Wild Animal News

Orange County Zoo, which recently rescued two mountain lion kittens from Thousand Oaks, will open a new habitat for the kittens and other feline rescues according to a news release from the zoo.

The new habitat will span about two acres of zoo land and is the biggest single improvement in the zoo’s history. The zoo traces its root to the early 20th century but did not became a formal accredited zoo until the mid 1980’s, according to Cheyenne Catli, speaking for the zoo.

The new inhabitants featured May 13 will be three cougar (AKA mountain lion) kittens an adult cougar and a young jaguar. The adult mountain lion, Santiago, arrived at the zoo as a young orphan in 2011. He was found in Oregon, treated in Rosamond California and then came to the zoo. The two sisters found in Thousand Oaks will be joined by a young male, Ray. He was hit by a car in Monterey, California, also in November 2021. The zoo treated the two girls for malnutrition and the boy for serious injuries, Catli said. Car accidents are a major source of injury and death for wildlife in California.

Normally, cougars remain with their mother for up to two years. The kittens were so young it was decided they would not survive in the wild, Catli said.

The jaguar is about two years old and comes from a zoo in Arizona. His name is Ziggy and he is melanistic, essentially all black. Their new home includes artificial rock walls, climbing platforms, a waterfall and a bridge for them to walk overhead. It is designed to bring zoo patrons close to the animals and give them as natural an environment as possible. The release noted that it can be configured in different ways for inclusion and separation of the inhabitants. Jaguars are the largest wild cat in the Americas. They once were common in the southwest but their range is now highly restricted. A few may cross the border into New Mexico and Arizona. Although less common than the spotted cousins, melanistic jaguars arise frequently and can do well in the wild.

The opening weekend for the habitat will feature a naming contest for the girls and a slew of family oriented activities.

Orange County Third District Supervisor Donald P. Wagner praised the zoo’s contributions to the community and its dedication to spotlighting regional wildlife and rescues. The zoo is located in Irvine Regional Park. It is part of the OC Parks system which manages about 60,000 acres of wildlands, open space historical and coastal assets.,

The ongoing slaughter in Ukraine is devastating human and animal populations across the country. Earlier we reported on efforts to evacuate animals from war-torn areas. Today the news is much grimmer.

At least two animal caretakers who stayed behind to aid animals housed in a zoo have died. The zoo says they were killed by Russians. About 300 dogs held in a shelter have also died. They were locked into cages and deprived of food and water during fighting. Zoos may have to euthanize some of their charges due to damage from shelling.

The workers were assisting at Feldman Ecopark in early March. It is located in Kharkiv and is subject to Russian shelling. The two workers had stayed behind to help care for animals at the facility when they went missing. Their deaths have since been confirmed by the park. The park lays the blame squarely on Russians attacking Ukraine. The eco park is a zoo and family attraction. According to its website it offers individuals and families wholesome activities with programs geared to children. In its news section it said that the park had managed to take some of the animals to safety. Those rescued included wolves. donkeys and hyenas.

Another tragic outcome occurred at the Borodyanka Animal Shelter. About 300 dogs died there as a result of the war. Borodyanka is part of the Kyiv oblast (administrative region) and was heavily shelled during Russian assaults. Due to the invasion the animals were left behind in locked cages and many died or hunger or thirst. Others died on the way to veterinary care after rescuers reached the region.

Feldman Eco Park is monitoring surviving animals and has warned that some may need to be euthanized due to injuries sustained in the war.

Animal support groups from all over the world are raising funds and sending aid to Ukraine. Many animals have been successfully rescued and taken to shelter in Poland and other countries farther west but many remain at risk.

It is unclear what the impact of the war has been on Ukraine’s rich wildlife. What is clear is that prior to the fighting even the area around Chernobyl was seeing a resurgence of wildlife that astonished experts. The fire and explosion at the nuclear plan in Chernobyl had created a dead zone around the site. It was expected to remain a desert but an astonishing variety of wildlife had returned prior to the war.

Cheetahs are iconic predators known for their incredible speed. They are also the most endangered of African cats. Their numbers have fallen drastically due to human interaction. The worst aspect of that is the theft of cheetah cubs.

The cubs are stolen at a very young age while the mother hunts. They are stolen to satisfy the exotic pet trade and many die before they are shipped out of the country to their shameless owners.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is working to help end this trafficking. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the fund brings together partners in the effort to save the cheetah. The organization partners with governments, conservation agencies and other stakeholders to try and provide wild cheetahs with a viable future that protects their interests and those of the humans living in their habitat.

According to a post from last November, the CCF worked to confiscate 11 cubs stolen from their mothers, who joined the more than 50 already being cared for by the CCF. Efforts to “rewild” rescued animals are ongoing with varying degrees of success. Cheetahs have been returned to the wild successfully but the process is laborious and expensive. Most rescued cheetahs live the rest of their lives in sanctuaries and zoos.

Cheetahs were once widely distributed across Africa and Asia but estimates now suggest about 7,000 live in Africa and perhaps 100 in Iran. Humans have caused the most significant decline in cheetah numbers but they are also vulnerable to lions and hyenas. the cats are able to eat animals as small as rats and rabbits and as large as springbok and warthogs. Cheetahs became extinct in India in 1952. There are plans to introduce 50 cheetahs into the country in the next 5 years. The plan was on hold due to the pandemic but is being revived. India is strongly invested in big cat conservation and is home to 15 species of wild cats. In Iran, the Iranian Cheetah Society is working to save the critically endangered Iranian cheetah and other unique Iranian wildlife.

Concerned about overcrowding of threatened Asiatic lions in the Gir forest, Indian officials have recently completed a study of the population density of the lions and their prey.

The report estimates that the Gir forest contains about 15 lions per 100 square kilometers. Prey animals are estimated to number about 1,000 in the same area.. This report helps clarify the need for possible relocation of lions to other national parks. The prey base estimate includes both large and small mammals.

Overcrowding and human conflict are major sources of threat to the species. Another is disease.

Illness has taken its toll on the beleaguered lions. In 2018 disease struck killing 21 in a 20 day span The Gir Forest is the only wild habitat of the threatened lions, whose numbers hover around 500.

.The culprit was babesisis, possibly in conjunction with canine distemper virus, according to Indian officials. Babesiosis is a tick is borne illness that damages red blood cells. It occurs in the United States as well as India and is considered both preventable and treatable. Recently , we reported on a major breakthrough in the battle against ticks. Ticks were considered resistant to genetic engineering tactics because of their thick shells. But recent research has found a way around their defenses that may allow their genes to be used against them.

Canine distemper virus attacks the nervous, gastrointestinal and respiratory systems of puppies and dogs. It is also found in wild canids like foxes and coyotes. It also attacks lions tigers and leopards. It is also found in at least one aquatic mammal: seals.

The lions live in a constricted habitat. Yesterday we reported on the demands that lions be relocated to other national parks as the area they live in is too small for their numbers

Once wide-ranging, Asiatic lions are now reduced to a remnant population in India’s state of Gujarat. There are an estimated 560 individuals, and Indian state and local wildlife authorities are faced with mounting challenges as the region changes. As a whole, India is faced with increasing challenges in protecting its wildlife as the country urbanizes and its economy grows. Indian conservation challenges have been featured on this site here and here.

Gujarat is growing economically and so is its population. The Gir National Park is about 1, 400 square kilometers, far too small for the hundreds of wide-ranging lions inhabiting the park. About half are believed to live out of the park. This is generating more human-lion interaction and conflict leading to poaching and traffic accidents by humans and increased,man-eating by lions who have trouble locating enough food in the constricted area. Calls are increasing for transfer of Gir lions to other national parks, but that change has been slow coming. Recently Gujarat agreed to a swap of Asiatic lions between two zoos. The two breeding lions were exchanged for two Bengal Tigers. Agreement to the exchange took about four years, illustrating time frames involved in making changes.

Asiatic lions once ranged from Turkey to eastern India but were decimated by growing human populations. Concerted effort by Indian authorities brought them back from the verge of extinction. They are slightly smaller than African lions. The males have a shorter, more sparse and darker mane. Their ears are almost always visible. The males do not generally stay with the females except at mating time and when there are large kills. The most distinguishing feature is a fold of skin along the belly absent in African lions.

Leprosy is now being observed in wild chimpanzees for the first time. The outbreak in two different areas of West Africa puzzles researchers and veterinarians. So far leprosy has been confined mostly to humans. It does not appear humans are spreading the disease to chimps, leading experts to question what they know about the disfiguring illness.

It is treatable by antibiotics but treating wild chimpanzees raises a host of practical, medical and ethical questions.

The affected chimps live more than 1,000 miles apart. One group is in Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau, the other is in Tai National Park in Ivory Coast. The national park is the research site of the Tai Chimpanzee Project. Known to scientists as Hansen’s Disease, leprosy is caused by a slow growing bacteria Mycobacterium leprae . Early treatment is effective but delayed treatment can lead to nerve damage and disfigurement. In humans it requires very close and prolonged contact to spread. Contact between researchers and chimpanzees does not appear to meet the transmission standards so experts are re-thinking what they know.

The chimpanzees with leprosy are western chimpanzees, one of four separate types of chimpanzees. There are an estimated 50,000 western chimpanzees out of a total of 300,000. Western chimpanzees are different from other chimpanzees. They use wooden spears, make cave homes, share food and forage at night. They are considered endangered.

Leprosy has appeared in other mammals, including 9 banded armadillos and red suirrels. But the genotype of the bacteria in he cases was the same as mostly found in humans, That suggests a leap from human to animals. But the chimps had traces of the bacteria with rare genotypes. Genotypes not normally found in human sufferers. This suggests the disease is lurking elsewhere in the chimp’s environment. Possibly in animals they eat or in the environment itself

Recently we reported on chimpanzees in Gabon that may be using medicinal insects to treat small wounds on themselves and each other.

South Korea has reached an agreement with animal rights organizations to end the practice of bear bile “farming” and release could be imminent for hundreds of bears held on “farms.” The announcement came at the end of last year and bear rescue groups are working to rescue bears. Bear Bile farming is the the practice of raising bears and draining or removing their gall bladders.

Although the change has been hailed as a step forward there appear to be major loopholes in the law. Korea forbids the use of live bears in bile production, but allows bears more than ten years old to be killed for their gall bladders. Vietnam outlawed the practice more than a decade ago, but allowed the bears to declared “pets” so the practice has continued. A number of organizations are working to end the practice for good. South Korea and Vietnam still have active semi-legal bear farms. China so far has not acted to control the trade and may even be trying to find new uses for bile. But rescue groups are at work within the country.

Bear bile has medicinal properties recognized in both Eastern and Western medicine. In the west it is known that bear bile is useful in treating kidney problems including stones. But there are many other medicines that offer the same benefits. It has been used traditionally in Asian medicine for quite some time. But recently the bile has been used in questionable products such as tea and toothpaste.

World wide there are eight species of bears. American black bears and polar bears are out of the region and Giant Pandas do not produce a chemical important to the farmers.

all of the five bears living in Asia can be captured for the trade but the the most common are Asian Black Bears, Sun Bears and Asian Brown Bears. Asian Brown Bears are known in the United States as Grizzly Bears.

Traditionally in both the east and west bears were hunted. Their fur, meat bones, fat and bile were all put to use. In the American west a single black bear supplied much of a families household needs for a winter. Bears were not “farmed” and their bile was not harvested in commercial amounts. In Asia in more recent times bile “farming” was introduced. Hundreds of bears were captured and raised for bile. The gall bladder can be surgically removed, or it can be surgically emptied repeatedly or it can be drained with a kind of catheter.

The surgeries are not professionally handled and cause the bears suffering. There is also risk of infection. The cramped cages and poor living conditions inflict more suffering on the bears. Animal rescue groups such as The Wild Animal Sanctuary are active in animal rescue around the world and will work to relocate the bears.

Until the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic the most I knew about pangolins was that they were scaly and cute. In the early days of the pandemic they were blamed, along with bats, for the transmission to humans of the virus. They are considered a delicacy in Asia and they can transmit illnesses.

What I didn’t know is that they are considered the most trafficked mammal in the world. Their scales are considered medicinal in Traditional Asian Medicine. I also didn’t know that they are considered protectors of forest land in Asia and Africa. The animals are prodigious consumers of termites and thus have a huge role in keeping Africa and Asia green.

Unfortunately, all eight species of the small animals, four each in Africa and Asia, are threatened and even in danger of extinction. Chinese pangolins are severely threatened. In the last few decades China has modernized. Millions of Chinese are wealthier and the combination of hectic growth, pressure on natural resources and increased wealth is impacting their survival.

The Chinese government has recently increased its efforts to protect the animals. They now have the highest level of protection by law. Their scales can no longer be used in Chinese medicine. An estimated 195,000 of the animals died in China in 2019 alone for their scales. But since the eight species are all threatened more needs to be done.

Enter Jackie Chan, Wild Aid and The Nature Conservancy who have teamed up to produce a short Public Service Announcement. Link Here. Chan, one of the word’s best known action stars, delivers a short message. He urges people not to eat them or use their scales for medicine. He teaches the small creatures a few martial arts moves in the process. WildAid is an international organization working to end the multibillion trade in wildlife. A great proportion of that is in Asian and African countries. Poachers try to satisfy desires for illegal pets, exotic meat and fish and traditional medicines.

The organization works to reduce demand in emerging economies. It supports local efforts to reduce demand for poaching and increase local awareness of the issues. The Nature Conservancy approaches issues with a different lens. It focuses on such issues as protecting land, providing food and water stability and creating healthy cities.

The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to run in the billions and be nearly as big and illegal business as the drug and weapons industry. Many organizations in the US work to end the trade and rescue creatures exploited in the trade. The trade includes capturing animals for entertainment display, poaching of endangered animals for food, and actions such as “shark finning” where animals are mutilated for desired body parts.

Since the 1990’s Australian conservationists have been trying to rescue Tasmanian Devils from the ravages of Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD). The cancer is fatal in more than 80 percent of cases.

The disease is a virus induced cancer exclusive to the species. It has been under extensive study for over 10 years. Early research was handicapped by a lack of knowledge of the disease and a lack of knowledge of the devils. Researchers now have a fuller understanding of the disease and its causes. They also know much more about the devils immune response – and the evasion techniques of the virus. Transmission appears to be through intimate contact. Biting is thought to be a major transmission source.

Recently, there has been more progress. Researchers have located a population showing resistance to the disease. In addition, conservationists have returned devils to the Australian mainland. They have been extinct on the mainland for several thousand years.

The resistance to the disease exhibited by the colony of devils appears to be counterintuitive. Devils have a low diversity of certain genes that that fight off disease. In most cases the more diverse the genes are, the stronger the immune system. It was assumed that the low diversity was the reason the virus could enter the devils.

Research on the immune devils suggests that low diversity might actually be a strength. The virus passes into the devils because the immune system in most devils does not recognize the virus as foreign. But it may be that the devils with the less diverse immune are more likely to recognize the virus and destroy it.

This is because the devils immune system has two genetic sequences. The virus has parts of both. Since most devils have both genetic sequences the virus is not recognized as foreign. The more immune devils have only one or the other sequence. When the virus enters these devils, the immune system recognizes the unknown sequence and destroys the virus.

This may lead to a change in strategy, away from interbreeding to expand diversity and toward isolation, allowing the immune devils to survive and eventually, it is hoped, thrive.

Meanwhile Aussie Ark and other conservationists have released devils into a nature reserve north of Sydney as part of a relocation project that may serve as a reserve against the DFTD. The animals were chosen for breeding suitability and health. Since devils eat both foxes and cats it is hoped that eventually the animals may aid in control of those invasive species.

Tasmanian devils are the largest marsupial carnivore weighing up to 26 pounds. They are mostly nocturnal and are both scavengers and hunters eating prey as small as insects and as large as snakes and reptiles.

The idea that non-human animals have rights similar to humans is an evolving concept in international law and two recent rulings in Ecuador and the United States are expanding the boundaries of the concept. Closely involved is the concept of “rights of nature” that seek to expand legal rights to rivers, forests and other non-human entities.

The most recent case is from Ecuador, and concerns a wooly monkey named Estrellita. Wooly monkeys are New World monkeys and weigh nearly 20 pounds and can live about 30 years. They inhabit rainforests in South America. Estrellita had lived with Ana Beatriz Burbano Proano for 18 years. Authorities confiscated the monkey on the grounds that it was illegal to keep wild animals. She was taken to a zoo and died about a month later. Burbano Proano filed suit.

In a sweeping ruling the Constitutional Court of Ecuador extended “rights of nature” provisions to animals. Rights of nature refer to the rights of an ecosystem to survive and thrive. Ecuador was the first nation to put such a provision in its constitution. The court ruled that not only do species have rights but individual animals do too.

The court’s ruling will require Ecuador to enact laws protecting expanded animal rights. The court ruling gives animals sweeping rights Including right to life, freedom from hunting or fishing, access to food and health care, right to a habitat, right to live in harmony, right to freedom, protection from exploitation and the right to demand their rights.

The impact on human-animal relations could be enormous with huge impacts on ranching, fishing, farming, medicine, entertainment, biology, zoos pet ownership and many other day-to-day activities.

It may be ironic but the court appears to have ruled in favor of a person keeping a wild animal as a pet for 18 years and against a zoo trying to insure its welfare and follow existing law.

In a similar vein a U. S. judge weighed in on a Colombian case over which the American court had no jurisdiction.

The case involves what to do with dead drug lord Pablo Escobar’s hippos. The hippos were released in a Colombian river and are likely to be classified as an invasive species and may be subject to sterilization or even killing of individuals to keep the numbers down. Federal Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz ruled that the hippos are “interested persons” under U.S. law and have the rights of people. It was believed to be the first time human rights were extended to non-humans in a U.S. Court. Colombian officials dismissed the ruling as irrelevant to Colombian law and the fate of the hippos is under debate. For our recent discussion of animal royalties click here.

It remains to be seen how far Ecuador will go with this ruling. But animal rights groups posted “friend of the court” briefs in the case and are outspoken in their wish that US law follows in Ecuador’s footsteps.