With eyes on successful tiger relocation programmes in other states, the Odisha government is all set to release new Royal Bengal tigers in Satkosia reserve forest by January or February next year in a bid to raise the population of the big cats in the state.
The development comes after a team from Wildlife Institute of India giving green signal to the state government in this regard after taking stock of various aspects like availability of food, forest density, extension of area, habitation inside the 980 square km area forest reserve in Angul district.
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Zarah the Bengal Tiger arrived at Out of Africa Wildlife Park earlier this month and was immediately introduced to two Great Pyrenees.
Klondike and Avalanche met Zarah shortly after she arrived with the hopes that the two dogs could keep her company and teach her the ropes of being a tame tiger.
“Dogs are really, really good for raising tigers," said Jeff Harwell, Core Group Manager at Out of Africa. "They share that predatory bond so they kind of get each other.”
Harwell says it wasn't love at first sight for Klondike and Zarah.
“(It was) a little bit tense at first what with the tiger having so many claws and teeth," he said. "Now they play constantly, they rough house.”
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For Africa’s ambush predators, patience can mean the difference between a hearty meal or a spoiled hunt. While cheetahs have speed and lions have numbers, leopards – the most solitary of Africa’s big cats – are experts of the sit-and-wait strategy. Few big predators can stage a better ambush than the leopard, as one rosetted stealth-master recently demonstrated in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
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The apparent pun in Smilodon, the scientific genus of the saber-toothed cat, seems to be an accident. The largest assemblage of fossils of these prehistoric carnivores comes from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, where they lived up until about 11,000 years ago. Weighing between 100 and 620 pounds, depending on the species, they had exceptionally long canine teeth, specially designed for precision killing. A new study, published in PLOS ONE, reveals more about these mammals and how they killed their prey. Limb bones found in the tar pits suggest that, even as kittens, Smilodon was very strong and robust. These kittens had big teeth—and muscles to match.
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Animal Planet will showcase an all-new season of exclusive programming dedicated to big cats (including lions, leopards and tigers) as a part of ‘Mission Big Cat’, starting October 2, every day at 9 pm.
Animal Planet has roped in actors Tapsee Pannu and Ranna Daggubati to sensitise people about the need for tiger conservation. The star cast of Golmaal 4, including Ajay Devgan, Parineeti Chopra and director Rohit Shetty, will also feature in a campaign promoting tiger conservation.
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England is famed for its pleasant countryside and animals more likely to be featured on Countryfile than a David Attenborough documentary about the African plains.
In the UK, the only known species of wild cat is the European Wildcat and is found only in Scotland.
That said, a number of Kent residents have been compelled to report sightings of 'large cats' to Kent Police in recent years.
TIME LINE:
Dartford, October 1, 2010
A 'large black animal' was seen in the Littlebrook area. Police attended and checked local cameras. Nothing was seen apart from a fox.
Canterbury, August 31, 2012
A 'possible large cat' was spotted in Blean Forrest. An enquiry was made to Howletts Zoo but all big cats were accounted for.
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A mountain lion was sighted by two hikers in the Berkeley Hills on Saturday, according to a Nixle alert issued by UCPD on Sunday.
The mountain lion, which was spotted on a trail near Grizzly Peak’s Sign Post 2, was approximately 75 feet away from the hikers, according to the alert.
There have been several mountain lion sightings in the Berkeley Hills in recent years. On Friday, UCPD received a report of a mountain lion sighting Sept. 16 near Centennial Drive and Stadium Rim Way. The big cats hunt turkeys and deer as a major food source, and several carcasses of animals suspected to have been attacked by mountain lions have also been discovered in the hills as of late.
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We have human conditions that limit us — whether they be social, emotional or physical,” said Bear Creek Feline Center owner Jim Broaddus. “But when they come up here, we’re all equal. We don’t have to be able to talk to connect with these animals.”
As several victims of traumatic brain injuries reached out their hands, Dani — a 150-plus-pound Florida panther — nuzzled the chain link fence separating them and crooned softly.
Some of the visitors Saturday from Second Chance of Northwest Florida had varying degrees of restrictions to their mobility or ability to communicate. But as Dani made their acquaintance and they stroked her beige coat, they all had smiles on their faces.
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In November of 2016, a remote camera in the Dos Cabezas Mountains of southeast Arizona caught a shot of a rare animal: a jaguar. This summer, video footage from a different camera in the Chiricahua Mountains of the same state revealed a familiar set of spots – the same jaguar, several months later, and looking quite at home in its new United States stomping grounds.
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A new national park in China’s north-east provides hope for two endangered species, says Feng Limin.
To save the endangered Siberian (Amur) tiger and Amur leopard, China is planning a new 14,600 square kilometre national park by 2020 on its border with Russia.
Stretching across an area nine times the size of Greater London, and 60% larger than Yellowstone Park, the national park will include territory from Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. To make way for the park Jilin has abandoned plans for a new expressway and changed the route of a high-speed rail line.
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There is no definite data on the number of tigers in Wayanad. But the increasing cases of attacks on domestic animals show that the population of big cats is growing in the wild-agrarian district.
In 2013-2014, there were 115 cases of cattle-lifting (total compensation Rs 25,71,000) whereas in 2015 there were 94 incidents ( Rs 20,25,500). In 2016 and 2017 till date, there were over 150 incidents of cattle lifting, as per the data of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Intensified conservation efforts have yielded positive results in the Bardiya National Park (BNP), with the protected are witnessing a significant rise in tiger population.
Officials said they were happy to announce an addition of 12 tigers in the BNP.
The last tiger census in 2013 had put the tiger population in the BNP at 50, up from 18 in 2009.
During our recent survey, we found 62 adult tigers and 13 cubs, said Conservation Officer Ramesh Kumar Thapa.
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Snow leopards are elusive creatures facing a host of challenges. They continue to be poached regularly and they also have fewer prey animals. It doesn’t help either that many of them live in armed conflict-prone areas in countries like Afghanistan where they are at increased risk of being killed.
Yet for all that, these majestic big cats that inhabit the mountains of the Himalayas are no longer endangered. Or at least they are no longer as endangered as they were thought to have been until recently. Scientists have duly downgraded the conservation status of snow leopards (Panthera uncia) from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”
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The last time a tiger was spotted in Dang district's areas bordering Maharashtra was in 1989.
Recently, however, scat (faeces of animals) analysis has revealed tiger presence right up to the border of Nasik district adjacent to Dang forests in Gujarat.
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A tiger subspecies thought to be extinct for nearly half a century has possibly been spotted again in Indonesia, raising hopes that the animals still exist somewhere on their lush island, reports Jon Emont for the New York Times
One of the nine subspecies of tiger, the Javan tiger was once a dominant predator on the tropical island of Java. In the 18th century, they were so numerous on the island that Dutch colonizers put a bounty on the head of the animals to encourage their killing. Though Javan locals refrained from killing the creatures unless they did harm, as human populations swelled many big cat encounters resulted in human deaths, according to A. Hoogerwerf 's 1970 book Udjung Kulon, The Land of the Last Javan Rhinoceros. The Javan tiger's numbers dwindled over the next two centuries.
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The display of wild and exotic animals will soon no longer be allowed in Portland after a unanimous city council vote.
On Monday, the Portland City Council voted to ban the use of big cats, elephants and other circus animals because of handling practices. The Portland Press Herald reports a Friday rodeo will go ahead as planned, as the ban exempts the display of cattle, horses, swine, sheep and goats.
Portland joined over 100 municipalities nationwide to pass a ban on the display of wild and exotic animals. According to animal rights groups, Portland is the first city in Maine to pass such a ban.
Nobody testified against the proposed ban Monday, but more than a dozen supporters urged the council to adopt it.
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A mountain lion and cub were spotted in a 100-foot-tall redwood tree in Palo Alto Thursday morning, but have not been seen since according to police.
Police said the call came at 6:20 a.m. from a resident in the 1700 block of Webster Street.
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An 'overworked' tiger lost its temper and attacked a handler during a live circus act gone wrong in China's Yingkou City on Saturday. Shocked audience members sat just 2 metres away as the animal dragged one of the handlers across the stage during the show. A short clip of the unfortunate incident has been circulating on social media.
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It’s happened again. Recently, an 18-year-old from California bought a baby Bengal tiger on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico for $300 and then tried to smuggle the baby tiger into the United States.
When U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials inspected the vehicle at the border, they found the tiger laying on the passenger seat floor. The teen, Luis Euardo Valencia, says he bought the baby tiger from someone in Tijuana who was walking an adult tiger on a leash, according to court documents. Sadly, several Bengal tigers, native to South Asia, have been seized this year by Mexican authorities in Tijuana. Valencia has been placed in custody and then released on a $10,000 bond. If convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.
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A farmer sustained injuries when cheetah attacked him at his residence at Rajulamadugu village in Utnoor mandal on Sunday night. He is undergoing treatment in a government hospital in Utnoor. Few days back, another farmer belonging to same village received injuries as the carnivore attacked him.
Rajulamadugu forest beat officer Janardhan said that the injured was 22-year old Kodapa Amrutha Rao, son of Jangu and native of Rajulamadugu.
In the earlier incident, it was Raju of same habitation.
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These brothers are like any other cats, they stalk, tumble, play and can be very picky at times.
But these cats weigh in at 50 kilograms and can run at speeds of more than 110 kilometres per hour.
Cheetahs Aibu and Jabari are the two new residents at Hunter Valley Zoo in Pokolbin. They made their debut on Friday after being imported from a zoo in Europe.
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It is rare to spot a leopard in the wild and even rarer to have the big cat bite and puncture your tyre. But this was the case for 38-year-old, Johann Jurgens, director of a South African tour company (SouthAfricanBookings.com). He was touring around Pretoriuskop and was near to Klipspringer Koppies with guests when they encountered a surprise visitor who took a particular interest in their tyre.
According to Jurgens, he found seven puncture marks in the tyre after the leopard bit into it.
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The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on Friday gave the green signal for relocation of one tiger and two tigresses from Ranthambhore National Park to Mukundara Hills tiger reserve, about 300 km south of Jaipur.
The decision was taken at a meeting held in New Delhi. The big cats will be relocated by December this year, officials said.
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Live snakes wrapped in tight coils. Sea turtle eggs in ice coolers. Exotic birds in nylon stockings, drugged and packed by the dozen in stereo speakers.
And most recently, a tiger cub, nestled between the feet of a passenger in a Camaro.
They are not as common as the drugs and unauthorized immigrants who are daily discovered trying to crossing the U.S.-Mexico border at ports of entry, but live animals are a regular sight in vehicles making their way north, part of an estimated $7 billion to $23 billion illegal global wildlife trade.
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A security camera caught a brief video of what appeared to be mountain lion in the storage yard of Capitol Steel Products.
Workers were shocked to see a mountain lion in the busy industrial area surrounding Power Inn Road near Lemon Hill Avenue, even if it was at around 3 in the morning.
Morrison Creek, a major watershed in South Sacramento, is home to wildlife like skunks and possums that can be prey for big cats.
Neighboring businesses say they will be cautious at night when mountain lions are active. That especially goes for the steel businesses employees who work the night shift.
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“Leopard!” shouts someone with keen eyes and the 25-seater bus screeches to a halt. It reverses frantically on the muddy forest trail until the big cat is in full view: the noise of the bus and loud exclamations of the tourists wake the slumbering leopard splayed out on a tree trunk.
The tourists click photographs in a frenzy, but the leopard turns its face away. As if on cue, the driver releases the brakes — several loud hisses that make sure the big cat does not take its eyes off the bus. As the bus leaves the site, two jeeps race in. At the end of the safari, a tourist walks over to the driver and tips him for the 'good sighting'.
However, wildlife experts less than happy and have raised concerns over disturbance to wildlife from these official safaris.
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Despite ever-increasing threats to some of the rarest animals on the planet, Ongava Game Reserve in the Kunene Region has recorded an increase in its lion population due to successful conservation efforts.
Recently there have been worrisome incidences of lion poisoning in Kunene.
Recently six lions from Etosha National Park were alleged to have attacked and killed livestock in the bordering Omusati Region, which prompted communal farmers to take the law into their own hands and gun down the big cats.
However, Ongava Game Reserve is proud to own such predators, as they are aware that conserving these big cats brings in a good number of tourists, which helps boost the Namibian economy.
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