Animal Planet :: Corwin's Carnival Of Creatures Scientists have been unable to spot these (cats) just a few yards away even of the leopard ranges from endangered to critically endangered to threatened http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/jeffcorwin/carnival/feline/leopard.html
Extractions: I. GEOGRAPHIC RANGE II. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Mass: 28 to 90 kg. These cats have an elongated and muscular body. Their paws are broad and their ears are short. In tropical regions their coats tend to be shorter and sleeker, whereas in colder climates their fur is longer and denser. The coloration varies from the color of straw to grayish to even chestnut. The backs of the ears are black except for a spot either located centrally or near the tips. These appear to other animals as eyes. The throat, chest, belly and the insides of the limbs are white. The rest of the head, throat, chest and limbs all have small black spots. The belly has larger black spots, almost like blotches. Region and habitat have an affect on the appearance of the leopard. In Africa, leopards living in hilly areas tend to be larger than those living in lowlands. There is a tendency to melanism, or black coloration, in this species. This characteristic is more frequent in densely forested areas where being darker is probably beneficial in remaining unseen as compared to open areas. Whether spotted or black, the leopard's coloration is extremely effective. Scientists have been unable to spot these cats just a few yards away even knowing that they were present.
Extractions: (1) Hemley, Ginette, ed. Island Press, Washington D.C. , Case Study 3: Tigers, In Endangered Species Threatened Convention; The Past, Present and Future of CITIES. J. Hutton and B. Dickson, eds. Earthscan Publications, London. 2000. (3) Linden. Eugene Time Magazine, 143(13) p.44. (4) Mickleburgh, Simon Oryx, 34(4) p.241-242. 2000. (5) Woods, Michael Geographical Magazine, 69(1) p.38. Jan. 1997 Review: Tiger survival is threatened primarily by habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict with humans and poaching. Habitat loss is the most significant and long-term threat, while the latter two issues represent more immediate concerns (Hemley, 1994). Habitat loss and human conflict become extremely central issues in India where conservation efforts have been successful and as a result the growing tiger population encroaches on human civilization. It becomes a two-sided problem in such areas where population continues to increase at a rapid pace (Linden, 1994). Poaching and trade are driven by the demand for traditional Chinese medicines and tiger skins.
Along The Bay, Official Cat Eradication Programs Meet Opposition including numerous species that are endangered or threatened, like the burrowingowl. (cats) with feline AIDS or feline leukemia are euthanized, http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2002/2002_04_26.feralcats.html
Extractions: By Candice Shih What to do when cats go wild has been the subject of a years-long discussion at NASA Ames and Shoreline Park. Scientists and policy makers say that the feral cats wreak havoc on Mountain View's wildlife, including numerous species that are endangered or threatened, like the burrowing owl. Unwanted kittens become predatory cats "The cats have been reported to be killing the burrowing owls," said Penelope Delevoryas, the wildlife biologist at Shoreline Park. She said the cats prey on other endangered birds including the California clapper rail and the black rail as well. The cats apparently aren't satisfied with birds. Sandy Olliges, chief of the environmental services office at NASA Ames, said they also eat the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. "They take food from other wild predators like hawks, skunks, raccoons, and foxes," said Delevoryas.
VayuLila.com - ECO-nexus [Endangered Species] endangered Species Wildlife. (cats) Feline Species Over 100 species,approaching half of all primates, are threatened or endangered. http://www.vayulila.com/ECO-nexus/Endangered.html
Extractions: Big Cats Online http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/ Big Cats Online offers a general introduction to the various species of cat living in the wild today. It not only covers the 'Big Cats' - Leopard, Lion, Tiger, Jaguar, Cheetah and Puma, but also introduces all of the lesser known 'Wild Cat' species. Cat Specialist Group http://lynx.uio.no/catfolk/ The Cat Specialist Group is an international panel of over 170 scientists, wildlife managers and other specialists from 40 countries, who have volunteered their expertise to the Species Survival Commission of IUCN - The World Conservation Union, which is based in Switzerland. This site provides detailed information on many species including survival status.
Feral Cat Colonies In Florida: The Fur And Feathers Are Flying FN52 Domestic (cats) are likely responsible for spreading feline panleukopenia (FPV)to In adopting the Florida endangered and threatened Species Act, http://www.animallaw.info/articles/arus18jlanduseenvtll441.htm
Extractions: US Laws Federal Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut DC Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming US Cases Federal Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut DC Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund The Florida panther is an endangered subspecies that is now threatened FeLV is a fatal disease, common to domestic (cats) but rare in nondomestic felids. http://www.swbg-conservationfund.org/projects_sr_terrestrial.html
Extractions: The Florida panther is an endangered subspecies that is now threatened by feline leukemia virus (FeLV). FeLV is a fatal disease, common to domestic cats but rare in non-domestic felids. FeLV testing in panthers was negative for 20 years. Since November 2002, however, five panthers have tested positive. All infected panthers have died, three due to FeLV-related diseases. Preliminary test results indicate that a greater than expected proportion of panthers exposed to FeLV become persistently infected, and the time from infection to death is more rapid than seen in domestic cats. The SWBGCF grant supports the project through funding the viral culture and immunofluorescent antibody testing. Information gained from this research will help manage the outbreak in the Florida panther and will also benefit managers of other non-domestic felid populations.
The Peak (30/11/1998) Features: On The Prowl Wild felines are endangered from the demand for the illegal pet trade most active Things are made worse if the cat species are continually threatened by http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-3/issue13/prowl.html
Extractions: vincent lizee The 1996 World Conservation Congress concluded a quarter of all mammal species are endangered . Some of these species are of the biological family of felids, or cats. Some are already extinct like the Barbary lion, the Caspian tiger and the Arizona jaguar. Some seem certain to go extinct within the next decade since the populations are too small for healthy breeding like the Arabian leopard and the Chinese tiger. The future for some 72 per cent of all cat species is uncertain from years of habitat destruction and hunting that have decimated wild cat populations. This grim scenario has compelled some conservationists and other concerned individuals to form an organization specifically dedicated to preserving felines called the International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC). "I think just a concern for small cats" explains Tania James, B.C. Division director, siting the reason for ISEC's formation. "There are so many other organizations. Everybody has heard of a tiger, everybody has heard of a lion, everybody has heard of a cheetah but very few people have heard of a black footed cat or a sand cat or a Geoffrey's cat or a Pallas' cat." Concern for cat conservation follows from the concern to preserve the biosphere. Cats, big and small, prey on a variety of herbivores that if left unchecked would ravage the plant life that they depend on. Wild rodents would undergo a population explosion pushing them into human settlements to become farming pests and disease carriers. Conservation is important in protecting felines as natural wonders and as icons of strength and prowess as exemplified by their use in emblems, advertising, stories, and novelties made in their image. All of these uses would be lost forever if many feline species become extinct.
SchoolWorld Endangered Species Project: Ocelot The ocelot, like most felines, has incredible sight capabilities and is nocturnal . View threatened and endangered species reports from other students http://www.schoolworld.asn.au/species/ocelot4.html
Extractions: Scientific Name: Leopardus pardalis The complexion of the Ocelot's fur is a sort-of peach colored background with many elegant black spots. Its tail has black rings all the way down which resembles the tail of a very shorthaired raccoon. The Ocelot has lines of black around its neck, long whiskers, and ears that have been covered in black. This scheme of dark colors helps the ocelot hide itself in the underbrush. The ocelot, like most felines, has incredible sight capabilities and is nocturnal. The ocelot can see six times as well as the average human. The ocelot has a very widespread, carnivorous diet of animals such as small deer, monkeys, mice, rats, birds, turtles, lizards, rabbits, and other animals smaller than itself. Females are pregnant for about 70 days and usually deliver around two kittens. Mothers are left to take care of their young primarily on their own. Ocelots have a wide range of habitats including jungles, rain forests, bushy areas, and yearly flooded areas, specifically wet areas such as riverbanks and marshlands. These diverse territories range from Argentina to southern Texas. These wet areas are usually chosen because ocelots are great swimmers. The advantage of swimming gives them the upper hand when defending or hunting in their wetland territory.
Hawaii Island Journal - Last Issue Stories the other endemic island seabird federally listed as endangered or threatened, Swift says she s caught three felines in Area 3 this year, http://www.hawaiiislandjournal.com/stories/12b03c.html
Extractions: Hawaiian Petrel looms large in island lore by David Bowman It's a clear blue October morning, and the tickling breeze is a welcome foil to the heat already rising from the ancient rock of this Mauna Loa hiking trail. A band of clouds hugs the horizon; to the right, the sky is hazy with steam from Kilauea Volcano's P'u O'o vent. I am joined by Dr. Robert Shallenberger, Big Island conservation director for The Nature Conservancy, and Roberta Swift, a petrel research specialist for the National Park Service, based in Volcano. Our destination: one of the three monitored nesting areas on Mauna Loa for the endangered 'Ua'u, or Hawaiian Petrel (Pterodroma sandwichensis), a beautiful endemic seabird that figures prominently in native island culture, and whose numbers, for various reasons, have declined significantly in both Hawaii's prehistoric (pre-1778) and historic periods. (The bird, formerly known as the Dark-rumped Petrel, used to be considered a subspecies of Pterodroma phaeopygia with its cousin the Galapagos Petrel, but was recently reclassified as its own distinct species.) It's at these remote highland sites, barren yet starkly beautiful, that Swift and a couple of volunteers with the Hawaiian Petrel Project are gauging the reproductive success of the 'Ua'u, whose habitat once extended down to sea level on most of the main Hawaiian Islands. Part of that often-tedious work involves trying to determine whether predator control - at this elevation, above 8,000 feet, feral cats are the primary threat - is having any effect. Like the Newell's Shearwater, the other endemic island seabird federally listed as endangered or threatened, the Hawaiian Petrel is mysterious and elusive; indeed, the photograph of it in H. Douglas Pratt's "A Pocket Guide to Hawaii's Birds" shows not the creature itself, but a rocky burrow of the sort we'll be visiting today.
Threat Abatement Plan For Predation By Feral Cats - Introduction picture of conserving endangered or vulnerable species threatened by catpredation. For example, in 1977 Feline panleucopenia was introduced to http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tap/cats/3.html
Extractions: Contents Next Australia and Antarctica are the only continents without a native member of the cat family, Felidae. Felids are the most raptorial of mammals with body form, musculature, nervous coordination and senses highly specialised for stalking and capturing prey. Their nutrition and metabolism are such that they require large amounts of fresh animal protein, yet many felids can survive without drinking water. All species of wild cats prefer live prey and will rarely consume carrion except during droughts or when they are debilitated. Cats ( Felis catus The first recorded instance of cats being brought to Australia is by English settlers in the 18th century. Cats may have arrived much earlier via trading routes from South-East Asia, shipwrecks or visits by European ships to the west coast (Baldwin 1980) but the available evidence for these origins is scant. Cats were deliberately released into the wild during the 19th century to control rabbits and mice (Rolls 1984) and feral cats are now found in all habitats, except some of the wettest rainforests, from the Torres Strait across the breadth of the mainland and Tasmania to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. There is clear evidence that feral cats have caused the decline and extinction of native animals on islands through predation (Copley 1991; van Rensburg and Bester 1988). Dramatic recoveries of species on islands after the removal of feral cats is evidence of their impact (Dickman 1996). On the mainland, predation by feral cats is thought to threaten the continued survival of native species such as the eastern barred bandicoot in Victoria which currently persist in low numbers (Dickman 1996). Feral cats have been shown to thwart re-introduction programs for endangered species such as the numbat, golden bandicoot, burrowing bettong, mala and bilby in the arid and semi-arid zones of Western Australia and the Northern Territory (Johnson 1991; Gibson
Extractions: Contents Next They further state that it is the preferred option only when: These conditions cannot be met for feral cats on mainland Australia or in Tasmania at present. Eradication of feral cats is well beyond the capacity of available techniques and resources because the species is so well established across such a vast area. In contrast, eradication of a population of feral cats from an island may be feasible provided a persistent campaign can be mounted (Veitch 1985). Historically, a range of techniques has been used in attempts to control feral cats, including shooting, trapping, poison baiting, fumigation and hunting. Control techniques, both those currently available and those being developed, are briefly reviewed below. Available methods are generally expensive, labour intensive, require continuing management effort and can be effective only in limited areas.
Great Cats And Rare Canines Need Your Help! The Great (cats) and Rare Canids Act identifies seven feline and six canine speciesrecognized as endangered or threatened under international law. http://www.wcs.org/353624/3920333
Extractions: Many Species of Great Cats and Rare Canines are in Danger of Vanishing! Please urge Congress to support the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act. Around the world species of great cats and wild canines, such as jaguars, clouded leopards and African wild dogs, are declining drastically due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and human-wildlife conflict. In recognition of the imperiled status of 13 species of great cats and rare canines, the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act will provide crucial funding to international conservation efforts. Please contact your member of Congress now and ask them to support the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act. Through the highly successful Multinational Species Conservation Fund, this bill will provide financial support to international conservation activities that will protect these animals and help ensure their survival. The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act identifies seven feline and six canine species recognized as endangered or threatened under international law. These include many well-known known species including Lion (Panthera leo), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardina), Dhole (Cuon alpinus), Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus), and Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus).
Case Study The oldest feline of the 37 different species of (cats), the cheetah CITES toreclassify the cheetah from endangered to threatened to allow for the http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/cheetah.htm
Extractions: The Genetic Hunter The cheetah is a genetic hunter. Its prey is mainly small antelope that roam the plains of Africa. These creatures while populous are currently being forced out of their natural range by human development. Because of this the cheetah is forced to find new sources of food. This usually results in cheetah attacks on small livestock. A cheetah will not attempt to attack full size livestock due to its small size, and is easily frightened off by bull adults and cattle dogs. Adult cheetah have little to fear from predators. This does not mean that the cheetah is safe. The cheetah though it is a predator and needs to be concerned with its cubs being attacked by the larger cats such as the lions and spotted hyena. The genetic problem is also a factor in the endangerment of the cheetah. Should a feline disease spread among the cheetah, it could possibly wipe out the entire population. The Human Threat Conservation Efforts The Namibian based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Indiscriminate killing of cheetah by farmers to protect their livestock is not the only answer to any cheetah-farm related problems. Several low cost techniques have proven their success in warding off the cheetah. Farm management practices such as corralling cows, keeping horned steers with the herd, and introducing donkeys and dogs as herd guardians are effective in scaring the cheetah off. Other methods such as Controlled Taste Aversion have proven successful in averting the cheetah from eating livestock. This method incorporates injecting the cattle with a chemical that makes it taste repulsive to the cheetah, thereby enacting a change in what it chooses to hunt.
CAT-TITUDES -- Meet The World's Wild Cats! ASIATIC GOLDEN CAT Status Near threatened. Population No estimate. StatusCritically endangered Population 30 to 50 in wild. This cat may become http://home.att.net/~TheThunderCats/ko00005.html
Extractions: "Make endangered species a vivid presence in the lives of people. Make it clear that every endangered species has a name, has a million-year history, has a place in the world. Bring us face to face with each one of those species. Make us know that they are our companions in the biosphere . . ." - Edward O. Wilson, Naturalist Now meet all of the major Species of the Felid Family. . . When you see the Lynx, you can click it to learn more. THE AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT
Extractions: By Bryan J. Maloney What species, then, would better qualify as the "best friend" of humanity? Recent discoveries made by the humans leads one to believe that the "cat" (_felis catus_, L.) may better deserve this title. The reason for this conclusion is that humanity found itself confronted with a very perplexing and fatal medical disorder, which they named "AIDS" (although it only "aids" humans in their progress towards the grave). This syndrome was characterized in the early-to-middle 1980s ("AD" Terran annuation system) and was ultimately assigned to be an eventual result of a virus that was given the name "human immunodeficiency virus" or HIV. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is the causative agent of a feline acquired immune deficiency syndrome (FAIDS) that was discovered in 1986 in southern California (Pedersen et al, 1987; Yamamoto et al, 1988). The associated infection tends to have a long asymptomatic seropositive stage followed by clinical illness. Clinical signs include fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, wasting, opportunistic infection, neurological disorder, and neoplasia, especially lymphoma, myoproliferative disease, and various cytopenias including anemia, lymphopenia, and leukopenia (which may not be due to the activity of FIV alone) neoplasia, especially lymphoma and myoproliferative disease, (Hutson et al, 1991; Moraillon et al, 1992; Pedersen et al, 1989a, b; Shelton et al 1991). Neoplastic effects of HIV infection seem to be enhanced with concurrent FeLV infection (Hutson et al, 1991; Shelton et al 1991).
Cats And Dogs the fact that felis catus is hardly an endangered or threatened species). Decline in CD4+ cell numbers in (cats) with naturally acquired feline http://www.galactic-guide.com/articles/2R62.html
Extractions: Humans, the dominant species of the planet Sol III, Orion Arm, are remarkably less intelligent than their apparently ascendent status might lead one to believe. Take, for example the common human phrase "Dog is man's best friend." First, this phrase is quite misleading in its choice of words, as any rational reader would come to the conclusion that this "dog" ( canis domesticus L.) is somehow preferentially attracted to adult males of the human species. Nothing could be further from the truth, as "Man" in this case is meant to mean all members of the species homo sapiens regardless of their gender or age. The fact that humans seem not to be in the least bit perturbed by this linguistic blunder only underscores the species's general lack of good sense.
BBC - Radio 4 - Nature 23/06/2003 In many parts of the world , (cats) are a serious threat to endangered donthave any globally threatened species living here for which cat predation is a http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20030623.shtml
Extractions: nhuradio@bbc.co.uk LISTEN AGAIN 30 min Listen to 23 June PRESENTER PAUL EVANS "Nature is full of surprises, so the programme can investigate fascinating and challenging areas in our relations with the natural world without being too technical or preachy. My job is brilliant because, as a link between the listener and the subject, I can discover new information and ideas which help people make up their own minds on important issues."
BBC - Science & Nature - Conservation - Cats The plight of endangered (cats), including the puma, tiger and lynx. These smallisolated populations are also threatened by inbreeding. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/conservation/cats/intro.shtml
Extractions: There are 38 species of cats. Most wild cat populations are declining and some are critically endangered. They are highly specialised carnivores with agile muscular bodies, acute senses, rapid reflexes and cryptic colouration. Historically, the cat's beautiful fur was the primary cause of its decline. The tiger is the largest of all the cats and also one of the most vulnerable. The geographical distribution of the tiger once extended as far west as eastern turkey, but is now restricted to pockets of southern and eastern Asia. Historically, the tiger ranged from Turkey eastward to the coasts of Russia and China, and from as far north as Eastern Siberia to the Indonesian island of Bali. Although 8 subspecies are recognised, 3 have become extinct since the 1950s (the Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers). All 5 remaining are endangered, 3 of them critically. Fewer than 6,000 remain in the wild, and their numbers are still falling. The remaining tigers occur in isolated pockets spread across increasingly fragmented forests from India to south eastern China and from the Russian Far East to Indonesia.
Mutable Facts Less than 10 percent of all endangered and threatened species in the US areimproving. Since 1990. captive felines have caused the death of 75 people. http://www.animalsrighttolifewebsite.com/mutable_facts.htm
Lioncrusher's Domain -- Glossary Of Terms which grants legal protection for listed endangered and threatened species . Felid Of or referring to (cats), feline; possessing traits similar to the http://www.lioncrusher.com/glossary.htm
Extractions: Glossary of Terms A B C D ... Z A: Aberrant : Deviating from the expected course, in relation to behavior, physical attributes, or other characteristics. Abundism : An animal that has markings that are more prolific than usual. Also known as pseudo-melanism. ( IMAGE Adaptation: A physical or behavioral characteristic that arose and evolved by natural selection to benefit a species, and improve a species' chances of survival and procreation. Agouti : A pattern on the individual hair shaft where the hair itself has bands of multiple color in alternating patters. This is caused by the melanin production in the follicle of the hair being turned off and on sporadically throughout the growth of the hair shaft. ( IMAGE Albinism : An albino individual, which completely lacks pigmentation in its fur, flesh, and eyes. True mammalian albino individuals are white or pink with pinkish red eyes. ( IMAGE ) Albinism can also occur in patches over the body, known as a piebald pattern. ( IMAGE ) Partial albinism is when the animal still retains some markings, though they may be faint. In snakes, they are still able to synthesize yellow and red pigments, so albino snakes have red and yellow markings, but lack the normal black pigmentation. In fish, red markings are often preserved, as in the albino red-tailed shark ( Labeo bicolor ). White animals that retain most markings and have blue eyes are not albinos, but are
