News articles on big cats

Malayan tiger population plunges to just 250-340 individuals

(09/16/2014) Malaysia is on the edge of losing its tigers, and the world is one step nearer to losing another tiger subspecies: the Malayan tiger. Camera trap surveys from 2010-2013 have estimated that only 250-340 Malayan tigers remain, potentially a halving of the previous estimate of 500 individuals.


Meet the newest enemy to India's wildlife

(09/11/2014) A boom in infrastructure and population has forced India's wildlife to eke out a creative existence in an increasingly human-modified environment. Big cats such as the leopard are often spotted within large cities, on railway tracks, and sadly, on India's burgeoning and sprawling road network.


Zambia ends trophy hunting ban, elephants fair game

(09/09/2014) After 20 months, Zambia has lifted its ban on hunting, allowing trophy hunters to target numerous species in the wildlife-rich country including elephants. The announcement was made by the country's Tourism and Art's Minister, Jean Kapata, who stated that the ban had resulted in a loss of revenue to the Zambia Wild Life Authority (ZAWA).- READ MORE

Soldier has encounter with big cat

THERE have long been reports of big cats roaming the countryside in the Cirencester district.

As she was returning from work last month, soldier Jess Mumford became another person convinced they have spotted one of the animals.

The black leopard-like creature was spotted by Jess as she was driving out of Poulton, near Cirencester, early on the morning of August 8.

Jess, who is a movement controller at RAF Brize Norton, and part of 29 Regiment near Cirencester, was driving out of the village on the A417 when she spotted the animal, which she said was about five foot long.

She said: “I saw a reflection of the eyes in my headlights, it alerted me to something. I slowed down to ten miles per hour and this cat was no more than a road width away from me...

READ MORE

US SIGHTINGS: Save the cat? Some want boy-attacking puma spared

The hunt was back on Tuesday for a mountain lion that attacked a 6-year-old boy Sunday west of Cupertino. But after officials announced they were intent on killing the animal, some outraged readers weighed in, urging the big cat be spared.

More

CARTOON ADVERT FOR MYSTERY CATS -BY MARK ANTONY RAINES -GHOSTMAN

UK SIGHTINGS: Wild cat sighting on Cannock Chase

Wild cat sighting on Cannock Chase

expressandstar.com

The black and white photograph shows a cat-like creature sitting on a branch ... It is the latest reported sighted of a big cat in the forest in Staffordshire

LIONS HUNTING BABOONS - SHOCKING AMAZING NATURE DOCUMENTARY

UK SIGHTING: 'Big Cat' beast of Ballykinler is 'probably a lurcher'

The Army has poured scorn on reports that a big cat is on the prowl

Reports emerged of a 'Beast of Ballykinler' roaming around after camera operators at the Army base of the same name picked up something moving at night.

But the Ministry of Defence said that while something had been picked up in Co Down, it was more likely to be a dog.

Read more...

US SIGHTINGS: Mountain lion killed is believed to have attacked boy

Mountain lion killed is believed to have attacked boy

Los Angeles Times

Before their encounter with the mountain lion, wildlife officers had been tracking fresh paw prints believed to be from the same cat that attacked the boy ...

Documentary - The Wild beasts of The Jungle - National Geographic

NEWSLINK: Big Cats Initiative

1. Help Us Save Big Cats
2. 
   
   Save a Lion, Build a Boma
3. 
   
   Nat Geo WILD Big Cat Week: Nature’s Fiercest Felines
4. 
   
   Project: Maasai Steppe Conservation

big cats mission

We are committed to saving lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other big cats in the wild.

National Geographic, along with Dereck and Beverly Joubert, launched the Big Cats Initiative to raise awareness and implement change to the dire situation facing big cats.-

READ MORE

VIDEO: Man plays with wild lions; big cats treat him as a friend

VIDEO: Spain's Last Lynx - Nature Documentary

US SIGHTINGS: Outdoors: Looking for panthers in Alabama

Outdoors: Looking for panthers in Alabama

Anniston Star

What bought up the subject of big cats in our state was a report from a couple in Cullman County. The husband and wife were riding a motorcycle on a ...

NEWSLINK: The Spirit of Sher: Big Cats in Kyrgyzstan

The Spirit of Sher: Big Cats in Kyrgyzstan

Snow Leopard Conservancy

At the recent Global Big Cat Alliance gathering in Timbavati, South Africa, Mairamkul presented his recent paintings, drawn from the ancient culture of ...

NEWSLINK: Bangladesh meet begins to save endangered tigers

14th September 2014

Some 140 tiger experts and government officials from 20 countries met in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Sunday to review progress towards an ambitious goal of doubling their number in the wild by 2022.

The nations, including the 13 where tigers are still found in the wild, had vowed at a landmark meeting in 2010 in the Russian city of St Petersburg to double the population of critically endangered wild tigers.

Experts say the number declined to as few as 3,200 in 2010 from 100,000 only a century ago. But since then, poaching has reached critical levels and has emerged as the greatest threat to wild tigers.

Read more ...

NEWSLINK: California mountain lion shot dead confirmed as cat that attacked boy

12th September 2014

A mountain lion that was shot out of a tree by California wildlife officers has been confirmed by DNA testing to be the same cat that attacked a 6-year-old boy earlier this week, state officials said on Friday.

Samples of DNA taken from the 74-pound cougar during a necropsy and forensic examination matched saliva left on the boy's shirt following the encounter on Sunday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a written statement.

Lab tests also determined that the mountain lion was about two years old, healthy and did not have rabies, the department said.

Read on ...

HUSANI

Picture is of HUSANI  a rare  white lion club enjoying the shade at ZOOLAND,PANAMA CITY,FLORIDA.

NEWSLINK: Oregon Zoo euthanizes newborn lion cub after injury

(Reuters) - The Oregon Zoo said on Friday it was forced to euthanize a newborn lion cub after it had been grievously injured by its mother accidentally.

Zoo workers became worried about the four-day-old cub on Thursday night when they noticed it wasn't moving like its three siblings, the zoo said in a statement.

Caretakers entered the private den of the first-time mother, seven-year-old Kya, and saw a badly infected wound on the cub's rear thigh. The mother further opened the wound in attempts to clean the gash, the zoo said.

The cause of the injuries were a mystery until workers reviewed surveillance footage of the den, the zoo said. Workers say Kya accidentally bit into the cub's femoral vein and artery when she gripped the newborn in her jaws shortly after birth.

On Thursday night, caretakers determined the injuries were untreatable and euthanized the cub.

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NEWSLINK: Comedian Vic Reeves helps save three leopard cubs

Comedian Jim Moir (better known as Vic Reeves), his wife Nancy and daughters Lizzy and Nellie, recently flew out to the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa with international wildlife charity, The Born Free Foundation.

Jim, a patron of the charity which was founded 30 years ago by actress and conservationist Virginia McKenna OBE and her late husband Bill Travers MBE, was asked to assist a team of wildlife professionals in moving three rescued leopards - Sami, Alam and Namira - to their new enclosure at the Born Free Big Cat Rescue Centre on the Reserve.

The triplets were sedated by Dr Johan Joubert, and carefully moved with the help of Land Rover Experience to their new home. 

The Moir family assisted throughout and were thrilled to be able to get so involved.

Jim described moving the leopards as: “An incredible experience. They’re such big, powerful beasts that you wouldn’t want to go anywhere near them when they are awake!”

Describing the moment the animals arrived in their new enclosure, Nancy said: “When we saw them go into their new home we all cheered!”

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NEWSLINK: SAD END FOR A AFRICAN LION

A health protection manager from Chichester council was surprised to find a dead African lion in a restaurant  freezer.The owner said the local zoo give to him to feed his dogs?,all that was done was a code violation for keeping meat not meant for human consumption  on the restaurant,sad end for a beautiful creature.

TUJIRI

Picture is of four year old African lioness-TUJIRI licking one of her four cubs at PHILADEPHIA ZOO

NEWSLINK: Big cat on a hot tin roof! Moment tiger hitches a lift on top of a CAR as it drives es-lift-CAR-drives-nature-reserve

Tigers may be fit and dynamic creatures who can run at speeds of up to 37mph but judging by this unusual video even they sometimes feel like catching a handy ride on a lazy day.

This video shows a tiger taking a ride on a moving car in Everland Safari in South Korea.

A group of visitors to the park are then seen pointing in astonishment as they witness the tiger stretching its legs on top of the vehicle as it turns a corner. 

Big Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes a ride on car in Korea Safari

The visitors, seem to be informing other members of their group about the unexpected sight.

The tiger looks calm and relaxed as he takes his unexpected ride on top of the black and white striped safari car.

Moments after the car and tiger come into shot another tiger is seen walking towards the car in a curious manner.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2750682/Big-cat-hot-tin-roof-Moment-tiger-hitches-lift-CAR-drives-nature-reserve.html#ixzz3DCGb2FpC
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UK SIGHTINGS: Wild cat sighting on Cannock Chase

The Cannock Chase Cat

The image of the feline creature was captured on film and posted on social network Twitter by user OrangeCat@Cocktimusprime4 who says: “I saw the #Cannock #Chase #Cat today walked up tree and stared at me it was the size of a average dog.”

The black and white photograph shows a cat-like creature sitting on a branch amid thick foliage with its back to the lens.

It is the latest reported sighted of a big cat in the forest in Staffordshire.

Have you seen the Cannock Chase cat? Leave your comments below.

Rumours about mysterious beasts roaming the site are as old as the hills in the area and have become legends.

In August 2009 there were reports of big cats preying on deer on the Chase.

The following year a large paw print was discovered, in Norton Canes, by plumber Kevin Goodson who was walking his two labradors. The discovery of the six-inch impression came a fortnight after a deer kill prompted fears of a big cat stalking the Chase. Retired miner Steve Allatt, of Heath Hayes, he discovered a fawn lying dead in a ditch with two puncture holes in its neck.

An expert from the Exotic Animal Registry based in Bristol said that a black panther may have been responsible for it.

Reports of wild cats in West Midland woodlands have been rife ever since the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976 imposed stringent conditions on anybody keeping such animals. Reports of such animals being released into the wild by people who previously kept them as pets have led to countless legends.READ MORE

NEWSLINK: Call for greater protection of endangered lynx in the US

New rules reduce rare wild cat’s critical habitat despite extending legal protection in 48 states, conservationists say

theguardian.com, Friday 12 September 2014 11.48 BST

The US federal government will extend protection to all imperilled Canada lynx in the lower 48 states, but wildlife advocates said on Thursday it was ignoring important parts of the rare cats’ range and vowed to challenge the move in court.

Thickly furred lynx roam through high country from Maine to Washington and south through the Rocky Mountains. They are classified as threatened in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act.

Amid calls from conservation groups for greater protections, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said in a rule to be published on Friday that it was extending the act’s protection to all lynx “where found” in the contiguous United States. The law broadly bans killing or injuring imperiled animals without a special permit.

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Saber-toothed cat struts down Wilshire, and comes home to the Tar Pits!

This video is just a bit  of fun,know not real but hay maybe one day.

NEWSLINK-LION CUBS PLAYING

Picture is of three lion cubs ,born July 1st  2014 playing at the zoo in Hannover,Germany.

NEWSLINK-TIGER ENJOYS A COFFEE BREAK

Banda a Sumatran tiger is seen here enjoying playing with a bag of coffee bean husks.This was a donation from the Costa Rica plantation company Torquay along with hessian bags given to Paigton Zoo.This gives tigers and other animals in the zoo a mental and physical stimulation.

VIDEO: Lions Documentary Deep Inside Big Cats Discectomy to Know them Better

NEWSLINK: Why dozens of India's Asiatic lions are dying

7 September 2014 Last updated at 22:19

By Ankur JainBBC Hindi, Ahmedabad

Is the last abode of the Asiatic lion turning into a death trap for the big cat?

Gir in India's Gujarat state is home to Asiatic lions and has seen 256 lions dying in the past five years.

Experts say their population is at risk with the big cats making new homes in human settlements.

Once widespread in Gujarat, the lion population shrank to a mere dozen in the early 20th Century, mainly due to hunting and drought.

But Nawab Mahabat Khanji of then Junagadh state, an animal lover who kept 300 dogs as pets, banned lion hunting, and was able to preserve the big cat.

However, in the last century as the lion population started soaring, the 1,400 sq km (540 sq miles) Gir sanctuary in Junagadh state began to be too small for the animals.

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UK SIGHTINGS: UPDATED WITH VIDEO: Mystery beast captured on camera?

by Victoria Bull

thegazette@jpress.co.uk

Updated on the 04 September 2014 

The idea that there may be a frightening feline on the prowl in Hemel Hempstead hasn’t made many people paws for thought... but a cat-trick of reported sightings have been followed by a fourth which has been captured on video.

Since we reported last week that CCTV engineer Haroon Khan spotted what looked like a monstrous moggy as he drove along Bunkers Lane, two other sharp-eyed residents have been in touch to say they’ve seen the beast, too.

And today a motorist, who has asked to remain anonymous, has sent the Gazette a video of an unidentifiable ‘beast’ near Buncefield. On first viewing the animal appears to be a large fox. But on closer inspection its body is not that of a typical fox and is very much feline and chocolate brown/grey in colour.

That matches the description of Karen Dunn, who explained she saw a large cat in an ‘unusual chocolate brown colour that lightened in to almost ginger at its tips’ carrying a dead bird in its mouth, near Gadebridge Park alongside the Leighton Buzzard Road.

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NEWSLINK: Mountain lion attack leaves six-year-old California boy injured

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A mountain lion attacked and injured a 6-year-old boy hiking with family and friends on Sunday along a wooded trail in California's Silicon Valley before two adults managed to frighten the cat away, a state wildlife official said.

The attack occurred at about 1 p.m. local time in an open-space preserve adjacent to the historic Picchetti Ranch Winery just west of the town of Cupertino, said Lieutenant Patrick Foy of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The victim's parents reported that the child was walking about 10 feet ahead of the rest of the group - two adult couples each hiking with their three small children - when "the mountain lion came out of nowhere" and grabbed the boy.

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VIDEO: Lioness Shows Trust in Man with Her Newborn Cubs ✔

VIDEO: Kevin and the black leopards

VIDEO: Black Leopard and The Animal Communicator, Anna Breytenbach

VIDEO: Exclusive Black Panther Sighting in The UK

VIDEO: Big Cat Britain: Part 1

VIDEO: Big Cats Of The Timbavati (National Geographic Wild Documentary)

VIDEO: Big Cats Of The Timbavati (National Geographic Wild Documentary)

US SIGHTINGS: Virginia cougar sightings: Real or just cat tales?

ANDREW SHURTLEFF | The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress

A ruler shows the size of a paw print cast by Albemarle County farm owner Ed Creasy who believes it was a panther track. Photo/The Daily Progress/Andrew Shurtleff

Posted: Sunday, August 31, 2014 6:25 pm

By Bryan Mckenzie The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress

A funny thing happened while Tim Bennett weed-whacked on a Scottsville farm two weeks ago: a big black cat crossed his path.

It was a really big black cat.

“He was all black, had a round face and long, black tail,” said Bennett, a seasoned woodsman who runs a landscaping business near Scottsville.

Bennett is pretty sure the cat was a black cougar, the elusive cousin of the elusive mountain lion that has been reported in a variety of Virginia mountain counties but has yet to be proven to exist.

Cougar sightings are commonplace with the big cats having been reported everywhere from Lynchburg and Bath County on to Rockingham County. Cougars themselves, however, are not as commonplace as their sightings.

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UK SIGHTINGS: Another 'big cat' sighting

First published Monday 1 September 2014 in Newsby Sue Lewis

Another sighting has been made of the 'big black cat' in Aberporth.

Last week, as first reported in the Tivy-Side, dog walker Jane Bowling said she saw a panther-like creature in woodland near the river Gilwen behind Plas Estate.

And now another villager John Watson says he saw a similar creature on the Tresaith Road while he was out walking his dog in the early morning - the day before Mrs Bowling reported her sighting.

It ran off into scrubland near Helyg Fach caravan park.

Mr Watson, who has retired after a career with Unilever, said:

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NEWSLINK-Big cat-like creature spotted in village

A SHAKEN Aberporth dog-walker has described how he felt “menaced” by a huge, black cat-like creature which bounded across his path while he took his Jack Russell terrier out on an early morning stroll along Tresaith Road.
John Watson, 71, and family pet Rags were confronted by the panther-like animal which emerged from near the entrance of The Willows Caravan Park and bolted across the road into scrubland near Helyg Fach Caravan Park opposite.
The incident happened at 6.45am on Thursday, 21 August – just 24 hours before a fellow dog-walker spotted a similar-looking beast in dense woodland near the River Gilwen on the opposite side of the village. “I was scared for both myself and my dog,” Mr Watson told the Cambrian News. “I just felt naked – like I had nowhere to go.
“My immediate thought was it’s only got to look in my direction and then what? I saw it from a range of 80- 90 feet. It was very big and moved very fast and, to me, looked just like a puma or a panther.
It didn’t run like a dog – it loped like a cat.” Mr Watson – who speculated the creature had a regular “run” alongside a nearby stream - said he had initially been “torn” over whether to report the sighting or not. “Part of me doesn’t want to be a scaremongerer,” he said.
“On the other hand I think people should be aware that this animal is running around here.” He added that during the winter he had frequently glimpsed a pair of “big yellow eyes” in the light of his torch while walking Rags along the nearby coast path.
“I’d always assumed those eyes belonged to a feral cat or a fox,” he said. “Now I’m not so sure.”
The following day, pensioner Jane Bowling also had a close encounter of the cat kind near the River Gilwen.
Mrs Bowling, 72, of Parc-y-Plas, says she watched in amazement as an animal twice as large as her black labrador Tyson raced across a field in the direction of the river at around 3pm.

Click here for the full story, or see this week's South edition of the Cambrian News

NEWSLINK: Various from Mark

Big Cat Attacks

These big cat attack stories are from 1919-2014.  There are quite a few, so a search for keyword may be helpful. For an Excel sheet of incidents by state, by year, by species and by country go HERE   http://youtu.be/tU9pkFsdYpg   Click to see the killings, maulings and escapes by big cats by total for each state  for  less detail, but numbers updated through 2013.   See a list of all of the known tigers in USDA facilities in America. Note that no one knows how many are in backyards and basements of private Read More

Petition

We Petition Congress, USDA & USFWS to: Ban the Private Possession of Wild Animals. Wild animals in cages do nothing to enhance the survival of the species in the wild. There are no reintroduction programs whereby big cats are bred in cages for reintroduction to the wild. On the contrary, the private possession of wild animals harms the survival of those in the wild because paying to see them diverts money from real conservation and they provide a smoke screen for illegal poaching. Authorities cannot tell a captive bred READ MORE

VIDEO: National Geographic Live! - Vincent J. Musi: Big Cats Up Close

US SIGHTINGS: Have you seen a panther in Alabama? Prove state officials wrong, send us your pictures

By Erin Edgemon | eedgemon@al.com 

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on August 26, 2014 at 12:14 PM, updated August 26, 2014 at 12:16 PM

Within a few hours of publishing an article on a 'big cat' sighting in Cullman County, AL.com has received dozens of comments from readers saying they have had similar sightings.

Allen and Melony Goodwin say a big cat resembling a Florida panther crossed the road in front of them as they were traveling on a motorcycle on County Road 831 in the Logan community of Cullman County three weeks ago.

Biologists with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources say there hasn't been any evidence of Florida panthers in the state for more than 50 years.

They don't say it isn't possible, but they don't have any real, documented proof.

So, AL.com readers if you have seen a big cat in the wild in Alabama take our poll, tell us your story and send us your pictures.

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NEWSLINK: Cougar menaces hikers in Waterton Lakes National Park

Karen Owen, CTV Calgary 

Published Tuesday, August 26, 2014 12:44PM MDT 

Last Updated Tuesday, August 26, 2014 6:59PM MDT

A 16-year-old girl was attacked by a cougar yesterday in Waterton Lakes National Park.

The cougar had been threatening other hikers throughout the day, but this was the first attack.

Mykaela Belter, who lives in St. Albert, was hiking with her family along the Lakeshore Trail. 

The teenager was walking past a bush when the cougar attacked her.

The girl’s sister grabbed her and the cougar let go.

The teenager has some puncture wounds on her thigh and lower back. 

She received stitches at the hospital and was released.

Parks Canada had sent out resource officers earlier in the day to look for the cougar.

Read more:

NEWSLINK: Mack-based guide guilty in big cat hunt scheme

Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 2:00 am

Staff Report

Another guilty plea has been tendered in a case that saw mountain lions and bobcats caged in advance of hunts offered by Christopher Loncarich’s outfitting company.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Loncarich, 55, of Mack, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the federal Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to knowingly transport or sell wildlife taken in violation of state laws or regulations.

Loncarich faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines at his Nov. 20 sentencing.

Source

NEWSLINK: Tiger panel report paints grim picture for Bandhavgarh big cats

From lax patrolling and invasive human habitation to deadly territorial battles and changing prey base, a range of threats is contributing to the increasing number of tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh reserve, which has the country’s highest density of big cats, a new report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has said.

Over the past five years, some 16 tigers have died in Bandhavgarh, mostly from territorial fighting among tigers as well as poaching, leaving wildlife experts and activists worried about the future of the animals in what is considered among the safest sanctuaries for tigers in India.

The killing of two tigresses earlier this year, including a radio collared tigress in Bandhavgarh prompted the NTCA to ask its regional office in Nagpur to look into the cause of growing tiger deaths in the reserve.

The report, which was submitted to NTCA recently, paints a grim future for big cats in Bandhavgarh.

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NEWSLINK: Video: Adorable black jaguar born at Wingham Wildlife Park in Wingham near Canterbury

18 August 2014

by Lowri Stafford

lstafford@thekmgroup.co.uk

With its big blue eyes and its fluffy black coat, this baby jaguar is proving a hit at Wingham Wildlife Park.

The adorable cub was born at the zoo to mum Luna and dad Loki.

She is the first-ever big cat to be born at the park, near Canterbury.

The cub was born at the park three weeks ago

In appearance, she takes after black Luna more than yellow-spotted Loki.

The latter comes from Germany and was the first-ever white jaguar to be born in Europe.

Video footage has been released of the birth at 7.40pm on Sunday, July 27.

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US SIGHTINGS: Was The Norwalk Cat An ABC Or Just A Big Canine?

August 20, 2014

Paul Seaburn

As reported here and around the world, a homeowner in Norwalk, California, checked the video on his home surveillance camera the night of July 29 and saw what appeared to be a mountain lion or possibly an escaped African lion walking through his yard. Wildlife experts, police and anyone with an opinion could not come to any agreement on what the creature was, where it came from or where it went. Now some are claiming proof it’s just a big dog, but the evidence is still sketchy.

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NEWSLINK: The Mystery of Britain’s Alien Big Cats

In a nation where the biggest carnivorous predator is a badger, why are there so many reported sightings of large cats?

BY KATIE HEANEY • August 20, 2014 • 12:00 PM

In 1983, a farmer in South Molton, a small town in the southern English county of Devon, reported a startling loss in livestock: 100 sheep had been killed, apparently violently, over a period of three months. Their throats had been slashed across. For many, the slaughter confirmed the area’s vague but persistent legend, sighted since the early 1970s, of a large, possibly phantom cat. Named for the hilly moorland it was said to roam, they called it the “Beast of Exmoor.”

The public reacted swiftly. The Daily Express offered the equivalent of a $1,600 reward for video footage of the Beast. More surprisingly, the British government sent a group of Royal Marines snipers into the hills to find (and possibly kill) the creature. The seriousness with which they treated the mission can probably be assessed through the name they gave it: “Operation Beastie.” Still, the snipers looked for three nights, until the Ministry of Defense called off the search due to concerns they might mistakenly shoot one of several reward-seeking amateur photographers thought to be on the same hunt.

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NEWSLINK: Nothing entertaining about losing our big cats

editorial

There’s a fun TV show currently running on the National Geographic channel called “Urban Jungle,” in which an intrepid host takes viewers to cities around the world and shows them wild scenes where animals have run amok.

The show chronicles snakes, monkeys, bats, wild dogs, elephants, even leopards on the loose in some of the world’s major urban centers. It’s about wild animals turning up in places very close to home— sometimes in the home—where you’d least expect them to be.

The mountain lion of the Santa Monica Mountains is a good example of a wild animal on the doorstep of man, but sadly, their numbers are disappearing.

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US SIGHTINGS: Photo appears to show long-rumored big cat roaming southwest Allen County

Local man has notified state officials, wants to alert public

By Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel

Thursday, August 21, 2014 - 8:27 am

Years of unconfirmed reports of a big cat roaming rural Allen County may have finally received visual documentation.

Fort Wayne resident Rob Peterson said he and his wife, Rita, were visiting neighbors in their Covington Woods subdivision in Aboite Township last Saturday when he noticed something moving in the brush behind the house. "I noticed a head sticking out. We just kept watching and the cat finally came out in plain view. We were all surprised by it but didn't make any attempt to get closer, just kept watching until it disappeared," he said.

Read on ...

NEWSLINK: Leopard trapped; nights of terror end

Operation to catch the big cat, which had prowled the periphery of the city scaring residents, was launched a month ago

For the residents in the area hemmed in by Tumkur Road, Magadi Road and Nice Road on the periphery of the city, it was a curfew spanning more than a month. An adult leopard paid regular nocturnal visits to the area and had — from the time it was first spotted in early July — killed a calf, three goats, three dogs and a sheep. The wild carnivore had kept residents indoors after dark, a self-imposed curfew that was strictly obeyed.

On Friday that curfew was lifted when the leopard, a magnificent animal in its prime, was finally trapped by forest officials. It ended more than a month of restless, fearful nights for residents and days of worrying for forest officials. The big cat was caught close to Dasanpura off Tumkur Road next to Jindal Nature in the wee hours of Friday.

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NEWSLINK: Vietnam faces pressing need for saving wild tigers

A 2011 survey by the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources showed that the number of wild tigers in Vietnam fell sharply, with between 27 – 47 individuals, recorded mainly in the Muong Nhe Nature Reserve, and the Pu Mat, Vu Quang, Chu Mom Ray and Yok Don national parks.

The main reason behind the situation is the poaching and illegal trading of tigers and their prey, which have yet been controlled by authorised agencies.

The big cat’s natural habitat is dwindling seriously due to men’s acts of cutting down forests for cultivable land, hydro-power plants, infrastructure, and mining.

It is reported that natural forests have shrunk from 43 percent of Vietnam’s land area in late 20th century to 17 percent at present.

Since the 1960s, the country was aware of the importance of conserving wildlife, adopting an ordinance to ban the hunt of wild animals.

It added tigers along with many other species to the list of those in need of protection and summoned numerous resources for the work.

However, a host of problems remain, hindering efforts to save the big cat, so are different viewpoints from national to international scales on how to conserve it.

Read more ...

NEWSLINK: Big cat on Icrisat campus finally caught

TNN | Aug 25, 2014, 03.11AM IST

HYDERABAD: After five months of playing hide and seek, the leopard that had made the sprawling International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) campus its home, was finally captured early on Sunday. 

The five-year-old big cat was at large ever since it was spotted on the campus five months ago. Several attempts were made by forest officials to trap it, including with live bait and even a perfume containing pheromones. When these did not work, they tried to lure it with a female panther brought from the zoo. But the animal, which the officials termed as 'smart', remained elusive. But on Sunday morning its luck ran out after it got caught in a snare kept near a live bait. The zoo staff who reached the spot after being informed by Icrisat officials tranquilized and relieved the leopard from the trap. Its health was assessed and when veterinarians gave the go ahead, it was transported to Mannanur in the Srisailam Tiger Reserve area, about 200 km from Patancheru, where it was let loose. 

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CANADA SIGHTINGS: Big cat roaming Edmonton likely a lynx, not a cougar

BY TREVOR ROBB, EDMONTON SUN

FIRST POSTED: MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 02:30 PM MDT | UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014 02:40 PM MDT

A large cat padding around the central part of the city on Sunday was likely a lynx, not a cougar, officials say.

Around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, calls came into police from people saying they saw a large cat -- that appeared to be as big as a cougar -- roaming around near the Old Timers' Cabin on Scona Road.

An Alberta Justice spokesman said Monday that while Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers were unable to locate the animal, it "was likely not a cougar."

"From the description, it could have been a lynx, but they're not really considered a public safety threat. It's rare enough to see them and it's extremely rare for them to make any contact with humans," Brendan Cox said.

"There are a lot of rabbits in the city and they (Lynx) do like to prey on rabbits, so it's possible there may have been one looking for rabbits."

Continued ...

UK SIGHTINGS: Motorist spots ‘big cat’ on the prowl

by victoria West

thegazette@jpress.co.uk

Published on the26August 

2014 

15:00

A motorist believes he saw a ‘big cat’ on the prowl in Hemel Hempstead - and thinks it could be the offspring of a giant feline spotted near the area in recent years.

CCTV engineer Haroon Khan was travelling home from work along Bunkers Lane when he made the mysterious discovery.

“The legs looked quite chunky. It definitely wasn’t a normal cat, it was too big,” he said.

“There were some other sightings near Abbots Langley and Kings Langley - Bunkers Lane is going towards there. There was a sighting of a big cat a few years ago so it is probably its cub.

“It was just walking along the road by the bushes. I stopped and reversed to see if I could see it but it was quite dense.

“Other people might have seen something.”

>Have you spotted the big cat? Email thegazette@jpress.co.uk

http://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/more-news/motorist-spots-big-cat-on-the-prowl-1-6260972

UK SIGHTINGS - Is there a big cat on the loose in Cirencester?

First published Wednesday 27 August 2014 in News

by Brendan McFadden, Reporter

A BIG cat has been spotted on the loose in Cirencester.

The Standard was informed that a black big cat was seen in a field next to Cirencester Rugby Football Club on Sunday August 17 at 4pm.

Police spokesman Nigel Sargeant said the police have received no big cat reports.

Chairman of Cirencester Rugby Football Club, Tim Thompson said nobody from the club had sighted any of the animals.

“I have not seen anything and not heard a thing. We had a committee meeting recently and nobody said anything.”

Have you seen the big cat? If so email bmc@wiltsglosstandard.co.uk

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/11434856.Is_there_a_big_cat_on_the_loose_in_Cirencester_/