Dr. Laurie Marker, CEO of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, comments on historic cheetah re-introduction initiative in India
September 2011. In 2009, the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) was invited to participate in a programme by the Indian government to reintroduce cheetahs to that country after nearly 60 years of extinction. The plan, headed by Dr. M.K. Ranjitsinh, who served as India's first Director of Wildlife Preservation and is now Chairman of the Wild Trust of India (WTI), will reintroduce cheetahs in stages over the next decade, possibly starting in early 2012.
The Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary
In an advisory capacity, CCF has been working with the WTI and India's authorities to discuss the best strategies for this reintroduction and has conducted field inspections in order to determine the most viable release areas. The Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, a 344,686 square kilometre (133,084 square mile) reserve in central India, has been chosen for the first reintroduction. The sanctuary is home to many species, including wolves, leopards and nilgai --Asia's largest antelope.
CCF has made suggestions about necessary infrastructure changes as well as community involvement and education. CCF advises that local communities be counselled in living harmoniously with wildlife, particularly predators, through training and communications programmes. Sustainable tourism will be encouraged so that jobs and business opportunities for the local people can be created. Conservation biologists from India have attended several of CCF's international courses in Cheetah Conservation Biology, and in Integrated Livestock, Wildlife, and Predator Management. These courses focus on capacity building and mitigating conflict between people and wildlife countries, with a special emphasis on the cheetah. Dr. M.K. Ranjitsinh and colleagues have visited CCF in Namibia.
Reintroducing wild-caught cheetah
CCF developed a proven protocol for re-introducing wild-caught cheetahs that allows the animals to perfect their skills in a safe environment before being released. To date, CCF has successfully re-wilded cheetah in two regions in Namibia. Lessons learned from these successes will assist local Indian NGOs with the reintroduction. In addition, CCF will provide an experienced ranger to train local rangers and WTI researchers in cheetah monitoring and behaviour.
The reintroduction has been approved and budgeted by the Government of India. It will return cheetahs to the grasslands ecosystem where they used to thrive. Some parties have voiced their fear that the reintroduction of the cheetah will diminish efforts to save the tiger. There is also concern about the genetic history of Asiatic cheetah. As there are no living Indian cheetahs and, thus, no concern about mixing populations, the Indian programme plans to import cheetahs from Southern Africa. CCF respects the Indian Government's stance on these issues and is providing assistance when appropriate.
CCF is currently gathering information about animals for possible export to India, and pending all import permits necessary to abide by CITES regulations, cheetahs might be roaming in India once again as early as 2012.
Showing posts with label cheetah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheetah. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Bolstering Genetic Diversity Among Cheetahs
ScienceDaily (Aug. 12, 2011) — Researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute have discovered why older females are rarely able to reproduce -- and hope to use this information to introduce vital new genes into the pool. SCBI scientists and collaborating researchers analyzed hormones, eggs and the uteri of 34 cheetahs at eight institutions, and determined that while the hormones and eggs of cheetahs older than 8 years appear normal, the animals' uterine tracks tend to suffer from abnormal cell growth, infections and cysts that prevent pregnancy.
"Those of us who work with cheetahs have anecdotally noted that it's hard to reproduce older cheetahs, but this is the first time anyone has documented how aging affects the physiology of reproduction in this species," said Adrienne Crosier, SCBI cheetah biologist and lead author of the study in which these results were published. "We were relieved to find that, unlike in other older mammals, the eggs in older cheetahs can produce viable-appearing and growing embryos, which means we may be able to transfer them to younger cheetahs and preserve genetic diversity. If we had found that the eggs were abnormal, we were facing losing genes in an already depleted population."
The researchers' findings were published in a paper titled "Increasing Age Influences Uterine Integrity, But Not Ovarian Function or Oocyte Quality, in the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)" in the online version of the Biology of Reproduction in May and in final form this month. According to the study, approximately 80 percent of adult female cheetahs in North American institutions have never reproduced and the death rate for cheetahs has exceeded the birth rate in 13 of the last 16 years. Lack of genetics can lead to cub mortality and lower cheetahs' resistance to disease.
The next step for SCBI researchers is to extract eggs from a cheetah older than 8 years that has not reproduced and to fertilize the eggs and transfer them to a younger female. Crosier estimates that SCBI will try an embryo transfer within the next two years and said that if it works, it is feasible that someday researchers could do this with wild cheetahs to continue to infuse the population in human care with new genes.
Paper co-author, Pierre Comizzoli, a vertebrate cryobiologist at SCBI, has been collecting and freezing immature eggs and ovarian tissues from felids for the SCBI's Genome Resource Bank, a frozen repository of biological materials that includes sperm and embryos, tissues, blood products and DNA. Researchers are currently able to produce embryos from fresh eggs, but aim to do the same with frozen eggs.
"The work on freezing eggs and ovarian tissues will offer yet another option to preserve the fertility of females, especially long after they are dead," Comizzoli said. "These approaches also allow us to to boost the number of offspring that can be produced from a single individual."
SCBI is one of five centers participating in research to boost the cheetah population in human care as part of the Conservation Centers for Species Survival, also known as C2S2. All five centers collectively manage more than 25,000 acres of land devoted to the survival of threatened species with special needs (including those requiring large land areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance). All five centers maintain a cheetah breeding facility as part of their long-term commitment to cheetah breeding and research. The Smithsonian's National Zoo's Front Royal facility currently houses 10 adult cheetahs and seven cubs. The National Zoo houses three adults.
Cheetahs, the fastest animals on land, are struggling to outpace threats to their survival in the wild. As the result of human conflict, hunting and habitat loss, there are only an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers cheetahs a vulnerable species.
The study's authors from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are Crosier, Comizzoli, David E. Wildt and JoGayle Howard. The other authors are Autumn Davidson, Tom Baker and Linda Munson from the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, and Laurie L. Marker from the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812153221.htm
"Those of us who work with cheetahs have anecdotally noted that it's hard to reproduce older cheetahs, but this is the first time anyone has documented how aging affects the physiology of reproduction in this species," said Adrienne Crosier, SCBI cheetah biologist and lead author of the study in which these results were published. "We were relieved to find that, unlike in other older mammals, the eggs in older cheetahs can produce viable-appearing and growing embryos, which means we may be able to transfer them to younger cheetahs and preserve genetic diversity. If we had found that the eggs were abnormal, we were facing losing genes in an already depleted population."
The researchers' findings were published in a paper titled "Increasing Age Influences Uterine Integrity, But Not Ovarian Function or Oocyte Quality, in the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)" in the online version of the Biology of Reproduction in May and in final form this month. According to the study, approximately 80 percent of adult female cheetahs in North American institutions have never reproduced and the death rate for cheetahs has exceeded the birth rate in 13 of the last 16 years. Lack of genetics can lead to cub mortality and lower cheetahs' resistance to disease.
The next step for SCBI researchers is to extract eggs from a cheetah older than 8 years that has not reproduced and to fertilize the eggs and transfer them to a younger female. Crosier estimates that SCBI will try an embryo transfer within the next two years and said that if it works, it is feasible that someday researchers could do this with wild cheetahs to continue to infuse the population in human care with new genes.
Paper co-author, Pierre Comizzoli, a vertebrate cryobiologist at SCBI, has been collecting and freezing immature eggs and ovarian tissues from felids for the SCBI's Genome Resource Bank, a frozen repository of biological materials that includes sperm and embryos, tissues, blood products and DNA. Researchers are currently able to produce embryos from fresh eggs, but aim to do the same with frozen eggs.
"The work on freezing eggs and ovarian tissues will offer yet another option to preserve the fertility of females, especially long after they are dead," Comizzoli said. "These approaches also allow us to to boost the number of offspring that can be produced from a single individual."
SCBI is one of five centers participating in research to boost the cheetah population in human care as part of the Conservation Centers for Species Survival, also known as C2S2. All five centers collectively manage more than 25,000 acres of land devoted to the survival of threatened species with special needs (including those requiring large land areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance). All five centers maintain a cheetah breeding facility as part of their long-term commitment to cheetah breeding and research. The Smithsonian's National Zoo's Front Royal facility currently houses 10 adult cheetahs and seven cubs. The National Zoo houses three adults.
Cheetahs, the fastest animals on land, are struggling to outpace threats to their survival in the wild. As the result of human conflict, hunting and habitat loss, there are only an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers cheetahs a vulnerable species.
The study's authors from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are Crosier, Comizzoli, David E. Wildt and JoGayle Howard. The other authors are Autumn Davidson, Tom Baker and Linda Munson from the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, and Laurie L. Marker from the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812153221.htm
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Iran's endangered cheetahs are a unique subspecies
Monday, 24 January 2011
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter
New analysis confirms Iran's cheetahs belong to the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus.
DNA comparisons show that these Asiatic cheetahs split from other cheetahs, which live in Africa, 30,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest that Iran's cheetahs must be conserved to protect the future of all cheetahs.
Cheetahs formerly existed in 44 countries in Africa but are now only found in 29.
Historically, they were also recorded across southwest and central Asia but can now only be found in Iran.
Scientists have previously said that cheetahs have low genetic variability, theorising that a "population crash" approximately 10,000 years ago led to inbreeding in the species.
Despite this, five 'different' subspecies are currently described according to where they live.
Genetic studies in the 1990s confirmed cheetahs found in southern Africa (A. j. jubatus) and east Africa (A. j. raineyi) as separate subspecies.
However, it has not been clear whether populations in west Africa (A. j. hecki), northern-east Africa (A. j. soemmeringii), and north Africa and Iran (A. j. venaticus) are genetically different enough to deserve their current status as subspecies.
Aiming to solve the puzzle of modern cheetahs' origins, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria have been working in collaboration with the Iranian Department of Environment and wildcat conservation group Panthera.
Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Dr Pamela Burger and her team analysed the DNA of cheetahs from a wide geographical and historical range, including medieval remains found in north-western Iran.
"With our data we prove that current Iranian cheetahs represent the historical Asiatic subspecies A.j. venaticus as they share a similar genetic profile with specimen originating from northwestern Iran in 800-900 CE," explains Dr Burger.
The researchers have also been able to distinguish Iranian cheetahs from their nearest neighbours in northern-east Africa which were confirmed as A. j. soemmeringii.
Cheetahs in north Africa, previously considered the same subspecies as those in Iran, were actually found to have more in common genetically with those in west Africa.
By comparing sequences in the DNA, researchers have found that the unique Asiatic cheetahs separated from the rest of the species in southern Africa over 30,000 years ago.
Dr Burger explains that because this split occurred long before the theorised population crash, A.j. venaticus represents a highly distinct lineage.
"The implications of our discovery are that the confirmation of the subspecies is a basis for future conservation management. If the aim is to conserve this biodiversity, subspecies should not be mixed," she says.
Currently estimated at just 60-100 individuals with less than half at mature breeding age, the Iranian cheetah population is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Together with the United Nations Development Programme, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society the Iranian Department of the Environment has established a programme to make conservation of the Asiatic cheetah a national priority.
Conservationists are concerned that time is running out for Iran's cheetahs.
"We have been successful in stabilising numbers in Iran but we still have a long way to go before we can consider this unique sub-species secure," says Alireza Jourabchian, Director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Programme (CACP) in Iran.
Threats facing the small population include overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9365000/9365567.stm
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter
Iran's critically endangered cheetahs are the last remaining survivors of a unique, ancient Asian subspecies, genetics experts reveal.
New analysis confirms Iran's cheetahs belong to the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus.
DNA comparisons show that these Asiatic cheetahs split from other cheetahs, which live in Africa, 30,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest that Iran's cheetahs must be conserved to protect the future of all cheetahs.
Cheetahs formerly existed in 44 countries in Africa but are now only found in 29.
Historically, they were also recorded across southwest and central Asia but can now only be found in Iran.
Scientists have previously said that cheetahs have low genetic variability, theorising that a "population crash" approximately 10,000 years ago led to inbreeding in the species.
Despite this, five 'different' subspecies are currently described according to where they live.
Genetic studies in the 1990s confirmed cheetahs found in southern Africa (A. j. jubatus) and east Africa (A. j. raineyi) as separate subspecies.
However, it has not been clear whether populations in west Africa (A. j. hecki), northern-east Africa (A. j. soemmeringii), and north Africa and Iran (A. j. venaticus) are genetically different enough to deserve their current status as subspecies.
Aiming to solve the puzzle of modern cheetahs' origins, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria have been working in collaboration with the Iranian Department of Environment and wildcat conservation group Panthera.
Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Dr Pamela Burger and her team analysed the DNA of cheetahs from a wide geographical and historical range, including medieval remains found in north-western Iran.
"With our data we prove that current Iranian cheetahs represent the historical Asiatic subspecies A.j. venaticus as they share a similar genetic profile with specimen originating from northwestern Iran in 800-900 CE," explains Dr Burger.
The researchers have also been able to distinguish Iranian cheetahs from their nearest neighbours in northern-east Africa which were confirmed as A. j. soemmeringii.
Cheetahs in north Africa, previously considered the same subspecies as those in Iran, were actually found to have more in common genetically with those in west Africa.
By comparing sequences in the DNA, researchers have found that the unique Asiatic cheetahs separated from the rest of the species in southern Africa over 30,000 years ago.
Dr Burger explains that because this split occurred long before the theorised population crash, A.j. venaticus represents a highly distinct lineage.
"The implications of our discovery are that the confirmation of the subspecies is a basis for future conservation management. If the aim is to conserve this biodiversity, subspecies should not be mixed," she says.
Currently estimated at just 60-100 individuals with less than half at mature breeding age, the Iranian cheetah population is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Together with the United Nations Development Programme, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society the Iranian Department of the Environment has established a programme to make conservation of the Asiatic cheetah a national priority.
Conservationists are concerned that time is running out for Iran's cheetahs.
"We have been successful in stabilising numbers in Iran but we still have a long way to go before we can consider this unique sub-species secure," says Alireza Jourabchian, Director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Programme (CACP) in Iran.
Threats facing the small population include overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9365000/9365567.stm
Iran's endangered cheetahs are a unique subspecies
Monday, 24 January 2011
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter
New analysis confirms Iran's cheetahs belong to the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus.
DNA comparisons show that these Asiatic cheetahs split from other cheetahs, which live in Africa, 30,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest that Iran's cheetahs must be conserved to protect the future of all cheetahs.
Cheetahs formerly existed in 44 countries in Africa but are now only found in 29.
Historically, they were also recorded across southwest and central Asia but can now only be found in Iran.
Scientists have previously said that cheetahs have low genetic variability, theorising that a "population crash" approximately 10,000 years ago led to inbreeding in the species.
Despite this, five 'different' subspecies are currently described according to where they live.
Genetic studies in the 1990s confirmed cheetahs found in southern Africa (A. j. jubatus) and east Africa (A. j. raineyi) as separate subspecies.
However, it has not been clear whether populations in west Africa (A. j. hecki), northern-east Africa (A. j. soemmeringii), and north Africa and Iran (A. j. venaticus) are genetically different enough to deserve their current status as subspecies.
Aiming to solve the puzzle of modern cheetahs' origins, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria have been working in collaboration with the Iranian Department of Environment and wildcat conservation group Panthera.
Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Dr Pamela Burger and her team analysed the DNA of cheetahs from a wide geographical and historical range, including medieval remains found in north-western Iran.
"With our data we prove that current Iranian cheetahs represent the historical Asiatic subspecies A.j. venaticus as they share a similar genetic profile with specimen originating from northwestern Iran in 800-900 CE," explains Dr Burger.
The researchers have also been able to distinguish Iranian cheetahs from their nearest neighbours in northern-east Africa which were confirmed as A. j. soemmeringii.
Cheetahs in north Africa, previously considered the same subspecies as those in Iran, were actually found to have more in common genetically with those in west Africa.
By comparing sequences in the DNA, researchers have found that the unique Asiatic cheetahs separated from the rest of the species in southern Africa over 30,000 years ago.
Dr Burger explains that because this split occurred long before the theorised population crash, A.j. venaticus represents a highly distinct lineage.
"The implications of our discovery are that the confirmation of the subspecies is a basis for future conservation management. If the aim is to conserve this biodiversity, subspecies should not be mixed," she says.
Currently estimated at just 60-100 individuals with less than half at mature breeding age, the Iranian cheetah population is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Together with the United Nations Development Programme, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society the Iranian Department of the Environment has established a programme to make conservation of the Asiatic cheetah a national priority.
Conservationists are concerned that time is running out for Iran's cheetahs.
"We have been successful in stabilising numbers in Iran but we still have a long way to go before we can consider this unique sub-species secure," says Alireza Jourabchian, Director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Programme (CACP) in Iran.
Threats facing the small population include overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9365000/9365567.stm
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter
Iran's critically endangered cheetahs are the last remaining survivors of a unique, ancient Asian subspecies, genetics experts reveal.
New analysis confirms Iran's cheetahs belong to the subspecies Acinonyx jubatus venaticus.
DNA comparisons show that these Asiatic cheetahs split from other cheetahs, which live in Africa, 30,000 years ago.
Researchers suggest that Iran's cheetahs must be conserved to protect the future of all cheetahs.
Cheetahs formerly existed in 44 countries in Africa but are now only found in 29.
Historically, they were also recorded across southwest and central Asia but can now only be found in Iran.
Scientists have previously said that cheetahs have low genetic variability, theorising that a "population crash" approximately 10,000 years ago led to inbreeding in the species.
Despite this, five 'different' subspecies are currently described according to where they live.
Genetic studies in the 1990s confirmed cheetahs found in southern Africa (A. j. jubatus) and east Africa (A. j. raineyi) as separate subspecies.
However, it has not been clear whether populations in west Africa (A. j. hecki), northern-east Africa (A. j. soemmeringii), and north Africa and Iran (A. j. venaticus) are genetically different enough to deserve their current status as subspecies.
Aiming to solve the puzzle of modern cheetahs' origins, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria have been working in collaboration with the Iranian Department of Environment and wildcat conservation group Panthera.
Their findings are published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Dr Pamela Burger and her team analysed the DNA of cheetahs from a wide geographical and historical range, including medieval remains found in north-western Iran.
"With our data we prove that current Iranian cheetahs represent the historical Asiatic subspecies A.j. venaticus as they share a similar genetic profile with specimen originating from northwestern Iran in 800-900 CE," explains Dr Burger.
The researchers have also been able to distinguish Iranian cheetahs from their nearest neighbours in northern-east Africa which were confirmed as A. j. soemmeringii.
Cheetahs in north Africa, previously considered the same subspecies as those in Iran, were actually found to have more in common genetically with those in west Africa.
By comparing sequences in the DNA, researchers have found that the unique Asiatic cheetahs separated from the rest of the species in southern Africa over 30,000 years ago.
Dr Burger explains that because this split occurred long before the theorised population crash, A.j. venaticus represents a highly distinct lineage.
"The implications of our discovery are that the confirmation of the subspecies is a basis for future conservation management. If the aim is to conserve this biodiversity, subspecies should not be mixed," she says.
Currently estimated at just 60-100 individuals with less than half at mature breeding age, the Iranian cheetah population is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Together with the United Nations Development Programme, Panthera and the Wildlife Conservation Society the Iranian Department of the Environment has established a programme to make conservation of the Asiatic cheetah a national priority.
Conservationists are concerned that time is running out for Iran's cheetahs.
"We have been successful in stabilising numbers in Iran but we still have a long way to go before we can consider this unique sub-species secure," says Alireza Jourabchian, Director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Programme (CACP) in Iran.
Threats facing the small population include overhunting of cheetah prey, habitat degradation and direct poaching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9365000/9365567.stm
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The real zoo escapees that mimic the cartoon characters in Madagascar
RIGHT: A Bactrian camel wandering through traffic. Dozens of animals at English zoos have managed to give their keepers the slip. Photo: ALAMYA survey has revealed some of the unusual ways in which animals have succeeded in escaping from zoos across the country.
By Jasper Copping
Published: 8:45AM BST 04 Jul 2010
In the film Madagascar a group of cartoon animals breaks out of New York's Central Park zoo in an attempt to escape into the wild.
Alex the Lion is helped over the perimeter wall by his friend Melman the giraffe, while Gloria the hippopotamus smashes her way straight through, followed by Melman and some monkeys.
The scenario might sound fanciful, but real zoo animals appear to be just as determined and resourceful as their cartoon cousins in liberating themselves from captivity.
The Sunday Telegraph has uncovered details of exactly how dozens of animals at English zoos have managed to give their keepers the slip.
The methods of escape range from gnawing a hole in their cages, to scaling fences and crossing moats. In other cases, the creatures have simply capitalised on human error and got out through doors in their cages that were left open.
The real life escapees include:
- Akea, cheetah, who climbed over an 8ft high solar powered electric fence after it developed a fault. Fortunately, he was swiftly recaptured after he was spotted by a nine-year-old boy playing in his garden and returned to nearby Hamerton Zoo, near Huntingdon;
- A pack of dholes, or Asiatic wild dogs, which chewed through the fence of their pen at Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury. While some were quickly returned to the enclosure, others spread out in the surrounding countryside, leading police to warn the public not to approach the animals. The last one was not located for three days;
- A wolf which gnawed a hole in the wire mesh around its enclosure at Combe Martin Wildlife Park, Devon, and then crawled under the zoo's gate. The animal headed out onto a road near the adjacent village and was seen by a passing motorist, who raised the alarm;
- A wallaby at the same zoo which got out after the door to its enclosure was left open. The wallaby remained at large for several days in the surrounding countryside;
- A forest buffalo, an African creature which normally weighs up to 565kg, which managed to push the wire of its fence high enough to squeeze underneath it, although it did not succeed in getting out of the grounds of Marwell Zoo, near Winchester;
- A sulewesi crested macaque which got off its island compound at the same attraction. The animal was found to be wet when it was recovered elsewhere in the zoo, leading keepers to think it had been in the moat around the island;
- A flamingo, which flew out of the same attraction because staff did not realise it had not had its wings pinioned. It was spotted in a field by a member of the public and eventually recaptured.
One of the most endangered escapees was a red panda called Peter, which got out of his enclosure at London Zoo in the middle of the night and ran into Regent's Park where he climbed a tree.
Security staff alerted keepers who stayed under the tree monitoring him throughout the night. Attempts to coax Peter down with food failed and he had to be shot with a dart.
The information was disclosed in a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to councils, which must be informed of escapes, under the conditions of the licences they grant to zoos.
Each attraction must also hold four "practice escapes" over the course of a year in which a member of staff will play the part of an animal which has got loose.
Miranda Stevenson, director of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said: "We have to accept that things go wrong and to be prepared for these eventualities which we hope are very few and far between.
"Most escapes are not of dangerous animals."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7870260/The-real-zoo-escapees-that-mimic-the-cartoon-characters-in-Madagascar.html
Sunday, April 18, 2010
First wild born cheetah for 40 years in Arabia
April 2010. The last known Arabian cheetah was shot in Saudi Arabia in 1950, though they may have hung on in Oman until around 1970. Now 4 cubs have been born in the wild in a nature reserve on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Wildlife Extra believes that this is also the first time that cheetah have successfully been reintroduced into the wild anywhere in the world.
The cheetahs on Sir Bani Yas Island are from captive bred populations. The mother and father of the cubs, Safira and Gabriel were raised in Dubai's Wildlife Centre and the Sharjah Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife. The cheetahs were brought to the island as part of conservation efforts which include breeding, re-wilding, releasing into the Arabian Wildlife Park to become an integral part of the natural population control for hoofed species on the island.
Cheetahs taught to hunt for themselves
The Sir Bani Yas Island conservation team spends a great deal of time and effort into putting animals that are brought to the island from captive populations through a re-wilding programme and ensuring that the animals are trained to hunt and be self-sufficient before they are released into the Arabian Wildlife Park. Once they are released, the conservation team is removed completely from the animals' day-to-day activities, and the cheetahs, Safira and Gabriel, are a telling example of what can be achieved through re-wilding as they hunt and fend for themselves without human interference.
Low survival rate
Survival rates for cheetah cubs are very low both in the wild and captivity, and according to the conservation team, Safira, the cubs' mother, is doing an impressive job of taking care of her cubs, even though she was raised by humans. She has not yet moved the cubs from their original birth place in a small cave in the mountains. Safira is fitted with a radio collar and can be tracked and monitored by the conservation team on the island.
Arabian Oryx
The flagship specie on Sir Bani Yas is the Arabian Oryx that was introduced in 1971 and was an unprecedented success, as the animal was declared extinct in the wild by 1972. Now, there are around 400 Arabian Oryx on Sir Bani Yas Island roaming freely in the park.
Cheetah for sale in Abu Dhabi
However Wildlife Extra is distressed to find a website based in Abu Dhabi offering cheetah and ocelot kittens for sale. We stress that this is nothing to do with the Arabian Wildlife Park, but it does show that the authorities in Abu Dhabi have a a little way to go to to fully protect cheetah in Abu Dhabi. There can be no conservation while there is a commercial trade in such a rare species.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/arabia-cheetah.html
The cheetahs on Sir Bani Yas Island are from captive bred populations. The mother and father of the cubs, Safira and Gabriel were raised in Dubai's Wildlife Centre and the Sharjah Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife. The cheetahs were brought to the island as part of conservation efforts which include breeding, re-wilding, releasing into the Arabian Wildlife Park to become an integral part of the natural population control for hoofed species on the island.
Cheetahs taught to hunt for themselves
The Sir Bani Yas Island conservation team spends a great deal of time and effort into putting animals that are brought to the island from captive populations through a re-wilding programme and ensuring that the animals are trained to hunt and be self-sufficient before they are released into the Arabian Wildlife Park. Once they are released, the conservation team is removed completely from the animals' day-to-day activities, and the cheetahs, Safira and Gabriel, are a telling example of what can be achieved through re-wilding as they hunt and fend for themselves without human interference.
Low survival rate
Survival rates for cheetah cubs are very low both in the wild and captivity, and according to the conservation team, Safira, the cubs' mother, is doing an impressive job of taking care of her cubs, even though she was raised by humans. She has not yet moved the cubs from their original birth place in a small cave in the mountains. Safira is fitted with a radio collar and can be tracked and monitored by the conservation team on the island.
Arabian Oryx
The flagship specie on Sir Bani Yas is the Arabian Oryx that was introduced in 1971 and was an unprecedented success, as the animal was declared extinct in the wild by 1972. Now, there are around 400 Arabian Oryx on Sir Bani Yas Island roaming freely in the park.
Cheetah for sale in Abu Dhabi
However Wildlife Extra is distressed to find a website based in Abu Dhabi offering cheetah and ocelot kittens for sale. We stress that this is nothing to do with the Arabian Wildlife Park, but it does show that the authorities in Abu Dhabi have a a little way to go to to fully protect cheetah in Abu Dhabi. There can be no conservation while there is a commercial trade in such a rare species.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/arabia-cheetah.html
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I share my home with 11 cats - four cheetahs, five lions and two tigers
Sharing a bed with your furry friend has taken on a whole new meaning for Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen.
But Riana's real dream was fully realised after she set up the not-for-profit Fiela Funds Cheetah Breeding Project in South Africa to ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah and their ecosystem.
The sanctuary worker shares her South African home with not one but FOUR orphaned cheetahs, five lions and two tigers.
Forty-six-year-old Riana said: 'I love them all. But they're a handful.'
Riana bought her first cheetah, Fiela in 2006, after realising the big cats were in trouble and heading for extinction with only 1000 left in Africa.
She left her full time job working for the department of justice - a position she had held for 22 years - and found temporary employment on a game ranch where she could raise her beloved big cat.
But Riana's real dream was fully realised after she set up the not-for-profit Fiela Funds Cheetah Breeding Project in South Africa to ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah and their ecosystem.
The project spreads over a hectare of land and visitors can meet Fiela and the other cats and even have their pictures taken.
And if you want to outdo your friends in the wedding photo stakes the project also offers newly weds the chance to be snapped cuddling up to a big cat.
The cats in Riana's own home are truly part of the family and are allowed to roam freely.
They make it known when they are hungry, even jumping up onto work surfaces in an attempt to snatch a bite of whatever's going.
Luckily Riana's two dogs aren't on the menu but instead romp with the cats and even snuggle down with them for a snooze.
The cheetahs have even been known to sit in on the odd card game but whether they offered any cat-like-cunning or poker faces is unknown.
By Amy Oliver
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Animal lover's house is really wild
By JOEL TAYLOR - Wednesday, April 1, 2009Cheetahs lounging in the bedroom, a leopard stealing scraps from the kitchen and wolves roaming the garden? No, it's not the set of an amiable safari-based Sunday evening TV drama - it's Riana van Nieuwenhuizen's place.
The big cat lover sold everything she owned to turn her home into a haven for felines.
They have complete freedom to roam the house, often sleeping in their owner's bed and making a nuisance of themselves while she does chores.
Cheetah Fiela has even learned to open cupboards and drawers - and Ms van Nieuwenhuizen swears that licks from the big cat's tongue knock spots off even the best skin exfoliators.
'A beauty therapist once asked me about my skin products because I didn't have a single dead cell on my skin - I told her it was a cheetah's tongue,' she said. The 46-year-old became besotted with big cats as a child.
After realising she had failed to grow out of the obsession three years ago, she gave up her office job and sold her townhouse so she could buy a cheetah and move to a friend's game farm.
Her brood - reminiscent of the one on ITV's Wild At Heart drama - has been increasing ever since thanks to visitor donations and she now boasts nine cheetahs, three leopards, two wolves, a jaguar, a lion and three dogs. They chomp their way through 25kg (55lb) of meat a day.
'They all live together harmoniously,' said Ms van Nieuwenhuizen, of Bloemfontein, South Africa.
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Animal_lovers_house_is_really_wild&in_article_id=605768&in_page_id=2&in_a_source=
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Fossilised skull suggests cheetahs evolved in Asia not Americas
The most primitive cheetah ever found throws into doubt the theory that the fleet-footed feline shared a common ancestor with pumasJames Randerson, science correspondent guardian.co.uk
Monday 29 December 2008 22.00 GMT
The fossilised skull of a big cat unearthed in north-west China has been identified as the most primitive cheetah ever found. The skull, which is between 2.16m and 2.55m years old, is superbly preserved and its location has cast doubt on ideas that cheetahs evolved in the Americas.
One theory is that modern cheetahs shared a common ancestor with pumas in the Americas, but the fossil record of the puma goes back only around 400,000 years in the US. Because the current find is so much older, it is strong evidence for an evolutionary origin for cheetahs in Asia.
Cheetahs are the fastest land animal, using short bursts of speed in excess of 70mph to capture prey. They are now found almost exclusively in Africa and are classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of endangered species as vulnerable to extinction.
One sub-species called the Asiatic cheetah still exists in Iran. Numbering between 60 and 100 individuals and critically endangered, according to the Red List, it represents the remnants of a much larger population that was once widespread across Asia but was devastated by human-induced habitat destruction and hunting.
The new find, from the Linxia basin in China's Gansu province, suggests that Asia was the evolutionary cradle for the fleet felines. The nearly complete skull is among the oldest cheetah fossils yet found. It is around the same age as a 2.5m year-old related species discovered in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1997.
But according to its discoverers, Dr Per Christiansen at the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen, and Dr Ji Mazák of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in China, the new find – dubbed Acinonyx kurteni – has a unique set of characteristics. "We present a new discovery from the late Pliocene of China of a new species of primitive cheetah, whose skull shows a unique combination of primitive and derived characters," they wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The big cat's evolutionary history is poorly understood because few fossils have been found.
The skull is around the same size as living cheetahs, but it has a very wide braincase relative to the skull's length. It also has enlarged frontal sinuses and its teeth are "surprisingly primitive", according to the researchers.
They suggest that other cheetah specimens that are known only from fossilised teeth may have been misidentified by other scientists. "The dentition is far more primitive than in all other cheetah-like cats, raising doubts on the identification of isolated dental finds of large cats from the Pliocene-Pleistocene of Eurasia and Africa, which are often attributed to leopards," they wrote.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/dec/29/fossil-cheetah-skull-evolution
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Rare cheetah captured on camera
The first camera-trap photographs of the critically endangered Northwest African, or Saharan cheetah, have been obtained in an experiment in Algeria.
The images were captured as part of a project run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Office du Parc National de l'Ahaggar (OPNA).
The animal is known with certainty to range in six countries: Algeria, Togo, Niger, Mali, Benin, and Burkina Faso.
But the total population may be fewer than 250 mature individuals.
The pictures come from a systematic camera-trap survey across the central Sahara.
It managed to identify four different Saharan cheetahs using spot patterns unique to each animal.
"The Saharan cheetah is critically endangered, yet virtually nothing is known about the population, so this new evidence, and the ongoing research work, is hugely significant," said ZSL's Dr Sarah Durant.
Farid Belbachir, who is running the field survey, added: "This is an incredibly rare and elusive subspecies of cheetah and current population estimates, which stand at less than 250 mature individuals, are based on guesswork.
"This study is helping us to turn a corner in our understanding, providing us with information about population numbers, movement and ecology."
For photo please see article at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7905986.stm
The images were captured as part of a project run by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Office du Parc National de l'Ahaggar (OPNA).
The animal is known with certainty to range in six countries: Algeria, Togo, Niger, Mali, Benin, and Burkina Faso.
But the total population may be fewer than 250 mature individuals.
The pictures come from a systematic camera-trap survey across the central Sahara.
It managed to identify four different Saharan cheetahs using spot patterns unique to each animal.
"The Saharan cheetah is critically endangered, yet virtually nothing is known about the population, so this new evidence, and the ongoing research work, is hugely significant," said ZSL's Dr Sarah Durant.
Farid Belbachir, who is running the field survey, added: "This is an incredibly rare and elusive subspecies of cheetah and current population estimates, which stand at less than 250 mature individuals, are based on guesswork.
"This study is helping us to turn a corner in our understanding, providing us with information about population numbers, movement and ecology."
For photo please see article at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7905986.stm
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