NEWSLINK: 11-month-old tiger cub rescued, sibling dead

An eleven-month-old tiger cub was tranquilised and rescued by forest officials while its sibling was found dead on Saturday near Velugodu in Kurnool district. The whereabouts of the tigress were not known, according to Atmakur divisional forest officer C. Selvam. Mr Selvam told this newspaper the dead cub was found in an agricultural field at about 6 am on Saturday. The other cub was tranquilised and rescued at 3 pm. The tigeress with her two cubs had strayed into an agriculture field near Jamminagar tanda in Velgode mandal of Kurnool district on Wednesday. A wood cutter who sighted the big cats informed forest officials.

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NEWSLINK: Ranthambhore tiger strays into Bundi, officials on trail

A tiger of Rajasthan’s Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai Madhopur has strayed into Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Bundi.


About 25 employees of RTR, Vishdhari sanctuary and Bundi wildlife department have been tracking the tiger, T-91, for the past one week, officials said.


“There is overcrowding of tigers at RTR due to which big cats often stray into other forest areas of neighbouring districts,” said VK Salwan, a former Indian Forest Services officer. “Like T-91, many tigers and tigresses have strayed into Vishdhari sanctuary in the past, and later returned to RTR.”

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NEWSLINK: Mastermind of Ghunghuti tigress, cub killing arrested in UP

The alleged mastermind behind killing of Ghunghuti tigress and its cub was arrested from Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The accused Suraj Raghuvanshi, a resident of Umaria district, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh special task force (STF) in coordination with their Madhya Pradesh counterparts, said sources."During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and told the STF that he was hiding in Hapur to evade arrest," according to a release issued by the UPSTF. He has been handed over to the MP forest department for further interrogation , As Reported By TOI.

According to the Newspaper, Raghuvanshi is a contractual teacher at a government school in Umaria district where the big cats were killed.Initial probe had led investigators to a new poaching cartel which was targeting big cats for its canine teeth and whiskers. Nine suspects were arrested and interrogated after canine teeth and whiskers were recovered from their possession. They are residents of different villages surrounding Ghunghuti region, the corridor which has apparently turned into a death trap of tigers in recent years.They have reportedly confessed to their role in killing a tigress and its cub in one of the most recent cases.

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NEWSLINK: Less Than 50 Asiatic Cheetahs Left in Iran

Iran has already suffered from the loss of the Asiatic lion and the Caspian tiger. Now we are about to see the Asiatic cheetah go extinct as well.”

Asiatic cheetahs are facing the threat of being extinct, following the United Nations decision to discontinue funding its protectorship.

Conservationists believe that fewer than 50 of these 'big cats' remain in existence – all in Iran. The problem is compounded by the Iranian government cutting the budget of its department of the environment, which has responsibility for protecting the country’s threatened animals.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) swept in to absorb the Asiatic cheetah conservation project. But, Anne Marie Carlsen, UNDP deputy resident representative recently announced that Iran will be required to reassume conservatorship, since the organization would not be extending its support beyond Dec.

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NEWSLINK: Outrage as fat lions and tigers perform at circus

A row has erupted in Russia over fat performing circus lions and tigers who have been fed on a diet of "junk food".


Videos of the overweight predators show them standing on their hind legs in a stunt for paying audiences.
The footage of the captive animals at Vladivostok Circus stoked complaints that one of Russia's top animal trainer's has abused the beasts.


Vitaly Smolyanets, 44, seen as a skilled lion whisperer, has angrily denied the charges, saying his animals are not obese and insisting they "feel excellent".

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NEWSLINK: Forest dept study to find out leopard count, movement pattern in Aravalis

The forest department has proposed to conduct a study to find out numbers of leopard, hyena and other animals living in Gurgaon part of the Aravalis, the move coming in the wake of the recent rise in leopard sightings and incidents of man-animal conflict.As per the proposal, which was sent to the department's state headquarters in Chandigarh earlier this month, wildlife officials are planning to assess leopard distribution, prey density, and thereby establish a relationship between the prey density and the movement pattern of big cats in the region.These apart, the department also proposes to study variation in types of preys available across the landscape and most importantly, delineate the leopard corridor from Mangar Bani to Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

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NEWSLINK: Profiling the tigers, genetically

In the ongoing tiger census, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department will be using DNA profiling to study the striped big cats roaming not just its four tiger reserves but anywhere in the State’s forest landscape.


The forest staff will be looking to collect the tiger scat in the tiger reserves and 15 forest divisions that will be later analysed with the help of wildlife forensics division. “Unlike other methods, DNA profiling will help to create accurate and reliable data of an individual tiger,” said Shekhar Kumar Niraj, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Project Tiger, Tamil Nadu.

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NEWSLINK: Instagram Takes Stand Against Wild Animal Selfies

From Monday December 4, if you try to publish or search for photos with a hashtag implying that you’re with a wild animal (#koalaselfie or #lionselfie, for example), you will be taken to a page with the following message:

Animal abuse and the sale of endangered animals or their parts is not allowed on Instagram. You are searching for a hashtag that may be associated with posts that encourage harmful behavior to animals or the environment.

“Starting today, when a person searches for a hashtag associated with harmful behavior to animals or the environment, they will see a content advisory screen […] The protection and safety of the natural world are important to us and our global community. We encourage everyone to be thoughtful about interactions with wild animals and the environment to help avoid exploitation and to report any photos and videos you may see that may violate our community guidelines,” said a statement released by Instagram on Monday.

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ARTICLE: Tracking the big cat — elusive, mysterious snow leopard of Ladakh

The urgent shout, the one we’ve been waiting for, comes from outside my tent somewhere. I’m half asleep, half dressed and cradling a cup of chai to warm half-frozen hands, but the words get my whole attention.

“Leopard! Leopard! Leopard!”
I scramble: Chai sloshes across my pants as I shove feet into socks, pull a sweater over my head, cram gloves and hat into pockets, unzip my tent with one hand and grab my camera and boots with another. I sprint in my socks to where Sonam, the tracker who shouted the alert, stands, head down, seemingly merged with the telescope. After a quick “jullay” (an all-purpose Ladakhi word for hello, goodbye and thank you), he steps quickly aside to let me look.

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NEWSLINK: Villagers relocated from tiger turf

The much-awaited relocation of Raigoda village took place from the core area of Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) to Saruali, about 7 km away, on Wednesday.

Relocation of the tribal village, which was set up about 100 years back, will now pave the way for a full-fledged tiger reserve with the arrival of more big cats. Currently, there are two tigers in the reserve while there are plans to bring six more big cats from various parts of the country, said Forest officials.

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NEWSLINK: Jaguar at Phoenix Zoo receives advanced treatment for tumor

To help get rid of a cancerous tumor on Caipora, the 12-year-old Jaguar, the Phoenix Zoo used an advanced method usually used by humans at battling the mass.


The tumor was found on her right hind leg during a recent physical examination of the big cat. After a microscopic diagnosis of the mass, it was found to be a fibrosarcoma tumor, which is very aggressive and usually found in house cats, not Jaguars.

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NEWSLINK: 4 Tiger Deaths in 45 Days, NTCA Slaps Notice on MP Forest Department

The death of three tigers and a cub within a span of less than 45 days has jolted the Madhya Pradesh forest department with its conservation efforts under the scanner.

MP houses 20% of the tiger population (308 as per 2014 wildlife census) of India in six tiger reserves –Panna, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Pench and Sanjay.

Now the state holds a dubious distinction with 30 tiger deaths reported in 2016 and 24 already in 2017.


The Umaria-Shahdol region has reported death of three tigers and a cub since November first week. An adult was found dead close to habitation on November 3 in Shahdol. This was followed by another in Umaria’s Ghunghuti area while the decayed body of a tigress was found in the nearby Kanchodar on December 11. One of its two cubs was also found dead the next day and second one is missing.


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VIDEO: Vet climbed into a 30ft well to save an adult leopard

Residents of Guwahati, a city in the East Indian state of Assam were used to a particular well in their locality not having much water. What they were not prepared for was, finding an adult leopard looking up at them from the murky bottom.


According to The Times of India newspaper, the cat fell into the 30ft well, while wandering the residential area of Borgaon in search of food. The seven-year-old female was clearly in a state of panic as she tried to move around in the small space and scramble to escape.

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VIDEO: Man allows family of tigers into his car before casually driving off to 'take them for a spin'

Forget a designer dog-breed. This wealthy animal-lover is eager to show off his family of pet tigers that he drives around in his Rolls Royce Phantom.


The Instagram video shows the tigers owner, Michael Zaretsky, sitting in the driver seat of his luxury car at his home in Russia.


A tiger then climbs through the car's window, over Zaretsky and into the backseat.

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ARTICLE: Big cats initiative

Big cats are in trouble, from lions in Kenya to snow leopards in the Himalayas.

Africa’s lion population has declined 90 percent in the last 75 years. Cheetahs have disappeared from more than 75 percent of their historic range. Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild.

Losing these majestic predators would create a devastating impact on our ecosystem. 

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NEWSLINK: India's Tiger Population Has Increased By 1300% Since It Was Declared National Animal 44 Years Ago

It has been 44 years since India got its national animal, the bengal tiger. It was a part of 'Project Tiger' an initiative launched by the then minister Karan Singh on April 1st that year to check the dwindling population of tigers in India.

At the time when Project Tiger was launched from Corbett’s Dhikala range the Bengal Tiger was literally facing extinction in its home turf with just 268 big cats in the wild according to the first nation-wide tiger census conducted in 1972.

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PHOTO: Leopard found dead, foresters say it fell from a hill

A four-year-old male leopard was found dead on Friday evening in Bhango village near Raisina area.


A five-member district wildlife team led by veterinary surgeon Dr Ashok Khasa and wildlife inspector Sunil Kumar rushed to the spot after they received a tip-off that the dead animal was lying in the hills.


"We fled the spot after we found a leopard lying in the hills. Later, when we realised that it was dead, we immediately called up wildlife officials," said a villager, requesting anonymity.

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NEWSLINK: Isle of Wight Zoo mourns the death of white tiger Zena

Zoo staff announced 'with heavy hearts' that she was put to sleep yesterday (Friday) due to age-related health issues.


The 21-year-old tiger arrived at the zoo from Longleat Safari Park, aged just three weeks old, after she was rejected by her mother. The zoo's chief executive, Charlotte Corney, took on the role of foster mum, caring for Zena and her older sister, Zia.


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NEWSLINK: Pugmarks of Royal Bengal tiger spotted in Poba RF

The forest officials of Jonai, Assam claimed to have spotted pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Poba Reserved Forest in the Assam-Arunachal boundary.

The forest guards of Jonai Forest Range spotted the pugmarks during routine patrolling in the deep jungles of the reserved forest near Leku Beat Office recently.

Meanwhile, wildlife enthusiasts, including NGO Save Poba Reserved Forest are delighted with the reported spotting of the pugmarks of a Royal Bengal Tiger in Poba Reserved Forest. The NGO has been demanding the authority to declare the Poba Reserved Forest as a wildlife sanctuary.

However, the forest officials are allegedly not showing much enthusiasm on the reported spotting of the pugmarks.

Though big cat species, like leopards, leopard cats and jungle cats are found in the reserved forest, Royal Bengal Tiger is usually not found in it.

Poba RF is located in the outskirt of Ruksin town and adjacent to Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.


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NEWSLINK: Threat to leopard population as Ninth big cat found dead near villages in Gurugram range

Mystery surrounds the death of a four year old male leopard, whose corpse was found with injuries to his mouth and head in Gurugram.


Wildlife department officials have not ruled out foul play following the discovery of the big cat's body in an area between Bhango and Kharak village, near Raishina forest on Friday.


Shyam Sunder Kaushik, DFO wildlife Gurugram range, said: 'We have recovered the dead body of an adult leopard, which has been sent for a post-mortem. It will be clear only after the post-mortem whether the injuries were accidental or unnatural.'


Despite efforts by the wildlife department, leopards frequently prowl around the human population.


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VIDEO: Chinese man loses fingers while trying to feed tiger with bare hands

People have been warned not to pet or feed wild animals at every zoo or circus, but it seems they never learn. An elderly man in China paid a heavy price after he tried to feed a caged tiger. In a painful video that’s gone viral from China’s Henan county, a circus tiger bit into a man’s hand when he put it inside the cage to feed the big cat.


The footage shows the man trying to feed not one but two tigers locked in the separate enclosures. As one moves away, the other hungry cat grabs his hand and keeps munching it even as one of the onlookers pokes the wild feline with big sticks to try and save the man.


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NEWSLINK: Scientists urge IUCN to uplist Cheetahs from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’

An international team of scientists has called for uplisting the Cheetah population – which has reduced by 11 percent than previously estimated in southern Africa – from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world and one of the most fiercest predators known for stalking and tripping their prey and then biting its throat to suffocate it to death.


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ARTICLE: Tiger tourism: Cambodia's newest cash ploy

Just 20 years ago, Cambodia was a country that many travelers to Southeast Asia skipped over to get to Thailand, Vietnam and other regional rivals. These days, they are flocking to see the country's pristine beaches, picturesque pagodas and famed Angkor temple complex.

In 2016, international arrivals to Cambodia increased by an annual 5% and pushed past 5 million, a number that is expected to increase by 11.5% this year and signifies a massive boost from the total of roughly 1 million tourists who visited in 2004.

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