tiger's main prey – to recover by helping communities find alternative livelihood options; stopping poaching by helping local authorities carry out anti-poaching activities; and increasing and connecting protected tiger habitats so tigers can safely move from one area to another.   Thanks to vigorous anti-poaching and other conservation efforts on the Russian side, the tiger population there has become stable over the last decade and is beginning to increase. As such, should the feeding population in Changbaishan be restored and protected in an effectively managed tiger habitat, then those tigers across the border may come to occupy the area.   Conservationists in the Changbaishan area are very eager for this to occur, and the fact that tiger tracks have now been found in the Wangqing Forestry Bureau twice in the last two years is an encouraging sign.   "Although Wangqing Forestry Bureau is a timber management unit, it attaches great importance to wildlife conservation," said Liang Jixiang, head of the Forest Management Department of Wangqing Forestry Bureau. "We are calling for support and help from interested parties and experts at home and abroad to help find ways to make Wangqing a home for tigers."   WWF's Changchun Programme Office has recently developed the Hungchun-Wangqing-Dongning Tiger Conservation Planning tool enable greater coordination of activities across the region and to help maintain these fragile populations of Amur tiger.   "WWF is working with the Chinese government and other partners to achieve the restoration and recovery of tigers to north-east China – the one remaining place in all of China where the recovery of this majestic species is a real possibility," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of WWF-International's Species Programme.   http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=150681 ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Exotic Cats Make Bad Pets

Dear James,

Thank you for covering this story in a respectable manner.  It is all too easy for the media to play to the ignorant masses with a sob story that is told from the wrong perspective.  Hybrid cats suffer greatly as a result of the pet trade.  They are even more emotionally scarred by their captivity than their wilder cousins because they are so confused about who they are.  More about that here and all of the physical ailments they have as a result of their un natural lineage:

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/hybrids.htm

Most people can't tell a serval from a cheetah and breeders often sell servals and call them Savannahs, because servals are easier to breed and they and the buyers are counting on the authorities not being able to tell the difference between an illegal wild cat and (in most states) a legal hybrid. 

The following is a partial listing (568) of incidents in the U.S. involving captive exotic cats since 1990. The U.S. incidents have resulted in the deaths of 21 humans, 16 adults and 5 children, the additional mauling of 188 more adults and children, 162 escapes, the killing of 89 big cats, and 120 confiscations.  There have also been 172 big cat incidents outside the U.S. that have resulted in the deaths of 63 humans and the mauling of 94 humans by captive big cats.  These figures only represent the headlines that Big Cat Rescue has been able to track.  Because there is no reporting agency that keeps such records the actual numbers are certainly much higher.  http://www.bigcatrescue.org/big_cat_news.htm

This link will tell you about how exotic animals spread disease and threaten local eco systems:

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/zoonosis.htm

Alaska should be proud that they have such good laws to protect their native wildlife and their citizens.  It is the only humane thing to do. 

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be
confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended
only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby
notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of
the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The
recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of
viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused
by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

Recaptured exotic cat must be shipped Outside
ILLEGAL: Serval mix showed it can survive on the loose in wild.

By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com

(11/18/08 22:40:48)

Not two weeks after Simon the Savannah cat was scooped up in a dipnet
and reunited with his owner, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game,
which organized the reunion, is demanding that Sharon Gratrix get rid
of her exotic pet.

The spotted cat is only a quarter serval mixed with a domestic house
cat, but it turns out servals -- small African wildcats -- are not
allowed in Alaska in any ratio. In a letter Gratrix received Monday,
Anchorage wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott explains that the animal is
in fact illegal -- contrary to what biologists first told her -- and
that she has one month to send Simon elsewhere on a one-way ticket.

"I realize this may be a shock to you, having only recently been
reunited with your cat," Sinnott says in the letter. "However, we
cannot allow animals prohibited by law to remain in the state."

Simon bolted out the door of his home near Kincaid Park and was on
the run for six months before being snared along the Glenn Highway
Nov. 7. With a broken tail, Simon was malnourished, in shock and
probably wouldn't have survived much longer, Gratrix said. Now, as
Simon readjusts to domestic life and begins recovering, the thrill of
the unlikely reunion has been snuffed.

"I am heartbroken. ... It never occurred to me that there could be
anything illegal about having this cat," Gratrix said. "I don't think
it's unreasonable that I would not have known; (Fish and Game) didn't
know when they returned him to me."

Though servals are banned in Alaska, Sinnott initially said Savannah
cats appeared to be legal. But state wildlife experts reviewed the
case and concluded otherwise.

State law prohibits Fish and Game from issuing permits for hybrids of
a game animal to be kept as a pet. Under the law, game animals are
defined in part as nondomestic mammals "found or introduced" in
Alaska.

"My initial confusion was well, if this Savannah cat is a hybrid of a
serval -- an African wild animal -- and a domestic cat, then servals
aren't found in Alaska, so therefore it's not an animal that's found
or introduced in Alaska," Sinnott said.

But bringing a Savannah cat into Alaska, even as a pet, constitutes
introducing it here, said Kevin Saxby, an assistant attorney general
specializing in wildlife law. Fish and Game has no discretion to
allow exceptions because the department cannot, by law, issue a
permit for such an animal to be kept as a pet, he said.

One can request the state Board of Game put an animal, like a
Savannah cat, on the "clean list" of allowable animals, and Gratrix
says she plans to do it. But the board heard and rejected a request a
few years back to allow servals because of concern they could
threaten indigenous wildlife, either through predation or disease,
Saxby said.

"The board has a general policy on all exotic species that they can
only be allowed here if they can't survive in the wild and if they
don't otherwise represent a threat to Alaskan species," Saxby
said. "As we found out, servals can escape and survive in the wild in
Alaska, and they're a threat to Alaskan wildlife."

Gratrix has 30 days to provide Fish and Game with proof Simon is gone
or she could be hit with a $250 fine. She said she plans to ship
Simon down to live in exile with her daughter in Arizona until,
hopefully, she can change the law, which also makes one of her
previous pets illegal: the Bengal cat, a hybrid of an Asian leopard
cat and domestic cat.

Since that cat stopped coming home in June 2007 and never was found,
despite a high-profile search involving bus-side posters, there are
no plans to cite her for that pet, Sinnott said. However, there may
still be others to deal with.

"(Gratrix) said there's probably 100 or more Bengal cats in town,"
Sinnott said. "They've even been shown in shows. She says even that
there's a judge in town that has one. I wouldn't know about that, but
this could go bigger than we ever envisioned."

------------------------------

-------

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at
257-4589.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/594092.html

Mystery shrouds tiger death in Dudhwa national park

Mystery shrouds tiger death in Dudhwa national park

20 Nov 2008, 0616 hrs IST, IANS

LUCKNOW: Mystery shrouds the death of a tiger whose carcass was discovered on Tuesday in the thick of Uttar Pradesh's Dudhwa tiger reserve, which is India's second largest after the world famous Corbett National Park.

State wildlife officials claim that the tiger had met its end by drowning in the Sotiya canal, a tributary of the Suheli river while wading through it. But the local villagers attribute the death to a fierce battle between the animal and a crocodile.

In a completely divergent view, some wildlife experts in the region have opined that the tiger died of poisoning.

This is the third tiger death in Dudhwa since February last.

The post-mortem report was anxiously awaited from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), where the carcass was sent on Tuesday itself. Sources in IVRI confirmed a fracture on the tiger's skull, which is an indication of a conflict with another animal.

The claims and counter-claims notwithstanding, the body of the animal was found in a highly decomposed condition. There was no disputing that the tiger's death had occurred about 10-15 days ago.

The official theory of "drowning" is not accepted by anyone. Even district forest officer K.K. Singh admitted that the Dudhwa tigers were "good swimmers."

However, park director Uma Shankar Singh sought to recall the spurt of tiger deaths in Dudhwa in the mid-eighties when drowning was eventually confirmed as the cause of death. But, according to official records, even in that case, poisoning preceded drowning.

The then Dudhwa director, G.C. Misra, said: "Local villagers were found sprinkling some poisonous chemical on the kill left behind by the tiger."

"When the animal would return to the feed the next day, the poison would not only induce semi-consciousness but also acute thirst that would force it to rush to the Suheli river, where he would drown in the rapids," he said.

Dudhwa recorded a tiger population of 106 as per the official census undertaken last year. Wildlife experts, however, see it as an "over-estimation".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Flora__Fauna/Mystery_shrouds_tiger_death_in_Dudhwa_national_park/articleshow/3734976.cms
http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Bengal tiger bites young worker at Virginia zoo

Bengal tiger bites young worker at Virginia zoo

LURAY, Va. (AP) — A 16-year-old employee of a small Virginia zoo is recovering after a tiger bit her when she tried to pet it.

Zoo owner Jennifer Westhoff says the girl lost her pinky and had cuts on her hand. She was showing a 5-year-old Bengal tiger named Star to visitors when it bit her through its cage.

Westhoff says the tiger grabbed the girl's hand, then got spooked and bit her when a visitor jumped over a fence to help.

The girl was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center and was expected to be released Wednesday.

The Luray Zoo is the only rescue zoo in Virginia and houses 260 animals, mostly reptiles, over four acres.

Star is the zoo's only tiger, and Westhoff says she will remain there.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hGNzHnJfU-73dBO_Y59FHegAZy6AD94I770G0

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Beaten tiger cub dies after rare blood transfusion

Beaten tiger cub dies after rare blood transfusion
Endangered animal was rescued after attack

By The Associated Press
Tue. Nov 18 - 7:47 AM

NAGPUR, India — Officials say a 7-month-old wild tiger died Tuesday in a central Indian zoo, two days after veterinarians tried to save the cub with a rare blood transfusion.

The cub, which doctors named Juhi after a fragrant white flower native to India, had shown signs of improvement, but suddenly went into convulsions Tuesday.

Veterinarians gave her a blood transfusion believing it was the only way to save the cub after her hemoglobin levels had dropped to dangerously low levels.

Juhi and her sister, Jai, had been rescued from angry villagers who had tried to kill the cats, fearing they would attack children and cattle.

Jai responded well to treatment, but Juhi's condition continued to deteriorate.

India's wild tiger population has plummeted to some 1,500, down from about 3,600 six years ago and an estimated 100,000 a century ago.

Shrinking habitats have brought the wild cats into conflict with farmers and poachers who kill them for pelts and body parts, highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine.

"The cubs were in bad shape at the time they were rescued. They were starving," said Bimal Majumdar, the chief wildlife officer in the re­gion. "The villagers had also beaten them with sticks so they were injured as well."

While the other cub Jai, or Victory, responded well after being brought to the zoo, Juhi’s condition deteriorated.

On Sunday, veterinarians treating the cat discovered that her hemoglobin levels had suddenly dropped to a dangerously low level and decided the only way to save her was to carry out a blood transfusion.

They sent a request to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, where doctors tranquilized two healthy adult tigers and drew 350 millilitres of blood from each of them. Four hours later the blood reached Nagpur, said Vinery Jangle, the park’s head veterinarian.

Jangle, who oversaw the transfusion, said she remained uncertain whether it would prove successful because only rudimentary tests were done to determine whether the donor blood matched Juhi’s type.

"The blood grouping procedure is critical, but in India there has been no work done on (tiger) blood groups. There are no studies on blood types and wild tigers," she said, adding that she was unaware of a transfusion being performed on a tiger elsewhere.

Transfusions for rare animals can be difficult because blood types and antibodies vary from species to species, according to the website of Brown University’s Division of Biology and Medicine.

While rare, transfusions have been done in the past on turtles, pandas and a baby elephant at western zoos, which sometimes bank an animals own blood in case it needs a transfusion, the website said.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/World/1091124.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Breaking All the Rules

Breaking All the Rules

This video of people swimming with tigers at T.I.G.E.R.S. aired November 12, 2008 on Inside Edition. Millions of people saw Kevin Antle flagrantly disregarding USDA's big cat policies and many of them complained, but USDA hasn't shut him down yet. Quote: "The handling regulations prohibit the exhibition of such animals without sufficient distance and/or barriers between the animals and the viewing public to assure the safety of the public and the animals. Trained handlers, leashes, and stages, for example, are not substitutes for sufficient distance and/or barriers."

The video:  http://www.insideedition.com/videos.aspx?videoID=208

The USDA policy on big cats:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/downloads/big_cat/big_cat_q&a.pdf

Tell USDA that you believe this is reckless behavior and should not be allowed by their licensees. 

USDA/APHIS/AC
920 Main Campus Drive Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606-5210
E-mail: aceast@aphis.usda.gov
Phone: (919) 855-7100
Fax: (919) 855-7123

Regarding:
USDA Exhibitor's License 56-C-0116
Bhagavan Antle, T.I.G.E.R.S.
1818 Hwy 17 N #316
Surfside Beach, SC 29575

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be
confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended
only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby
notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of
the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The
recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of
viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused
by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

TOM III to debut before Tigers vs. UCF game

Despite 5,670 letters from animal lovers asking that Tom II not be replaced with a live tiger, the University of Memphis made the unkind decision to use another live tiger as a prop at their games.

This was the link to the letter:  http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=12107786&type=CU

By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, November 18, 2008

U of M notebook

stukenborg@commercialappeal.com

Before the University of Memphis plays host to UCF Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, TOM III will be introduced as the third Bengal Tiger mascot for the athletic program.

TOM III, born Aug. 31, was donated by the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue & Educational Center in Rock Springs, Wis., and arrived in Memphis Oct. 23. Big Cat Rescue founders Jeff Kozlowski and Jenny Meyer contacted the Highland Hundred Tiger Guard upon learning of TOM II's death last month to offer one of three new Tiger cubs following an unexpected pregnancy. TOM II had served as the team mascot since 1991.

Scott Forman, who will be Tiger Guard Chairman for TOM III, said the Memphis group was ''fortunate to find this little guy so quickly.'' The Tiger Guard will assume all costs associated with maintaining TOM III. No U of M funds will be used.

On standby

Tiger junior college transfer running back Greg Ray, slowed earlier in the season by a hamstring injury, will work as the team's No. 3 running back this week behind freshman Brandon Ross and junior Brandon Washington if starter Curtis Steele is unable to play.

Steele, the team's leading rusher and C-USA's No. 2 rusher, injured his hamstring in the UofM's 31-26 victory over SMU Nov. 8 in Dallas and did not participate in practice last week. U of M was idle last weekend.

''I don't want to play Greg Ray, I have no intentions of playing him and ruining a redshirt year,'' Tiger coach Tommy West said. ''But if that's what we have to do, if something crazy happens, that's what we're going to do ... I'm going to do what I've got to do to win this game.''

Ray has been on the scout team since recovering from a hamstring injury that limited him during the preseason. Ray, 5-10 and 205 pounds, transferred to Memphis from El Camino (Calif.) Community College.

Off-and-on-and-off

West said while the team's second open date in three weeks allowed the team's injured players time to heal, he was mixed about having two so close together.

''Open dates are a little bit different at this time of year,'' West said. ''These open dates have been really good for us because of injuries, but they've also been kind of a negative because we were playing good. What I don't want is for this to break our momentum because we've been playing good.''

Memphis enters Saturday's game having won five of seven after an 0-3 start.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/18/tom-iii-to-debut-before-tigers-vs-ucf-game/

More about Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue & Educational Center:

http://reporter.911animalabuse.com/kickapps/service/searchEverything.kickAction?keywords=Kozlowski&includeVideo=on&includeAudio=on&includePhoto=on&includeBlog=on&includeUser=on&includeGroups=on&includeMessages=on&as=23072

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be
confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended
only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above.  You are hereby
notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of
the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The
recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of
viruses. Big Cat Rescue accepts no liability for any damage or loss caused
by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

Owner knew how dangerous cougar that mauled teen could be - Florida

Cougar's Owner Knew How Dangerous the Cat Could Be Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 03:27:56 PM   Chaos, an appropriately named captive cougar, mauled a 16 year old girl after pinning her to the ground over the weekend.  Thankfully, She's expected to make a full recovery.   About a year ago New Times profiled Chaos's owner, Alan Rigerman, who at the time was upset with new regulations regarding private ownership of big cats.   Rigerman was well aware of how dangerous Chaos could be. The cat dives between his legs and begins pawing his ankles; though Chaos was declawed as a cub, he has visibly powerful jabs. "He's a youngster," Rigerman says, trying to steady himself. "He hasn't learned his manners yet." He shuffles away from Chaos, who darts behind him and leaps up on his owner's back, placing both front paws on his shoulders. Rigerman jerks upright, in agony.   "No!" he barks, his voice echoing like an explosion off the walls. "Bad! Bad! Get back!" He bops Chaos on the head; the cat slinks away. "Does he actually know it's bad? I don't know, but he stops."   The moment passes like an eternity. For Rigerman, whose arms bear several bite marks and long scratches, this counts as a pleasant encounter. "Look how good he's being," he says as the cat ecstatically runs his fur through Rigerman's fingers. New Times also met Anthony Zitnick, the man who allegedly let the girl into the cage. Rigerman is currently out of town, and Zitnick has helped Rigerman handle Chaos and his other cat, though though when our Calvin Godfrey dropped by they were at odds on how often the cats should be let out and how they should be handled. Zitnick rolls his eyes as Rigerman explains all of this; the young man seems impatient to get Chaos out. "He's a good guy," Zitnick mutters as Rigerman walks into the next room. "He just talks a lot."   Once in the cage room, Rigerman suggests they take out Chantell. Zitnick rolls his eyes again. "When was the last time you did that?" he asks. According to Rigerman's statement to The Herald Zitnick was not allowed on the property while Rigerman was away, but he did have a key in case of emergencies. Zitnick had invited the girl and her mother to the property with out Rigerman's knowledge. Wildlife officials are investigating.   --Kyle Munzenrieder   http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2008/11/the_owner_of_the_cougar_who_at.php   KEYWORDS: mountain lion   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Interpol anti-poaching probe arrests 57 In Africa - cheetah, leopard, serval skins seized

KENYA: November 18, 2008   NAIROBI - Authorities in five African states have arrested 57 people suspected of illicit trafficking in wildlife products and seized 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of ivory in an operation with Interpol, officials said on Monday.   The investigation, which authorities said was the largest ever in Africa, was carried out over a period of four months in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia and the Republic of Congo.   Killing elephants for their tusks has risen in recent years, despite an international ban. China is the biggest market for illegal ivory.   "It is the first time Interpol has been involved, and it has been an outstandingly successful operation," said Peter Younger, an official with the global police organisation.   Authorities acting undercover at airports, border crossings and other locations seized millions of dollars (euros) of hippopotamus teeth and cheetah, leopard, serval cat and python skins.   In Kenya, 368 kg (810 lb) of ivory was seized and 36 people suspected of trafficking in ivory were arrested, among them three Chinese nationals and local dealers, brokers and poachers.   (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo, Edited by Wangui Kanina and Catherine Bosley)   http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/51106/story.htm ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Too many lions, too little space in India's Gir National Park

In Gir, too many lions, too little space   Sasan Gir, November 16, 2008 First Published: 00:35 IST(16/11/2008) Last Updated: 00:37 IST(16/11/2008)   Earlier this month, two lions were captured in Gondal, 100 km north of India's only refuge for the Asiatic lion.   It's only the latest indication that the lions of Gir National Park are becoming victims of a conservation success.   This decade, lions have preyed on domestic cattle, fallen into village wells, been electrocuted by fences, even seen on Gujarat's beaches.   The last official census in 2005 revealed 359 lions where there were 180 three decades ago in Gir, set up in 1974 as the Indian lion's home.   Only, no one told the lions.   "They don't know where reserve forest limits end and villages begin," noted I. K. Chauhan, deputy conservator of forests. "They go wherever they see thick vegetation."   Gir, spread over a core area of 258.7 square km in Gujarat's Junagadh district, can accommodate upto 300 lions. That's not enough now.   The solution: Expand the core area — no humans allowed here — or move some lions. Expanding the core will displace tribals, and that's politically impossible. As for finding a new home, the Gujarat government refuses to share its lions.   Madhya Pradesh has been trying to lay its hand on a few of Gir's surplus lions for more than a decade, hoping to move them to a forest near Gwalior, to its Kunopalpur forest reserve.   Gujarat didn't actually refuse to move lions: It simply did not.   The MP government has since approached the Supreme Court, but Gujarat refuses.   "Why should we give up our lions?" a senior politician argued, requesting anonymity. Wildlife experts cite another reason. "Lions and tigers can't stay in the same forest," said S.K. Nanda, state environment and forest secretary. "There are tigers at Kunopalpur. We won't sacrifice our lions."   http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=9745ee26-2024-4584-9f3f-20d58e07642d&&Headline=In+Gir%2c+too+many+lions%2c+too+little+space ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

2 more mountain lions killed in N.D. badlands

Nov 17 2008 10:23AM   Bismarck, N.D. (AP) North Dakota's wildlife division chief says deer hunters killed two mountain lions in the badlands over the weekend.   Randy Kreil (KRYL) says that leaves one cat left to fill the quota of eight killed in Zone 1, which includes the badlands. The mountain lion season then will end in that part of the state.   Kreil says he has few details of the weekend cougar killings. He says a game warden in Watford City got a call Saturday from two deer hunters who reported they each shot a cougar.   Kreil says the two mountain lions apparently were traveling together in the badlands.   No mountain lions have been killed yet this season in Zone 2, which covers the rest of the state and has no quota.   http://www.kxmb.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=298582   KEYWORD: cougar ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Singapore Zoo monitors white tigers’ stress levels

Singapore Zoo monitors white tigers’ stress levels

Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, November 18 SINGAPORE: The Singapore Zoo is keeping its white tiger exhibit closed for a few more days to monitor the tigers’ stress levels.

Two white tigers were involved in last Thursday’s incident where a cleaner was mauled to death after he jumped into the enclosure.

During the incident, zookeepers and onlookers threw umbrellas and even used a long pole to distract the tigers.

The zoo says two female tigers, reportedly stressed by the incident, are "doing fine".

The keepers are also going about their daily routine of feeding and cleaning the tigers.

Since the tragedy, the zoo has increased patrols around various exhibits, but says its security measures are effective and will not be changed for now.

The number of visitors to the park increased over the weekend, owing to the start of Singapore’s school holidays.

http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/cna/20081117/tap-446-singapore-zoo-monitors-white-tig-231650b.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger Authority dissatisfied with report on Kanha tiger death

Tiger Authority dissatisfied with report on Kanha tiger death

New Delhi, Nov 17 : The National Tiger Conservation Authority might send its own team for a reinvestigation into the death of a tiger in the Kanha Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh.

They have taken serious note of the fact that the incident was not reported to them by state and local officials.

The authorities, whom deaths of the endangered big cat in various cases of poaching, poisoning and accidents are causing serious worries, could know about the Kanha death only from media and other sources following which they enquired about it from the state authorities.

They are also not satisfied with the explantion of the Kanha officials that the death was caused by poisoning. According to the report received from them, the tiger died after drinking water from a waterhole that had been poisoned by villagers. The investigation by the Kanha authorities thus made it a case of animal-human conflict.

However, sources said the officials here were finding many loose ends in the story as the fish in the waterhole did not die, which puts several question mark on the water poisoning theory.

It was quite possible that the central authorities may go to Kanha to inquire into the killing.

After the Kanha incident, three more tigers died in Dudhwa forest reserve. An inquiry by central authorities has found drowning and vehicle hit as the causes.

A senior official who went to Dudwa told UNI that two bodies of tigers were found in a canal while one was found on the roadside.

A sudden rise in the level of water in the canal was found to be the most plausible reason for their drowning. Their bodies bore on injury marks.

The body found on the roadside also bore no injury mark which means that the animal was hit by a speeding vehicle and sustained some internal injury, the official said.

He said some measures were being taken by Dudhwa authorities like installing speed regulators to prevent such incident in future.

http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-47212.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger census in North Bengal this year

Tiger census in North Bengal this year

17 Nov 2008, 1450 hrs IST, PTI

SILIGURI: Tiger census in North Bengal forests and sanctuaries has been scheduled in phases from November 20, the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life), North, S Patel said on Monday.
The intensive census, however, would exclude Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) as census was conducted there last year, Patel said.

In the first phase from November 20 to 25, the census would take place at Neora Valley national park in Kalimpong while it will be conducted at Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Dooars and other areas in December, he said.

Stating that the training of enumerators in this regard was conducted at Murti under Wildlife-II division, Patel said that it was decided to photograph the big cats in sensitive forest areas.

He said though some cameras were damaged by wild elephants during tiger census in Buxa Tiger Project last year, still the decision to use camera for the coming census was taken considering the fact that number of elephants in the hills, particularly in Kalimpong sub-division, was less.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Tiger_census_in_Bengal/articleshow/3722908.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue/org

Tiger Bites Zoo Employee

Tiger Bites Zoo Employee

Luray, Va.
Posted: 6:13 PM Nov 17, 2008
Last Updated: 7:20 PM Nov 17, 2008
Reporter: Michael Hyland

A 16-year-old girl is recovering at the University of Virginia Medical Center Monday after a tiger bit her. It happened at the Luray Zoo and Reptile Jungle Sunday afternoon.

Maj. Russell Montgomery, Page County Sheriff's Office, says the victim is an employee of the zoo.

The sheriff's office got an emergency call just after 2:00 p.m. Sunday. Montgomery says it was a five-year-old Bengal tiger that bit the employee.

The victim was flown to the UVA Medical Center. Montgomery says she had severe injuries on her left hand and arm. It's unclear what led to the tiger attacking the employee.

Managers at the zoo declined to comment Monday about what's being done with the tiger, but they did say that the employee is doing well.

http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/34610029.html#

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

China farmer avoids jail in fake tiger photo trial

China farmer avoids jail in fake tiger photo trial

Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:29am IST

BEIJING (Reuters) - A farmer in northern China found guilty of doctoring photos of an endangered tiger after collecting a cash reward from wildlife authorities, has been handed a lighter sentence on appeal, local media said on Tuesday.
Zhou Zhenglong, a 54-year-old farmer from a mountainous county in northern Shaanxi province, was awarded a 20,000 yuan bonus last year, after he produced pictures which authorities said were evidence of a South China tiger.

The pictures, which showed a tiger crouching in a forest setting, sparked an Internet furore led by experts who identified the photos as faked, and local media who accused officials of endorsing them as a means of promoting tourism in a poor region.

After months of dithering, authorities finally admitted the pictures were fake and sacked a swag of officials for their part in the scandal.

Zhou, who had been given a 2 and ½ year jail term for fraud and illegally possessing bullets in September, had the sentence suspended at his appeal, Xinhua news agency said, citing the Intermediate People's Court in Ankang, Shaanxi.

The court took note of the defendant's admission of guilt and "obvious regret" and gave Zhou a three-year reprieve, but a 2,000 yuan fine and an order to give back the cash reward were upheld, the Beijing News said in a separate report.

Authorities bore guilt for enabling the fraud through the "cursory release of the news by relevant departments", Xinhua quoted Zhou's lawyers as saying outside the court.

China has been rocked by a number of scandals involving official endorsement of faked photos.

In February, the chief editor of a Chinese newspaper quit after one of its photographers faked a prize-winning photo of endangered Tibetan antelopes appearing unfazed by a passing train on the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-36556720081118

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Florida teen mauled by privately-owned cougar

Teen girl mauled by cougar to fully recover   A 16-year-old girl mauled by a 150-pound cougar in North Miami-Dade is expected to make a full recovery after hours of surgery. By JENNIFER LEBOVICH AND LUISA YANEZ jlebovich@MiamiHerald.com   A 16-year-old South Florida girl mauled by a 150-pound cougar left a local hospital Sunday after more than two hours of surgery to repair a large gash in the back of her neck suffered when the animal clenched its powerful jaws around her head.   "It's really a miracle that she's alive," said a family spokesman Sunday who asked that the girl's name and his not be published. The Miami Herald is honoring their request.   "She comes from a very private family and they just want to move on."   The teen is expected "to make a 100 percent recovery," the spokesman said. Because the male cougar, named Chaos, was declawed, the girl did not suffer scratches to her face or body, but her wound had to be meticulously cleaned by surgeons.   Saturday's attack was witnessed by the girl's mother, who had brought her daughter to work cleaning out cages at a private wild animal sanctuary in a North Miami-Dade home to earn community service hours required to graduate from high school.   The teen is scheduled to meet with wildlife investigators Monday as they try to determine what prompted the cougar to pounce, said Jorge Pino, a spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.   "I can tell you that it was totally unprovoked and out of character for the animal, who apparently went into a rage," the family spokesman said he has been told.   WILDLIFE PERMIT   The cougar lunged at the teen in the yard of the home of Alan Rigerman, a retired Miami-Dade science teacher and school district gadfly who has a captive-wildlife permit that allows him to keep the animals at his home in the 17900 block of Northwest 84th Avenue. Rigerman owns a second cougar, snakes, tortoises and alligators.   The girl and her mother had been brought to the home without permission by Anthony Zitnick, 21, who after the attack was arrested on a charge of burglary of an occupied dwelling. He posted bail on Sunday.   Rigerman told The Miami Herald that Zitnick entered the property with a key he had given him after Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but that Zitnick only helped with the animals while under Rigerman's "supervision."   Zitnick was never alone with the cougar, Rigerman said.   Early reports that Zitnick had brought the girl to the home to impress her were incorrect, the family spokesman said.   "She had never met this man before and that was her first time at the home," the family spokesman said.   Zitnick casually knew the girl's mother and had asked her if any of her children would be interested in the nonpaying job.   "The girl and her mother had no idea Mr. Zitnick did not belong on the premises, which they entered with a key. There was no jumping of any fence," the family spokesman said.   NEIGHBOR'S HELP   As they toured the property, Chaos got agitated, suddenly lurched and pinned the girl, and put its mouth around her head. A neighbor who heard the girl's screams jumped over the fence and helped free her from Chaos' jaws by punching the animal in the face.   At the time of Saturday's attack, Rigerman was out of town at a reptile show in Tampa. He said his sanctuary was last inspected by wildlife officials on Thursday -- and he had passed with flying colors.   http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/774722.html ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Over 80 Iberian lynx born in Spain: officials

Agence France-Presse Page 13 2008-11-16 12:57 AM      A total of 82 Iberian lynx were born in Spain this year, including 21 in captivity, raising hopes for the survival of the world's most endangered big cat species, officials said Friday.   "We now count 200 Iberian lynx on Spanish territory, including these latest births," the director of the Life Lynx conservation project and a leading expert on threatened felines, Miguel Angel Simon, told reporters.   The spotted cats, which can grow to about one meter long and weigh about 13 kg - about the size of a domestic dog - live in scrub forest in southern Portugal and southwestern Spain.   Hunting, road deaths, and most of all a sharp drop due to disease in the number of wild rabbits, the lynx's main prey, has led to dwindling numbers.   There were 100,000 Iberian lynx at the beginning of the 20th century but the species now risks becoming the first large feline to become extinct since pre-historic times, according to the World Wildlife Fund.   Spain has launched an emergency breeding program to prevent them becoming extinct, which initially called for reintroductions into the wild to begin in 2010.   But because of the high number of births in captivity this year, they will now begin in 2009, the environment councillor the government of the southern region of Andalusia, Cinta Castillo, said.   "We have made much progress," she said, adding it would not make sense to keep the animals in captivity.   The Iberian lynx was one of 188 mammals which the International Union for Conservation listed last month as being critically endangered, the highest category of endangerment for an animal still found in the wild.   The last cat species to go extinct was the saber-toothed tiger some 10,000 years ago.   http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=789552   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

capture of 799 suspects

Yunnan destroys its wildlife animal products
http://www.shxb.net/html/20081115/20081115_116963.shtml

(Rough translation)

"Operation Flying Eagle" concluded with the capture of 799 suspects.

From 1st March-31st May 2008, the SFA, Public Security Bureau, Customs and State Commerce Administration coordinated "Operation Flying Eagle" to bust illegal activities associated with forest and wildlife resource nationwide. Yunnan Province extended its Operation until 31st October.

At 9 am yesterday, Yunnan Forestry Public Security Bureau held a press conference. According to the Forestry Public Security Bureau Committee Secretary/Bureau Chief, Mr. Xia Liuchang, the provincial government uncovered 547 cases that are associated with wild animals and plants, arrested 799 suspects, dismantled 38 criminal gangs, and over 4,228 forestry-related cases.

At the end of the conference, the police ushered attendees to an abandoned quarry in Kunming where the products confiscated from "Operation Flying Eagle" were put together and destroyed. Some of the destroyed animal products included 398 skins - some of which were tigers, leopards and bears - and 267 other items that included tiger penises, bear paws, pangolin scales etc., 228.7 kg of snake skins, dried snake, deer tendons etc. The destruction marked the conclusion of "Operation Flying Eagle".

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

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Greens oppose highway thru tiger reserve

Greens oppose highway thru tiger reserve

Ch Ramagopala Sastry
First Published : 16 Nov 2008 09:46:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 16 Nov 2008 12:46:10 PM

ISTONGOLE: Despite drawing a flak from environmental scientists,animal lovers and voluntary organisations, the Government is pushing ahead with highway work in the reserve forests. Many organisations are approaching courts seeking protection of ecology.

Recently, when a voluntary organsation approached the Supreme Court protesting against the construction of a highway through a reserve forest, the latter appointed an expert to study the damage likely to be caused by the highway to endangered animals. Only weeks later, the national Highway Authority of India (NHAI) proposed a national highway through the Tiger Reserve in Nallamala forest.

The proposed highway on a stretch of 330 km will pass through Kalvakurthy, Srisailam, Dornala, Atmakuru and Nandyal from Hyderabad. The Central Government has declared 3,563 sq.km. of the 6,500 sq.km. Nallamala forest as tiger reserve. Of the proposed 330-km highway, a stretch of 200 km falls under the Nallamala forest which is a rare tiger habitat.

According to the latest survey, there are 80 there are 80 tigers in the Nallamala forest tigers in the Nallamala forest.

Movement of vehicles has been banned between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. from Dornala, close to Srisailam, the abode of one of the five Jyothirlingas.

A tiger needs 80 sq.km. of thick forest cover for its survival. But due to human interference, the very existence of tigers has become a question mark. The construction of the road through Nallamala will pose a grave danger to the very existence of all tigers, a senior forest official told this paper.

R&B Engineer-in-Chief K Siva Reddy said the Central Government had given the green for the first phase of works.

The Supreme Court had, in the past, clarified that vehicle movement in the night is justified in the tiger reserve as it ensures that no disturbance is caused to wild animals which move about only in the night time for breeding and in search of food.

In spite of such clear guidelines, going ahead with the road construction would only pose a threat to tigers in their natural habitat, a forest official said.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Greens+oppose+highway+thru+tiger+reserve&artid=guzea4a5f9I=&SectionID=e7uPP4%7CpSiw=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=EH8HilNJ2uYAot5nzqumeA==&SEO=]

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tiger Bites Employee

Tiger Bites Employee

Luray
Posted: 9:47 PM Nov 16, 2008
Last Updated: 9:47 PM Nov 16, 2008
Reporter: Keith Jones
Email Address: kjones@whsv.com

TV-3 has learned that a tiger at the Luray Zoo has seriously injured an employee.

The Page County Sheriff's Office says the worker's finger was amputated as result of a tiger bite. The owner of the zoo did not comment on how it happened. The worker was taken by helicopter for medical treatment.

http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/34560274.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tigers should stay

Tigers should stay

ALMOST all 100 people polled by The New Paper on Sunday found that the white tigers should not be blamed for the zoo cleaner's death and should stay.

Ninety-nine of them said the tigers should not be sent away or 'punished' in any way.

Even the lone voice of dissent did not want the tiger to go. Instead, she suggested that the White Tiger exhibit should be closed - just temporarily.

TNP on Sunday said the majority felt that the big cats were behaving according to their instincts.

Mr Jeff Yeo, an events organiser, told TNP on Sunday: 'It is not the tigers' fault. Animals, being what they are, will retaliate if provoked, or if they feel they are in danger, especially in their territory.'

He added that even if the tigers had escaped from their enclosure - which they had not - the zoo should be held culpable, not the animals.

Mr Kenneth Tan, 30, a writer, said that the tigers should stay as it was the man who had leapt into the tigers' way.

'We might as well shut down MRT stations since people jump onto the tracks there too,' he said.

Others cited the white tigers' beauty and the fact that they are an endangered species as reasons for maintaining the exhibit.

But some felt that the zoo could do more to safeguard its employees and visitors.

Mauled victim did not want to die

Meanwhile, a new video provided to TNP on Sunday by a reader has shown that the cleaner Nordin Montong, 32, fought tool and nail to stay alive.

TNP reader Aziz Ansari, 16, a student, filmed the initial part of the horrific attack with his handphone.

The video clip showed Mr Nordin's desperate fight to save himself, first by trying to get up and back into the moat, then by kicking one of the two tigers.

Mr Nordin's body was flown back to his hometown in Kuching, Sarawak on Saturday afternoon and buried in the Kampung Sambir Muslim cemetery, more than an hour's drive from Kuching.

About a dozen people were at the cargo terminal to receive the body, including Mr Nordin's father, Mr Montong Sahom, 54, his mother, and close relatives.

Later, 80 relatives and friends gathered for the burial, which took place at about 5 pm.

Many among them remained puzzled about what happened.

Mr Nordin's mother, Madam Baduyah Ahmad, 52, who was closest to the victim, the eldest son, said he had called her on Thursday morning, and he sounded fine.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_302977.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

The day after the tiger attack

The day after the tiger attack

November 16, 2008 Sunday, 01:48 AM

ON the surface, it seemed to be business as usual at the Singapore Zoo on Friday - a day after cleaner Nordin Montong was mauled to death in the white tiger exhibit, shocking visitors and Singaporeans.

Tourists armed with maps explored the gardens with their cameras and sunshades, while children let out shrieks of excitement as they bathed in jets of water in the children's play area.

But look deeper, and it is another story.

On the visitor's tram, we drive past the white tiger enclosure and people start to whisper.

'This is where that Nordin guy got eaten by a tiger,' one said.

'Yes, that is why it's shut today. It is all over the news,' said another, as he craned his neck in an attempt to look into the enclosure.

In front of the enclosure, others are taking photos of the sign that read 'exhibit closed', and keepers speak to each other in hushed voices.

I ask them if they knew the 32-year-old Mr Nordin.

'We can't say anything, you better talk to the management,' they reply.

Behind the scenes, a team hurries to deal with what has happened.

Already, the management has met the victim's family. We were told that some form of compensation was offered.

And to prevent a recurrence, a slew of new safety measures would be rolled out in coming months. Think alarm buttons, more patrols and CCTV cameras.

But in the same breath, zoo officials reiterate that current measures are sufficient.

At the white tiger enclosure, for one, thick wooden railings and a plant bed overhang minimise the chances of a visitor falling into trouble.

What happened on Thursday, said zoo officials, was extraordinary.

'We cannot account for someone who intentionally scales the railing,' said official Ms Isabel Cheng with a sigh. 'We can do what we can for careless visitors, but it would be difficult for us to be 100 per cent secure for someone who wants to break into the exhibit.'

She brings up the analogy of a person with the intention of jumping off a block of flats.

'You can't stop them in that kind of situation can you? If the person wants to do it, they will find a way to,' she said.

Read also: Tigers should stay

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2008/11/15/the-day-after-the-tiger-attack

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Rare Sumatran tigers make their Perth debut

Rare Sumatran tigers make their Perth debut

17th November 2008, 10:45 WST

Three Sumatran tiger cubs bounded playfully around their Perth Zoo enclosure this morning unaware of their importance in international efforts to save their species from extinction.

The 13-week-old cubs made their first public appearance today but spent most of the time hiding behind bamboo clusters and rocky outcrops, not sure what to make of the extra attention.

GALLERY: The Sumatran tiger cubs

Perth Zoo keeper Emma Gatehouse said with just 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, the cubs were a vital part of an international breeding program designed to help save their species.

After 18 months with their mum, Setia, the two males and one female will be moved to zoos in Australia or overseas.

“This is amazing for us, the bigger picture is that we are keeping genetics really strong in the captive population and educating the public about this critically endangered species,” she said.

“Their names are all Indonesian names – the female is Melati, which means ‘jasmine’, Setia’s favourite flower. They bravest boy, Jaya, means ‘victorious’ and the quieter of the two males is Satri, which means ‘valiant hero’.”

Their father, Hari, was transferred from Cairns to Perth in 2007 to breed with Setia.

“We then started introductions with Setia and luckily for us it went quite smoothly, they actually quite liked each other,” Ms Gatehouse said.

After 91 days gestation, the cubs were born weighing a precious 500g each. They have since beefed up to about 9kg and developed strong personalities.

“Jaya is the bravest, he almost prances around, he acts big and tough and strong…the little girl is quite shy, just like her mother, and will generally follow when her big brothers are around, otherwise she tends to keep to herself,” Ms Gatehouse said.

She said the cubs were shy, but with a bit of patience and a watchful eye the public might get to see them.

Environment Minister Donna Faragher said Australasian and European breeding programs were part of global efforts to provide a back-up population to support the survival and recovery of wild tigers in the future.

“Eight years ago, Perth Zoo had its first breeding success with this species with a litter of three cubs. One of those cubs, Setia, is now the mother of these cubs. We hope that in the future these cubs, like their mother, will play an important role in the international breeding program,” she said.

“They are very important genetically to the breeding efforts with a relatively small worldwide captive population of 250 Sumatran Tigers.

“The cubs will also be important ambassadors for their species, highlighting the threats Sumatran Tigers face in the wild, in particular habitat loss and poaching, and raising awareness about what people can do to help save tigers and their habitat.”

Members of the public can support tiger conservation by donating to Perth Zoo’s fundraising program, Wildlife Conservation Action, which supports the conservation of Sumatran Tigers and other threatened species in the wild.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=108480

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Last ditch battle to save tiger cub

Last ditch battle to save tiger cub

17 Nov 2008, 0422 hrs IST, Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN

NAGPUR: Vets treating the critically ill tiger cub at Maharajbagh Zoo are trying some cutting edge treatments in order to save its life. On Sunday, 500 ml of tiger blood was air-lifted from Borivali National Park, Mumbai, in a last ditch effort. Some 200 ml of this blood was administered to the female cub.

According to vets treating the two tiger cubs, which were brought to the zoo after being captured in Mendki village of Brahmapuri Forest Division in Chandrapur, this is perhaps for the first time that a tiger has been given a blood transfusion.

The situation arose after it was found that haemoglobin level in the cub had gone down to 4.2 gms/l. Normally, it should be between 8 and 12 gms. An alarmed Dr S S Bawaskar, zoo incharge, called up principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), B Majumdar, at 1 pm on Sunday.

Majumdar immediately contacted Borivali National Park where there are white tigers. He asked the director of the park, P N Munde, to arrange for 350 ml tiger blood. They responded promptly and Dr Vinaya Jangle, park veterinarian, was on the evening flight to the city with the blood. She reached Maharajbagh Zoo later in the evening. Majumdar told TOI, “It is really commendable that Dr Jangle completed all the formalities within two hours and was ready with the blood.”

When asked whether it was for the first time that such blood transfusion is taking place in tiger, Majumdar said, “Taking blood for various tests is routine, but I think for transfusion, it may be for the first time.” Dr Jangle said a white male and a female tiger were anaesthesised and 250 ml of blood was drawn from them each. “It took me 45 minutes to complete the procedure. I’ve not heard about a tiger being given a blood transfusion,” he added.

In Nagpur, the vets found the blood of male tiger Bajirao was a closer fit with the cub’s. They first gave 125 ml of it. When nothing negative happened, they gave another 75 ml. Dr Shirish Upadhye, veterinary surgeon and deputy director (research), Nagpur Veterinary College (NVC), says, “I’ve checked up and there is no record to suggest that any tiger from the wild has ever been given blood.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/Last_ditch_battle_to_save_tiger_cub/articleshow/3720989.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

See them soon on national park safari

See them soon on national park safari

Nitya Kaushik Posted: Nov 12, 2008 at 0317 hrs

Mumbai, November 11 Two newly born royal Bengal tigers, currently being raised with utmost care in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), will soon become the star attraction of the park’s tiger safari rides. One-and-half months from now, the park officials plan to let out the cubs in the secondary cage along with their mother, 9-year-old Basanti, for the viewing pleasure of visitors.
Bengal tigers are highly endangered animals, with an estimated population of between 1,300 and 1,500 in wild in India. However, conservationists say, captive births are inconsequential as it is almost impossible to rehabilitate the big cats.

The two fluffy, new flaming orange cubs — a male and a female — were born on October 7, to Basanti and Palash (both 9). The cubs have not been weighed, named or handled by humans yet, and currently occupy a makeshift den created in one of the tiger cages. They spend most of their time feeding and huddling with their mother, the tiger safari handlers said.

According to SGNP wildlife vet, Dr Vinaya Jangale, infection and deaths are very high among tiger cubs, whether in wild or in captivity. “However, the first month after its birth is usually the most tenuous, and now there is a high chance that both the cubs will survive,” she said.

Among the first threats to the cubs, she stated, was climactic changes. “Their resistance to the weather is very weak. For an entire month, we monitored their den by providing a heater at night and cooler in the day. Since their eyes were closed for the first few days, we had to ensure that light doesn’t filter into their cages. A slight glare can affect their vision,” she explained.

Instructions were also given to handlers to not touch the cubs, for the fear of being rejected by their mother. “The olfactory senses or tigers are very sharp. The mother may refuse to feed or attend to the babies if she gets a human scent from them,” she explained.

As the cubs’ sole diet is their mother’s milk, handlers are now supplementing Basanti’s meals with vitamins, Jangale said. “She gets two live chickens to eat every day aside from her regular beef diet. Also we supplement her intake with extra doses of calcium and vitamins added to her water.”

In the wild, cubs remain attached to their mother for nearly two-and-a-half months so that they can fully cultivate their skills to prey, but according to Jangale, captive tigers could be separated in just one-and-a-half months. When the two SGNP cubs complete three months, they will be administered their first vaccine shots she added.

With the birth of the two new cubs the park has a total of 10 tigers, and just two lions. Now, officials have plans to exchange two other tigers for a pair of Asiatic lions from Gir. “Provided that cubs survive their early days, we will try to exchange an older tiger couple for lions. We are in correspondence with Gir as well as some other zoos for it,” Jangale said.

However, Kishore Rithe, a wildlife conservationist working at the Melghat Tiger Reserve, dismissed the news of the tiger births in SGNP stating that birth of the big cats in captivity doesn’t help in reversing the dwindling tiger population of the country.

“While certain animals like the vultures can be bred in captivity and then re-introduced to the wild, tigers can’t be rehabilitated. As far as conservation of the species is concerned, captive tigers have no future. In fact, when we count the tiger population in India, we don’t even include captive tigers in it.”

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/see-them-soon-on-national-park-safari/384644/

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Satkosia, now a tiger reserve

Satkosia, now a tiger reserve

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 14 Nov 2008 06:53:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 14 Nov 2008 11:40:53 AM

ISTBHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Environment and Forests today announced the takeover of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary under Project Tiger Programme. Along with seven other protected forest areas, Satkosia has been brought into the fold of Project Tiger as was decided earlier.

As per the Ministry’s decision, the new tiger reserve would be located over a notified area of 988.3 sq km. Of the eight which were formally taken over, Udanti and Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh boast of 1,580 sq km area, the highest, while Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai is the smallest with an area of 321 sq km. The Ministry has sanctioned Rs 32 crore for the newly created eight tiger reserves.

While the conventional pugmark method of enumerating tigers had put the big cat number in Satkosia at 15, the new camera trap technique has pegged their number at barely six in the wildlife sanctuary.

After Similipal, this is the second tiger reserve in Orissa.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Satkosia,+now+a+tiger+reserve&artid=/ikxRiApth8=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw=&SEO=
http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Farmer to stand trial again over faking tiger photos

Farmer to stand trial again over faking tiger photos

www.chinaview.cn 2008-11-13 18:39:12

XI'AN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The farmer who faked photographs of an endangered tiger species in the wild will have his fraud conviction re-examined by a higher court next Monday.

Ankang Municipal Intermediate People's Court, in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, announced on Thursday that the court hearing will start at 8:30 a.m., in response to the farmer's appeal against the first ruling handed down in September.

Zhou Zhenglong, 54, faked the pictures of a South China tiger in order to win an alleged 100,000yuan (14,642 U.S. dollars) in prize money. The tiger is a subspecies that has not been seen in the wild in China for years, and is believed to be extinct outside zoos.

The provincial forestry department announced the news to the public on Oct.12 and gave him a 20,000-yuan reward.

Zhou was jailed for two and a half years after his conviction at Xunyang County People's Court on Sept. 27.

According to former court documents, Zhou shot 62 photos of a poster of a tiger, which he disguised in foliage on Oct. 3, 2007.

Zhou's defense lawyers claimed Zhou was not solely responsible for the bad publicity generated by the case, saying the "cursory release of the news by relevant departments" helped promulgate the fraud.

A total of 13 government staff in Shaanxi were sacked or reprimanded as a result of the case.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/13/content_10353890.htm

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

A window on the world of the tiger at Chester Zoo

A window on the world of the tiger at Chester Zoo

Published Date: 14 November 2008
By Staff reporter

VISITORS to Chester Zoo will soon be able to look a new addition to the big cat enclosure straight in the eye.

Two-year-old Sumatran tiger Kirana, whose Idonesian name means "beautiful ray of light", has just moved to the 110-acre zoo from Paignton, Devon, and thanks to a new seven-foot window built in the side of the enclosure visitors will be able to see Kirana and male tiger Kepala out on the prowl and watch them enjoying a cat nap inside their den.

Tim Rowlands, the zoo's assistant curator of mammals, said: "We already have a tiger window which enables visitors to watch the tigers safely but without the need for any fencing.

"This extra window, this time built on to the side of their indoor den, gives visitors a glimpse into what the tigers get up to when they are warm and comfortable inside. It doesn't faze the tigers in the slightest and it's the visitors who are more intrigued.

"Kirana is settling in well; she is quite a feisty tiger who likes to climb and is very active. We are sure our visitors will be as equally charmed with her as we are."

http://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/chesternews/A-window-on-the-world.4691007.jp

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Eight more forest areas to come under Project Tiger

Eight more forest areas to come under Project Tiger

New Delhi (PTI): The endangered tigers are all set to have new home in the country with the government approving the takeover of eight new forest areas under the flagship conservation programme Project Tiger.

"An allocation of Rs 32 crores has been estimated for tiger conservation in the new tiger reserves during the XIth five-year plan period," a statement from the environment ministry said.

Udanti and Sita Nadi wildlife sanctuary to be spread over 1580 sq km area will be the largest among the new reserves. Anamalai-Parambikulam wildlife sanctuaries covers an area of 1410 sq km area spread over Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Satkosia wildlife sanctuary, spread over 988.30 sq km in Orissa, Kaziranga national park (916.67 sq km) in Assam, Achanakmar wildlife sanctuary (963.27 sq km) in Chattisgarh, Dandeli Wildlife sanctuary and Anshi national park (831.25 sq km) in Karnataka, Sanjay National Park and Sanjay Dubri wildlife sanctuary (831.25 sq km) in Madhya Pradesh and in Mudummalai wildlife sanctuary (321 sq km) in Tamil Nadu are the other reserves.

Last year, the government had approval the setting up of four tiger reserves-- Sunabeda Tiger Reserve in Orissa, Shahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200811132080.htm

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Combing operation for man-eating tiger in UP

Combing operation for man-eating tiger in UP

14 Nov 2008, 1941 hrs IST, IANS

LUCKNOW: A man-eating tiger has strayed into a village in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, following which the state forest department has launched an intensive combing operation, officials said on Friday.
"We are making all-out efforts to trap the tiger, which is hiding in sugarcane fields in Bilsanda village in Pilibhit," divisional forest officer (DFO) Pramod Kumar said by phone.

He said elephants have also been deployed to drive the tiger away from the village in Pilibhit, over 250 km from here.

Even as a youth was reported killed by the tiger Nov 10, forest officials confirmed the death Thursday evening after recovering the body in the fields.

According to forest officials, the tiger has come from Pilibhit's Dewaiya forest range, where one tiger was reported as per the tiger census in 2007.

"But, now it seems there are more tigers in the reserve. Probably, some tigers have migrated here from the nearby forest reserves," said Kumar.

Pilibhit's Mala forest range is home to about ten tigers.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Flora__Fauna/Combing_operation_for_man-eating_tiger_in_UP/articleshow/3714455.cms

http://www.bigcatrescue.org/

Tiger dies at Akron Zoo

Tiger dies at Akron Zoo

By Beacon Journal staff

POSTED: 11:20 a.m. EST, Nov 14, 2008

One of the Akron Zoo's Sumatran tigers, Aneh, died Wednesday.

She was euthanized at the zoo because of a marked worsening of her severe chronic renal disease, zoo officials said.

Aneh was born on March 26, 1991, at the San Diego Zoo and came to Akron from the San Francisco Zoo on July 11, 1998. She gave birth to two cubs at the Akron Zoo on Jan. 8, 2001; both now live at other accredited zoos in the country, as does the male tiger that sired them.

Two male tigers, Binjai and Rojo, remain on exhibit at the Akron Zoo.

There are about 55 Sumatran tigers in U.S. zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the five remaining species of tigers. They are an endangered species, with only about 400 to 500 believed to live in the wild. The subspecies is found exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/34462989.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Singapore Zoo assures visitors that white tiger exhibit is safe

Singapore Zoo assures visitors that white tiger exhibit is safe

By S. Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 14 November 2008 1615 hrs

SINGAPORE: A day after a cleaner was mauled to death at the Singapore Zoo's white tiger enclosure, officials assured the public that the exhibit is "very safe".

It held a news conference on Friday to clear any doubts even as it opened its latest S$12 million attraction called the Rainforest Kidzworld.

Visitors streamed in to view the attraction, which opened in time for the school holidays.

Executive director and CEO of Temasek Holdings, Ms Ho Ching, who launched the new attraction, said: "The zoo has deepened its own knowledge and expertise through the years.

"I have full respect for the team at the WildLife Reserves for their hard work, passion and constant care. It is amazing how their dedication and imagination have created a natural and safe wildlife habitat only half an hour away from the city lights."

Meanwhile, the chairperson of Wildlife Reserves - which owns the zoo - took the opportunity to speak about Thursday's incident at the white tiger enclosure.

Claire Chiang, non-executive chairman, Wildlife Reserves, said: "Let me take a few minutes to address the unfortunate incident at the white tiger exhibit yesterday. Our sympathies and condolences go to Mr Nordin Bin Montong's family.

"I would like to reassure all visitors that the white tiger exhibit is very safe and is as safe as any part of the zoo. The safety measures we have implemented exceed the standards recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

"AZA is the internationally recognised organisation that accredits only institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science."

Visitors, too, seemed to agree that the white tiger exhibit does not pose any danger.

Aaron Tan, a visitor, said: "The enclosure is actually quite safe as long as you don't go... into the enclosure itself. So I can still bring my kid here."

At a news conference later, zoo officials addressed other concerns raised, including the five-minute response time it took the sharpshooters to reach the scene.

Biswajit Guha, assistant director, Singapore Zoo, said: "The five-minute situation is essentially sufficient to go to a hotspot in the case of an animal escape. This was an extraordinary situation whereby someone had actually jumped in.

"Even if it had been a fall and the person was trying very hard to avoid the tigers and had gone to the deep end, we are quite confident he would have been able to move in, in time."

He added that firing tranquilisers would not have saved the cleaner as it could have further provoked the animals.

He added: "Tranquilisers don't work instantaneously. So it will take about five minutes before having an impact on the animal. And to have such a sharp impact coming into contact with an animal, it could provoke the animal more and there might be a more drastic reaction."

Meanwhile, the Singapore Zoo said it will not be stationing armed officers at the enclosures which are deemed dangerous. But it will definitely be increasing its patrols by the zoo's keepers and operational staff.

Staff who witnessed the incident or need counselling will also be taken care of.

The zoo hopes to re-open the white tiger attraction within the next few days. - CNA/vm

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/389832/1/.html

http://www.bigcatrescue.org

12 lions escape from enclosure in South African park

Two lions still at large in park   13 Nov 2008 Melissa Douman   The stormy weather on Wednesday night also damaged the fence of a lion enclosure at the Lion Park in Camperdown, resulting in 12 lions escaping into the night.   Ten lions have been recaptured and are being kept in cages, while two others are still roving about the reserve.   Brian Boswell, owner of the Lion Park, said he was first notified of the wandering lions at 6 am yesterday.   "Two lions were found at the front gate [of the park] and this was when we first became aware that the others might have escaped," he said.   A search party of about 20 Lion Park staff members, a helicopter pilot and a district official from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) conservation authority searched for the remaining 10 lions throughout the morning.   The police and the EKZNW officials were notified, but were asked not to alert the public of the potential danger lurking in the tall grass.   Boswell said that the park did not want to involve the public for two reasons: "We did not want to be sent on wild goose chases looking for the lions … [incidentally] we received a call saying that two lions were spotted strolling down the road in Camperdown and this information was false." They also did not wish to cause public panic.   A few hours later, eight other lions were found and lured back to holding cages in the park. They will remain there until the fence of their enclosure is re-erected. "We put meat on the trucks and they happily followed the trucks to a point where we could safely lock them away," said Boswell.   The two lionesses at large were spotted by helicopter lying under a tree in fields about half a kilometre from from the reception area.   "We are hoping that they will walk back to the enclosure," said Boswell, adding that they could not dart the lionesses because they are positioned close to thorny fields. If they are darted, the lions would be at risk of running into these fields, making it nearly impossible for the rangers to find them.   "We will have people stationed in the park to keep an eye on them the whole night if they do not come back before then," he said.   Police spokesman Senior Superintendant Henry Budhram said he is glad the lions were captured without anyone being hurt.   Boswell assured The Witness that the situation is under control.   "Though it is under control, you sweat a lot and obviously have to practise a lot of responsibility. But nobody has been injured and no animals [including the lions] have been harmed or hurt," he said.   The Witness was not allowed to enter the park for safety reasons.   http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global%5B_id%5D=16091   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Tigers paint as enrichment at N.C. zoo

Zoo animals are wild about painting   Thursday, November 13 (updated 4:56 pm) By Christina Cooke Special to Go Triad   GREENSBORO - Not all painters are motivated by the promise of raw meat. But for Kisa, the female tiger at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, it's inspiration enough for a masterpiece.   On a recent Friday afternoon, the 300-pound cat padded through the bright orange tempura squirted across the floor of her concrete-block house. Then, as she approached the chain-link fence to accept a food reward from a stick, she placed a paint-soaked paw on the canvas at her feet.   "Good giiiiirl, Kisa," said zookeepers Amanda Schuch and Jenny Dvorak, reloading the feeding stick and rotating the canvas to put a different edge in the cat's path.   Kisa chewed, rumbling from deep within.   Schuch said the big cat always enjoys painting, regardless of how good the canvas looks when she's through.   "She always enjoys it because she gets human interaction, she gets food, and she gets to feel the texture of the paint, which is cool to the touch," Schuch said after releasing Kisa back into the exhibit. "She didn't want to leave, that's how much she enjoyed it."   The science center staff started painting with several of their zoo animals this summer using nontoxic paint that is harmless if it's ingested. The project is part of a comprehensive enrichment program designed to keep the animals moving, thinking and interacting with their keepers.   Not all the animals have gotten into it, the keepers said. During their first painting sessions, the meerkats ran in circles around the canvases, the howler monkeys seemed suspicious of their materials, and the lemurs just weren't that interested.   The tigers, coatimundis and anteater, however, are prolific artists and often fill entire canvases with foot, face and tongue marks.   So far, the science center has sold three paintings - including a tiger piece for $550 in an online auction - and put all proceeds back into the enrichment program. The staff eventually hopes to amass a body of work large enough to start selling paintings in the science center's Thesaurus Shoppe.   Science center Executive Director Glenn Dobrogosz said he sees the activity as valuable for every party involved.   "The whole process is good for the keepers, it's good for the animals, and the visitors seem to like it," Dobrogosz said. "I have seen fabulous products coming out of this. You never know what to expect."   WHY ENRICH?   In the wild, animals stay busy with exploring, foraging, hunting and protecting what's theirs. In captivity, however, they have limited space, regular meals, medical attention and no predators. In other words, a lot less stimulation and a lot more spare time.   Zookeepers at the Natural Science Center provide each of their animals with one to three enrichments a day to prevent them from falling into unhappy zoo animal behaviors, like pacing or overgrooming.   "We stimulate change in their environment and always keep them busy and active, always keep them thinking," Dvorak said. "We don't ever want to just go and hand a perfectly cut up piece of fruit right to them. We want to make them work for it to give them something to do."   Keepers might hide the meerkats' food under bits of straw so the animals have to forage for it or give the lemurs strawberries frozen inside chunks of ice. They might leave a scented tarp in the anteater's enclosure or place sheep shearings, oversized balls or fun-to-destroy traffic barrels in the tiger exhibit.   Zoo curator Peggy Ferebee said it's interesting to see animals' intelligence levels demonstrated as they tackle the various activities.   Gibbons can take apart puzzles and unscrew lids from jars quite easily, she said. "The lemurs, bless their hearts, are not quite in that high IQ level. They're lucky if they can figure out how to unwrap a folded-over paper bag."   The first step in painting with Bear, the male coatimundi, is getting rid of your keys, explained zookeeper Kristin Dayvault outside the animal's enclosure.   Hearing the rattling "turns him into Cujo, basically," she said. "Something clicks in their brains, and they just run right at you."   Once inside the coatimundi exhibit, Dayvault laid two sheets of paper on the grass. She filled one with squirts of red, blue, green and yellow paint and left the other blank. Then, using pieces of egg as an incentive, she led the raccoon-like creature back and forth between the palette and the easel.   "He'll do anything for a hardboiled egg," she said.   Bear followed Dayvault enthusiastically for about five minutes before he tired of the activity and started tackling the bottles of paint in the grass nearby. A streak of red ran the length of his tail. His thighs were green.   Dayvault said Bear is one of her favorite animals in the zoo, and she works with him every day.   "Any time we interact together, and it's positive for him, it strengthens our bond," she said. Painting with the zoo animals increases their comfort level with humans, which in turn improves the keepers' ability to provide care, Ferebee said.   "The more comfortable we make the animals, the more pleasant their overall environment is going to be," she said. "When you walk in to clean, you're not frightening, you're part of their daily routine, and that makes it much easier for everyone."   The Natural Science Center is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and enrichment is central to standards it requires for accreditation.   In addition to renovating its zoo area and acquiring a new collection of animals over the last four years, the Science Center has integrated animal enrichment into the daily routines of its zookeepers, Dobrogosz said.   Dvorak and her coworkers spend up to an hour and a half each day enriching the animals, and they give presentations to the public three times a day in the zoo area.   "When I truly believe an animal in my care is relaxed and content in its exhibit, that's absolutely the best part of being a zookeeper," Dvorak said.   ANIMALS AT WORK   The first step in painting with Bear, the male coatimundi, is getting rid of your keys, explained Zookeeper Kristin Dayvault outside the animal's enclosure.   Hearing the rattling "turns him into Cujo, basically," she said. "Something clicks in their brains, and they just run right at you."   Once inside the coatimundi exhibit, Dayvault laid two sheets of paper on the grass. She filled one with squirts of red, blue, green and yellow paint and left the other blank. Then, using pieces of egg as incentive, she led the raccoon-like creature back and forth between the palette and the easel.   "He'll do anything for a hardboiled egg," she said.   Bear followed Dayvault enthusiastically for about five minutes before he tired of the activity and started tackling the bottles of paint lying in the grass nearby. A streak of red ran the length of his tail. His thighs were green.   Dayvault said Bear is one of her favorite animals in the zoo, and she works with him every day.   "Any time we interact together, and it's positive for him, it strengthens our bond," she said. Painting with the zoo animals increases their comfort level with humans, which in turn improves the keepers' ability to provide care, Ferebee said.   "The more comfortable we make the animals, the more pleasant their overall environment is going to be," she said. "When you walk in to clean, you're not frightening, you're part of their daily routine, and that makes it much easier for everyone."   In addition, if an animal is accustomed to cooperating, keepers are less likely to have to use narcotics or nets to carry out medical procedures, she said.   The keepers say painting with the animals is a constant exercise in trial and error. The first time they tried painting with Kisa, Dvorak recalls, she and Schuch used a piece of  posterboard they found in the museum's supply closet.   "We got a couple of cool prints, but she basically just shredded the paper," Dvorak said.   Since then, the keepers have improved their techniques with all the animals, and they plan to continue fine-tuning - though they avoid painting with animals more than once a month to prevent them from growing bored with the activity.   Dobrogosz said the Natural Science Center is fortunate to be able to offer its animals such a thorough enrichment program.   "In these tough economic times, you sometimes have to buckle down and get just the basic work done," Dobrogosz said. "But in my opinion, enrichment is the basic work. The animals are owed it."   Christina Cooke is a freelance contributor. Contact her at xtinacooke@yahoo.com.   http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/11/13/article/animals_put_noses_to_the_canvass ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

U.K. nature center gets two ocelots

Rare cats ready for stardom at Birmingham Nature Centre   Nov 14 2008 by Poppy Brady, Birmingham Mail   ARE they cats or are they leopards?  In fact theyre two ocelots who have just become the latest addition to Birmingham Nature Centre after moving from Port Lympne Zoo in Kent. The exotic looking pair are guaranteed to be crowd pullers once they settle in at the Pershore Road centre.   The cats, also known as Painted Leopards, are part of an international breeding programme.   Animal charity fund raiser Beryl Romano, who runs Harborne-based A1 Petline, has funded the new arrivals.   She said: They are visually stunning creatures who have been an endangered species for quite some time because many were slaughtered over the years for their beautiful fur. At least this pair will be safe at the centre and hopefully prove to be star attractions.   Their new enclosure consists of a large climbing frame, plants and heated outdoor areas, as well an indoor quarters.   The ocelots will be joining some 130 different species of animal currently resident at the centre, which plans an important role in captive breeding schemes.   Coun Ray Hassall, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: Birmingham Nature Centre plays an important conservation role for the city as well as being a wonderful place for families.   The ocelots will be a very welcome addition to the varied range of animals in their care. Admission to the centre is s2 for adults and free for children under 16. During the winter season, from November to April, the centre is open weekends only, 10am to 3pm.   http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2008/11/14/rare-cats-ready-for-stardom-at-birmingham-nature-centre-97319-22253614/ ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Malaysian logging plans threaten rhinos and tigers

13 Nov 2008 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Habitats of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros and the endangered Malayan tiger are under threat from a plan to clear nearly 19,000 hectares of forest in north-eastern Malaysia.   A Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) has revealed that the Terengganu state government has proposed to extract all commercially valuable timber in 12,630ha of forest, adjacent to the 6,130ha of forest reserve currently being cleared for the construction of two hydropower dams.   The Tembat and Petuang Forest Reserves also act as a water catchment area for Tasik Kenyir, the largest man-made lake in South-east Asia. They are currently being logged to build the Puah and Tembat dams and are home to the Sumatran rhinoceros and Malayan tiger. The forest reserves also fall within the dam catchment area.   In addition the DEIA, which was available for public viewing recently, states that 30 per cent of the existing elephant population within the project area will be forced into nearby plantations, creating more human-elephant conflict.   "Evidence on the ground also suggests that logging and clearing of the reservoir area has already proceeded prior to the approval of the DEIA," said Dato' Dr. Dionysius Sharma, CEO of WWF-Malaysia. "There seems to be little regard for relevant laws and the DEIA process."   A survey conducted as part of the DEIA has revealed evidence of the presence of the elusive Sumatran rhinoceros within the Tembat Forest Reserve, and as recently as August 2008 a survey by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks' Sumatran Rhinoceros Task Force revealed evidence such as feeding trails and horn scratch marks.   Both forest reserves are also habitats for other endangered wildlife like the Malayan tiger and Malayan tapir, which are totally protected under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972. Dato' Dionysius also expressed his concerns over the anticipated high erosion rate due to the logging activity and forest clearing in the area, leading to deterioration in river water quality. "The Kelah fish population found in rivers there will undeniably decrease," he said. Kelah has high conservation and commercial values.   The DEIA report also states that the deterioration in river water quality in Sungai Tembat and Sungai Terengganu Mati will affect eco-tourism and that high soil erosion and sedimentation will affect fish biodiversity and spawning grounds.   Dato' Dionysius further stated that logging in a dam catchment forest will increase siltation and could reduce the dam lifetime in the long run, even if logging was only carried out during the construction stage of the dam. "This is because forests take many years to regenerate and fully resume their ecosystem function as water catchment and for soil protection," he said.   http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=150341   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Chinese wildlife consumption on the rise

Download Read the full report: "The State of Wildlife Trade in China in 2007"   11 Nov 2008   Beijing, China: The consumption of threatened species is on the rise in China again following a brief hiatus owing to fears surrounding the SARS virus in 2003.   A survey of five southern Chinese cities by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, found that 13 of 25 markets and 20 of 50 restaurants had wild animals for sale. A total of 56 species were found and, of these, eight are protected under Chinese law and 17 are protected under CITES, which prohibits or strictly controls international trade.   The majority of illegal wild animal trade was in freshwater turtles and snakes. In China, freshwater turtles and snakes are sold mostly for their meat and for medicinal purposes. The findings are included in the TRAFFIC report entitled The State of Wildlife Trade in China in 2007, published today. Also found by the report is the fact that Chinese traditional medicine trade is growing rapidly and that China is the world's second largest wood importer.   "The report examines the impact China's consumption is having on biodiversity and what emerging trends there are in wildlife trade," said Professor Xu Hongfa, co-ordinator of TRAFFIC's China Programme.   The report notes that that while Russia is currently the top supplier of wood to China, Africa increasingly accounts for a growing percentage which is stimulating illegal timber trade in Africa.   "Chinese companies buying African timber must ensure the benefits of the timber trade are equitably shared, right down to the African rural communities on whose land the trees are growing," said Professor Xu.   Chinese traditional medicine trade has grown at an annual rate of 10 per cent since 2003. Most exports ($687 million-worth) go to Asia, but Europe ($162 million) and North America ($144 million) are increasingly important markets.   Over-harvesting and poor management of resources are looming threats, and currently there are no standards to ensure the sustainable collection of wild medicinal plants.   "The trends seen in this report that show increasing demand in wildlife products and diminishing supply should be a wake-up call for law enforcement, policy makers and consumers," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International's Species Programme.   "We call upon Chinese authorities to enhance enforcement and public education efforts, to stop illegal trade and reduce consumption of threatened species from around the world." One bright spot for China is the fact that the illegal ivory trade is declining. The report found that the situation has improved since a year earlier, with surveys showing a substantial reduction in the number of outlets selling ivory illegally.   "The reduction in the illegal ivory trade is very welcome, but we urge the authorities to remain vigilant, particularly to ensure there is no laundering of illegal ivory," said Professor Xu.   The report is the second in an annual series on emerging trends in China's wildlife trade, and provides up-to-date reviews of work being carried out to prevent illegal and support sustainable trade in China.   Other issues examined in the report include the illegal trade in musk, the link between the sea cucumber trade to Taiwan with marine biodiversity in the Galapagos, and links between Russian salmon fisheries and Chinese markets   http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/index.cfm?uNewsID=149941 Keywords:  tiger, snow leopard   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

North Dakota: 2 mountain lions killed in McKenzie County

Nov 13 2008 5:16PM Associated Press   Bismarck, N.D. (AP) The state Game and Fish Department says two more mountain lions have been killed in McKenzie County, leaving three left before the season in that area ends.   The animals were killed over the weekend in Zone 1, an area of the North Dakota badlands south of Williston. It includes Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie and Slope counties. The quota there is eight mountain lions during a season.   The rest of the state, in Zone 2, has no quota.   The Game and Fish Department says a female mountain lion about 2 years old was shot Saturday by Kevin Wanner of Belfield along the Little Missouri River south of Watford City. He and his wife were bow hunting, but he used a pistol to shoot the cougar.   Fecske said the other mountain lion killed was a male about 2 years old. It was shot Monday by Stacy Lehfeldt of Mandan, a Marine on leave who was hunting deer near the river east of Watford City.   http://www.kxmd.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=297271   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

UK Urges China to Close Tiger Farms

New EDM 2495 - Wild Tigers

Wed, 12 November 08 | House of Commons - Early Day Motion

 

Summary
EDM 2495 was first put down on 12th November 2008 by Elliot Morley

That this House notes with grave concern the illegal trade in Asian big cat parts and derivatives and the diminishing population of big cats; further notes that tiger farming in China represents a significant threat to the remaining wild populations by stimulating demand; welcomes the measures taken by the Indian government in recognising the importance of intelligence-led law enforcement in tackling wildlife crime through the foundation of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau; calls for the Government to convey its gravest concerns to the Chinese government about its role as the major consumer of tiger parts and to urge China to complement efforts in India by closing its tiger farms and consolidating and destroying all stockpiles of tiger parts and to maintain and enforce its 1993 State Council Order banning the use of tiger products; recognises the negative impact of industrial encroachment on tiger forests; and urges the Government to develop enhanced regulations for UK-based companies and their subsidiaries operating in tiger range states to ensure their actions do not harm tigers or their habitat.

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org
SaveTheBigCats@gmail.com

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

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White tigers maul man to death in Singapore zoo

Reuters Published: November 13, 2008   SINGAPORE: Three white tigers mauled a Malaysian to death in Singapore's zoo on Thursday after the man jumped into their enclosure, a zoo official said.   Nordin Bin Montong, 32, a Malaysian working as a cleaner at the zoo, leapt into the moat of the white tiger exhibit and was attacked, said Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo in a statement.   The noise from the attack caught the attention of zookeepers nearby and they eventually managed to distract the tigers and rescue Nordin.   "Keepers managed to separate the worker from the tiger. While waiting for the ambulance, our vets attended to him," said Guha. "The worker tragically succumbed to his wound." Singapore's Straits Times newspaper said on its website that Nordin was seen behaving in an agitated manner before he fell into the moat. Terrified visitors near the section watched the vicious attack in horror and screamed, the paper said.   According to conservation group WWF, there are about 4,000 tigers left in the world and they are considered an endangered species.   White tigers are even rarer because they suffer from a genetic condition that strips their fur of the orange pigment, leaving the animal with snow white fur, black stripes and blue eyes.   http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/11/13/asia/OUKWD-UK-SINGAPORE-TIGER.php ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

New Zealand's "Lion Man" has license revoked

Lion Man Out, MAF [Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry] Investigates Declawing Thursday, 13 November 2008   Lion Man Craig Busch's licence to operate Zion Wildlife Gardens has been revoked after his loving mum Patricia (manager of the lion park) told MAF that he was no longer employed by the park. He has been replaced as licensed operator by former Auckland Zoo manager Glen Holland.   Philip Smith from Great Southern Television insists that the cats will be back on our television screens in some shape or form. He told TV3 "The story is always about the preservation and conservation, that's the story and no man or person is bigger than that story."   I must have been watching a different show. What I saw was focused around Craig – the way he interacted with the lions, trained the lions, cuddled and played with the lions. Court Battle Between Craig And His Mum   Next week, Craig and Patricia Busch go head to head in court in a civil claim that Craig has set up a competing website selling Lion Man merchandising and asking for donations to help his conservation efforts. Lion Man producers Great Southern Television are partnered with Patricia to produce The Lion Man television program and profit from the merchandising. They allege Craig is making false claims that his site is the "official site" of the Lion Man.   Does anyone else find the timing suspicious? Mum is going into court next week claiming that their website is the official one, and what better proof than ousting the man known as "The Lion Man" from his role at the park?   MAF Investigation To Date   TVNZ say that a report from MAF described the arguments between Craig and Patricia as childish and MAF were concerned about the welfare of the big cats after claims that Craig had changes the locks on enclosures and a sick tiger couldn't be attended to for five days. They also listed several other concerns including insanitary conditions   Neighbours report that the police have been called out on several occasions, including a false alarm last weekend that someone was attempting to remove gates from the wildlife park.   Patricia has also made claims that she was abused by Craig and rumour has it she attempted to take out a restraining order against him. MAF Investigating De-clawing   Most of the concerns raised by MAF have been remedied, however they are still investigating one matter. According to TVNZ, MAF is investigating de-clawing, which was described in the report as an unnecessary practice. MAF are investigating both the lion park and the vet that de-clawed the big cats. Ex employees of Zion Wildlife Gardens have confirmed to NZRealityTV.com that many of the cats have been de-clawed. Park Still Open to Visitors   But there is good news for people hoping to visit the park. New operator Glen Holland told TV3 that he believes the park is in good shape and that he is satisfied with the condition of the animals, the enclosures and the training the staff have received.   http://www.nzrealitytv.com/2008/11/lion-man-out-maf-investigates-declawing.html   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Vague rules mean animals suffer in EU zoos — NGOs

BRUSSELS - Tens of thousands of animals throughout Europe are kept in cruel conditions because zoos fail to apply EU rules on standards of care and the laws themselves are unclear, an animal welfare coalition said on Wednesday.   Zoos often fall short of providing proper space, nutrition and mental stimulation for the animals, said ENDCAP, a pan-European coalition of non-government organisations seeking better care for animals in captivity.   ENDCAP and fellow NGO Born Free Foundation took their message this week to the European Parliament in Brussels, where the two groups showed footage of zoo animals in Romania, Spain and Bulgaria living in what they called poor conditions.   "They are not stimulated so they start developing kinds of abnormal behaviour like pacing, rocking. Some animals pull their feathers or hair out. Some actually go into self-mutilation," ENDCAP coordinator Daniel Turner said.   Turner said EU countries failed to enforce the bloc's rules on animal care because the regulations were vague and it was not clear how they should be implemented. As a result, zoos failed to meet even basic requirements for animals.   Zoos say it is not easy to comply with the rules, which include creating enough space for animals to roam.   Belgium's Antwerp zoo, for example, has few enclosures. Along with cages, it has spaces surrounded by glass for some animals so that visitors and animals can look at each other. The zoo, trying to improve standards, has invested over 80 million euros ($101 million) in the past decade. Its director Rudy Van Eysendeyk says the city is growing around the zoo, making expansion more difficult.   He said Antwerp zoo was close to full compliance with the EU rules and would continue improvements even when it exceeded the requirements, spending 10 million euros each year on further programmes and improvements.   Van Eysendeyk said the need for such extensive funding probably make it harder for smaller zoos to make needed changes.   Calling zoos a "necessary evil", he noted that some played a role in serious animal research and ran programmes to help disappearing species reproduce.   "Unfortunately, man is taking more and more of the habitat of the animals ... we have to make people conscious of what they are doing to nature. So we have to bring people to the animals to see what the animals are..." he said.   (US$1=.7921 euro) (editing by Dale Hudson and Tim Pearce) Story by Marty Swant Story Date: 13/11/2008   http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/51036/story.htm ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org

Rare animal trade thrives in Thailand from lax laws

November 7, 2008   Originally Published by Agence France Presse   Thousands of tourists and locals throng the congested aisles of Bangkok's popular Chatuchak market every weekend, hunting for everything from a new pair of shiny leather shoes to a puppy.   But among the racks of caged creatures is an illegal trade in endangered animals that wildlife police say they are powerless to stop as sellers take advantage of lax Thai laws and punishments.   The illicit international trade in rare species is worth an estimated six billion dollars per year, academics estimate, and wildlife campaigners say much of that money now changes hands in the Thai capital.   "It's difficult to arrest these smugglers," Lieutenant Colonel Thanayod Kengkasikij of Thailand's anti-wildlife trafficking taskforce told AFP.   His problem is practical and legal as keeping an eye on smugglers as they move about the market is tough enough, but once arrests are made getting the courts to punish them is even tougher.   "If the court handed down harsher verdicts to traffickers I think they would be more afraid of us," Thanayod said.   Months of police surveillance at Chatuchak, also known as JJ market, preceded a raid last March, organised with the help of wildlife charities TRAFFIC and PeunPa.   During the operation, 40 undercover Thai officers arrested two traffickers attempting to sell three Madagascan Ploughshare tortoises, so rare that conservationists say only 300 remain in the world.   In another section of the market a dealer was caught secretly selling slow lorises, endangered primates that live Southeast Asian forests.   "Dealers stated openly that many specimens were smuggled into and out of Thailand," said Chris Shepherd, a senior programme officer for TRAFFIC.   "They even offered potential buyers advice on how to smuggle reptiles through customs and onto aeroplanes."   The surveillance and raid cost campaigners thousands of dollars. Of the three men arrested, none went to prison -- two were not punished at all and one received a 20,000-baht fine, half the maximum financial penalty.   These sort of meagre penalties frustrate wildlife campaigners.   "The biggest wildlife traffickers in the world have decided to base themselves in Bangkok because they know that if they get caught the worst that can happen is about a 1,000 dollar fine," saud PeunPa's Steven Galster.   "Nobody's going to jail, not even the guys caught red-handed. Meanwhile the traffickers are laughing all the way to the bank, using Thailand as a base."   The international law governing these crimes is called CITES -- the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species -- to which Thailand is a signatory. But the CITES provisions have not yet been fully translated into Thai law, and gaping loopholes still exist that Galster said will not close until attitudes throughout Thai society are changed.   PeunPa and TRAFFIC spent three years training police to understand the damaging environmental effects of wildlife crime, and now need to persuade judges too.   "The police working on wildlife crime used to be called the forestry police, mainly focused on illegal logging and timber trafficking. We've been training them up to go after wildlife criminals," Galster said, adding: "They've gotten pretty good."   "But they are seriously discouraged by the current law. They're raring to go but they need the law behind them," he said.   Police say new training seminars for judges are making a difference.   "Judges and prosecuting lawyers have changed their attitude since we began campaigning -- they used to think that violators were just earning a living but now they understand they are causing environmental damage," said Thanayod.   But change is slow and the drafting of a new tougher law, which has been the subject of years of discussion, seems as distant a prospect as ever.   "The situation's getting better but it's like with anything in Thailand: unless it's drugs or murder they don't think the police are going to take it all that seriously," Galster said.   http://wildlifealliance.org/news/in-the-news/rare-animal-trade-thrives.html   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org Keywords: tiger, leopard, clouded leopard

San Francisco: Tiger attack victims file suit in federal court

John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, November 13, 2008   (11-12) 13:42 PST San Francisco - -- Two San Jose brothers who survived a Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo have filed a long-expected lawsuit against the city, zoo and others, claiming slander and civil rights violations in the aftermath of an incident that drew international attention.   The lawsuit by Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal, 20, and Kulbir Dhaliwal, 24, also contends they were permanently scarred by the escaped tiger, which killed Paul Dhaliwal's close friend Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, before police shot and killed the animal. They're seeking unspecified damages.   The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, contends the city and zoo were negligent on multiple fronts, including keeping the 243-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana in an enclosure that had walls lower that what is recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. They also say the zoo ignored workers' warnings about the wall height.   It also contends that Kulbir Dhaliwal wasn't attacked until after an employee refused to allow him into the safety of a zoo cafe. That incident occurred about 20 minutes after the tiger leapt from its grotto and initially attacked Paul Dhaliwal before turning on Sousa. Kulbir Dhaliwal contends his federal civil rights were violated because he was deprived the use of his BMW M3, the car the three took to the zoo. Police impounded the car during their investigation but didn't seek a court order to search it until they had already had the car for about two weeks, according to the lawsuit filed by Mark Geragos' law firm.   The suit also accuses Sam Singer, a well-known crisis management spokesman whose firm was retained by the zoo after the attack, of libel and slander.   The Dhaliwals contend Singer and city officials engaged in a smear campaign to suggest the young men were disreputable and had taunted the tiger before the escape.   "There's no merit to the lawsuit whatsoever," Singer said. "More importantly, I'd like to remind people that Mr. Geragos was the one who said his client, Michael Jackson, was a perfectly normal human being and Scott Peterson was an innocent man. I leave it up to the judgment of the public as to how accurate he is on any of his claims."   Geragos and attorneys at his firm did not return calls seeking comment. A zoo official also declined to comment. City Attorney Dennis Herrera's office has said the city is not liable and directed the brothers to file a claim with the San Francisco Zoological Society, the nonprofit that operates the zoo.   Paul Dhaliwal, sentenced in August to 16 months in state prison on a probation violation in Santa Clara County, is to appear today in Alameda County Superior Court, where he is charged with shoplifting video game equipment from three Target stores, authorities said.   An attorney for Sousa' parents, Michael Cardoza, said the negative public perception about the Dhaliwals was probably a key factor in filing their lawsuit in federal court, where the jury pool is drawn from counties including Marin and San Mateo, rather that just San Francisco.   "There's so much speculation that, 'Oh, they taunted the tiger,' " Cardoza said. "When you talk to San Franciscans, they say 'They're the kids who taunted the tiger,' when there's no proof of that at all."   Sousa's parents will sue the city before the year is over, Cardoza said.   Complete coverage   Read The Chronicle's coverage at sfgate.com/tigerattack.   E-mail John Coté at jcote@sfchronicle.com.   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/12/BA3P1438IP.DTL   ------- Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://www.bigcatrescue.org