NEWSLINK: How the lion has been weakened: More than 100 years of hunting has seen big cats lose their strength and put their survival at risk

Still hailed as the king of the jungle, the lion species has seen an alarming rapid decline in their genetic fitness from their ancestors who lived more than 100 years ago. Following a study conducted by researchers at the Zoological Society of London, the impact of hunting the big cats has seen a worrying decline in their genetic status. According to the research, the decline in their physical strength over the course of a century is likely to have been impacted by hunting of the wild animals in Africa.

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SIGHTING, UK: Dunmow man won’t go out after dark after he spotted ‘a panther’ strolling near home

An Essex resident has claimed to have spotted a 'massive panther' just yards from his home. 50-year-old Tim Davies, from Bardfield End Green in Dunmow, was looking out of his garage window when he saw a "big black thing" strolling across the open field behind his house. You might think it's quite rare to see a panther roaming the fields of Essex, but there have been big cat sightings across the county for decades. The so-called 'Beast of Essex' is thought to look like a black panther or puma.

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NEWSLINK: Male tiger to be relocated from Ranthambore to Sariska

After a gap of six years, the Rajasthan forest department is preparing to shift a big cat from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) to Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) soon. This time a male tiger will be relocated. Skewed sex ratio has been hampering the repopulation of big cats in Sariska. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had approved the relocation of a tiger in June 2017, with an aim to increase the population.

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PHOTOS: Hikers stunned by rare sighting of a caracal on Table Mountain

Now this is why you strap your hiking shoes on and make the journey up Table Mountain: Hikers were treated to an amazing sight this week when they came across an extremely rare caracal which had made it to the top.

The wild cats are dotted around the area between the mountain and Lion’s Head. They are anti-social creatures and they do not interact with humans. So catching one on camera is a pretty rare event. The magic of Table Mountain Petra van der Berg and Lars Hurenkamp were the lucky people behind the lens this time. They crossed paths with this majestic animal as it slinked between rocks at the summit of the mountain. In the background, the stunning city backdrop and Cape Town Stadium can be spotted – maybe he was trying to catch the Ed Sheeran concert?

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NEWSLINK: Man is not leopard’s normal prey

With several instances of leopards in human settlements and attacks on humans in recent times, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) West, Shivaji Phule talked with Sumita Sarkar to clear myths about this big cat. Incidents of leopards attacking people are being reported more frequently. What causes that? The natural habitat of leopards is forest. Forest cover has reduced. Whatever encroachment was there has been regularised. There are patches of human settlement, like honeycombs, with little scope for isolated animal habitats.

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NEWSLINK: Southern California’s Mountain Lions May Soon Go Extinct

Southern California’s mountain lions have faced serious threats for some time, but a new study highlights the urgent need to act before we lose these incredible big cats forever. According to wildlife scientists, who just published their findings in the journal “Ecological Applications,” two populations of mountain lions in the Santa Monica and Santa Anita Mountains could go extinct — possibly within the next 50 years.

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VIDEO: The ex-poachers saving big cats in Russia

In Sailugemsky National Park, the snow leopard population has found an unlikely ally - ex-poachers. Their knowledge of the animal's movements and trap-setting was once used for hunting, but has now been reclaimed to monitor snow leopard populations thanks to a World Wildlife Fund project which began in 2015. Camera traps are used to monitor the snow leopard, which have seen a rise in population.
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