NEWSLINK: Elderly Snow Leopard Dies Suddenly at Santa Barbara Zoo

An elderly snow leopard named Zoe passed away on Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Though she was advanced in age and being treated for related ailments, her death was sudden and unexpected. A keeper in the vicinity alerted the Zoo’s veterinary team, which attempted to resuscitate the 15-year-old big cat, but were unsuccessful. “Zoe was being treated for osteoarthritis of her hind legs, early renal failure, and hypertension, which are common in geriatric large cats,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the Zoo’s director of animal care and health. “Given the suddenness of her death, I suspect a heart attack or a stroke.”

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NEWSLINK: Firefighters find cougar after being called to ‘cat stuck up a tree’

Firefighters received a little more than they expected this week when they were called to a ‘cat stuck in a tree’ – and found a cougar. A homeowner dialled 911 after spotting the huge creature outside his home in the southern California desert. San Bernardino County firefighters arrived and were shocked to see the large cat perched on a branch 50 feet above their heads.

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NEWSLINK: Family Rescues Abandoned Leopard Cub in National Park

A leopard cub has been rescued and fostered by a family near the Murchison falls national park, after it (cub) was abandoned by the mother. The cub was picked by Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Problem Animal Rescue Team from a home of Amon Busati of Kyarukunya village, Kimuru sub-county in Masindi district.

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SIGHTING, UK: Stunned walker spots 'puma' lurking near Derbyshire football pitch

A stunned walker claims he spotted a puma basking in the sunshine near a Derbyshire football pitch. Wildlife fan Ian Harvey says he came face to face with the “frightening big cat” during a morning stroll. He claims the creature was “basking in the sunshine” and lying down "against the hedgerows" close to the pitch. Mr Harvey, 56, was left “in shock” as the cat apparently started skulking towards him, Derbyshire Live reports.

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NEWSLINK: Security guard risks death, rushes to fling a boy away from leopard

A security guard at a construction site at Keshavnagar, Mundhwa, proved to be a braveheart when he flung himself at the jaws of death trying to save a seven-year-old Rahul from a leopard attack. 

Luckily, he managed to dodge death, suffering serious injuries in the process. At 6.40 am, Vikas Bhokare was just 20 minutes away from the end of his shift at the site of Vertical Oriana, when he heard of a leopard on the prowl. “People were shouting about the presence of the cat and I started looking for it but could not sight it,” he told Mirror.

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ARTICLE: Decoding the human-leopard conflict

In Jalandhar last week, a leopard injured four people in a dramatic encounter in a densely populated neighbourhood.

The leopard attack in Pune’s Mundhwa suburb in which at least five people, including three who were trying to capture it, were injured, adds to the list of conflict events involving the big cat that have become increasingly common over the past several years.

Why do leopards enter areas populated by humans? Contrary to popular perception, a leopard that is seen amidst people has not “strayed” from its “natural habitat”. Big cats have a superior awareness of their coordinates and purpose.
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SIGHTING, UK: Big cat seen 'slinking across the road' in sighting hot spot

The first report of a big cat sighting in Gloucestershire has come in for 2019. This time the big cat, which is thought to be a Eurasian lynx, was spotted near the picnic area of Coaley Peak near Stroud. Normally sightings of these big cats happen at dawn or dusk but the most recent one was spotted at around noon on Sunday, December 9. Other sightings of big cats have described the animal as being similar in size to a Labrador, and in this case it is no different.

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