Wild Animal News

India is wrestling with conservation issues for numerous wildlife species. Recently, the country has had a setback with an ambitious attempt to reintroduce cheetahs to India. Gujarat, India has now stepped into the limelight with a regional conservation plan aimed at India’s threatened caracals (Caracal caracal).

According to the Hindustan Times , Gujarat intends a captive breeding program aimed at increasing the numbers of the feline predator. Gujarat is a state along the western coast of the country. It covers more than 75 thousand square miles. It has a population of about 60 million.

Gujarat, India has experience with last-ditch conservation. The state is the last home of the Asiatic lions, a subspecies of Panthera leo leo. Gujarat has increased the number of Gir lions to over 600. Most of these lions live in the Gir forest Conservation success has raised the possibility of returning some lions to other parts of India.

Caracals live in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and India. They are severely threatened in parts of their range and perhaps abundant in others. There does not appear to be an agreed estimate in their numbers. India is one of the areas where they are threatened and they may be down to 50 individuals. Pakistan and India are two of the areas with the fewest of the felines. They are abundant in much of Africa, although they face challenges in South Africa.

Caracals are known for their distinctive appearance and their leaping ability. According to Britannica:

“The caracal is a sleek short-haired cat with a reddish brown coat and long tufts of black hairs on the tips of its pointed ears. Long-legged and short-tailed, it stands 40–45 cm (16–18 inches) tall at the shoulder and varies from 66 to 76 cm (about 26 to 30 inches) in length excluding its 20–25-cm (7.9–9.8-inch) tail. The swift caracal is generally solitary and nocturnal in habit. It preys on birds and mammals, such as gazelles, hares, and peafowl. In Asia it has been trained as a hunting animal. The female bears litters of one to four young, which resemble the adults. Although the caracal is classified as a species of least concern worldwide by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), it is considered threatened or endangered in North Africa, Turkey, Central Asia, and India.”

The Hindustan Times said the center will be located in a good habitat.

“The Chadva Rakhal area, where the centre will be located, is home to a rich variety of wildlife, including leopards, crocodiles, Indian gazelle, desert foxes, jackals, 28 species of mammals, 28 species of reptiles, and 242 species of birds. It also boasts 243 species of plants. The former royal family of Kutch has transferred 4,900 hectares of land in the Chadva Rakhal region to the state government, which has since been transferred to the Forest Department to support the conservation effort”

Chadva Rakhal is a forest much of which is privately held by former Indian royalty. 4,900 hectares is over 13,000 acres.

Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are one of America’s two species of lynx. They are found all over the United States except for Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii. They are of least concern for extinction. Some live in Southern Canada and there is a population in Mexico. Now, Indiana bobcats are expected to be the subject of proposed hunting and trapping quotas, according to media reports.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR):

“Bobcats have been reported from almost every Indiana county but are most common in southern and west-central Indiana. A study conducted by the DNR in south-central Indiana revealed that bobcats are capable of dispersing up to 100 miles from where they were born. 

The DNR collects reports of bobcat sightings, trail-camera photos, and mortalities. Bobcat reports are also collected through the annual Archer’s Index, in which volunteer deer bow hunters report the number of hours they hunted and the species they saw while hunting.

Bobcats prefer forested areas that have brushy areas, fields, or clear cuts that are beginning to regrow mixed in. Female bobcat home ranges may vary from 6–12 square miles, and male bobcat home ranges may vary from 30–75 square miles. Bobcats are primarily nocturnal.”

The plan has not been formalized or approved and there is some opposition.

According to the Humane Society of the United States:

” a small but powerful group of recreational fur trappers helped push a bill through the state legislature that forces the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to establish a bobcat-trapping season by July 2025. And last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources proposed that trappers be allowed to kill 250 of them using horrific methods including strangling neck snares and steel-jawed leghold traps, even though these small wildcats are only starting to return to their native habitats in Indiana’s woods. But there is hope: concerned residents of the state still have time to prevent even one bobcat from being killed.

The new law mandating a bobcat season allows the Department of Natural Resources flexibility in setting the quota of bobcats that can be legally killed—the agency can even set this number as low as zero. 

The Natural Resources Commission will take public comments into account before making its final decision, and they can still decide to set the quota to zero. For that to happen, though, the Commission needs to hear from Indiana residents now. The public comment period for Indiana residents is open and can be accessed by clicking “Submit Comment Here” under Bobcat Amendments at NRC: Rulemaking Docket.“

Estimates of Indiana bobcats numbers vary. The cats have been seen in nearly every county in the state and the number of Indiana bobcats may be over 1,000. That number appears to be increasing.

The number of bobcats nationwide appears to be increasing and the number may be over 3 million. They are small enough to feed on insects and big enough to tackle young (and rarely adult) deer. They face challenges in some areas. Pythons in Florida have eliminated up to 90 percent of small to midsize mammals in some areas. California has perhaps 100,000 of the cats. In the Santa Monica Mountains they face threats from traffic and poisons working up the food chain. California has recently opted to start a conservation study of the status of the cats in the Golden State.

As we have noted cat genetic studies have changed the understanding of feline relation ships and changed the way we understand this mammal family. For example where once there were thought to be five types of tigers, now there are two. Mainland, tigers (Panthera tigris) and island tigers (Panthera tigris sondaica). But DNA studies have also helped to identify entirely new feline species including the clouded tiger cat.

The clouded tiger cat is set to join two other tiger cats, the northern and the southern. All three are members of the Leopardus tigrinis lineage. Very little separates them in appearance from the other two small cats. They are frequently known as oncillas and live in South America,

According to the website MenaFn the new cat is a small cat in isolated parts of Central America. It strongly resembles other small wild cats in the region but is distinct enough to be declared a separate species. According to the website:

“The Middle East North Africa Financial Network, Inc. (MENAFN) is the leading provider of online and wireless financial content and financial technology platforms to leading institutions and consumers around the

Arab world. MENAFN was founded in June 2000 by a team of serial entrepreneurs with successful track records in the region. The company is a Delaware-based corporation with a wholly owned subsidiary in Amman, Jordan and a fully paid-up capital of $2 million.”

MenaFn also serves as a news platform.

According to Mongabay:

“Until 2024 only two species of tiger cats were officially recognized: the southern tiger cat found in the Atlantic Forest of South America, and the northern tiger cat with a massive range stretching from Brazil through Colombia, north to Costa Rica and across the Andes into Bolivia and Peru.

But now there is evidence that tiger cats should be spilt into three separate species. Researchers analyzed characteristics of all the tiger cats known, including their morphology (body shape) and ecology (how they interact with their environment). In addition to differences in coat pattern, the clouded tiger cat has only one pair of teats while the other species have two pairs. The researchers concluded that tiger cat populations living in the Andes mountains and cloud forests of countries such as Colombia, Peru and Costa Rica are a separate species.””

Species are often distinguished by reproductive factors. Often they won’t mate or are unable to mate. If they do mate there is either sterility in the offspring or another health issue.

Sub species occur when a population of animals shows genetic or other variations. These variations are not enough to declare a separate species. This is the case with the Corsican cat-fox. This animal superficially resembles a fox but is actually a wildcat (Felix Sylvestris}

A new name has not been decided for the cat as some question whether it is distinct. The French Office of Biodiversity is certain, however. The cat will probably be protected as it is restricted to a part of Corsica. Meanwhile, the clouded tiger cat is taking its place in the roster of cat species.

Wolves in California were exterminated in the 1920’s. But wolves have crept in from other states and have formed packs. They have thrived and the current population is said to number 65, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In fact, the California wolf population is on a strong upward trend.

Wolves, of course, are one of the most controversial of animals whose future is in need of protection. Wolf re-introduction is a hot button issue throughout the American West. Wolves had been driven from abundance to near extinction by 1950. Remnant populations in the Great Lakes region, and the southwest and southeast were all that was left. However, public opinion changed starting in the 1960’s. Wolf re-introduction in Yellowstone National Park began the recovery. Wolf expansion and re-introduction has been happening in the western United States.

The California wolf population now appears to have a stable and growing population. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW):

“In California, gray wolves are classified as federally endangered under the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Act, state endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the State Wildlife Action Plan. Gray wolves began natural recolonization of California beginning in 2011; the first pack was the Shasta Pack in 2015 (no longer active).”

” Today there are seven confirmed packs in northern California: Antelope pack (Sierra and Nevada counties), Beckwourth pack (Plumas and Sierra counties), Beyem Seyo pack (Plumas County), Harvey pack (Lassen and Shasta counties), Lassen Pack (southern Lassen/northern Plumas counties), Whaleback Pack (Siskiyou County), and Yowlumni pack (Tulare County). There may be an unknown number of individual wolves that have dispersed from packs or adjacent states.”

” The department strives to conserve gray wolf populations for their ecological and intrinsic values and closely monitors our overall wolf population / packs for conservation and research, management and conflict mitigation.”

Phys.Org said

“Conservation organizations emphasized the number of new pups as a huge win for the rebounding species.

The Center for Biological Diversity called it “inspiring”—especially because the wolves made their way back into California and established packs on their own, rather than being reintroduced by wildlife agencies, the organization said in a news release.

It happened in late 2011 when a radio-collared wolf known as OR-7 ventured away from his pack in northeast Oregon and landed in California, the organization said. OR-7’s daughter went on to become a “founding member” of the Yowlumni pack, the state’s southernmost pack in Tulare County.

That pack produced seven of the 30 pups this year, according to Fish and Wildlife’s report.”

But wolves can and do eat livestock and other domestic animals and the battle over wolf populations continues in the United States and abroad. France, for example, estimates wolves kill 15,000 head of livestock annually. Numbers here appear to be lower.

Colorado has been a recent flash point. Wolves were reintroduced there last year. Packs began forming and disperse. But the predators have begun eating livestock and the stat’s strong anti-wolf sentiment remains. Wolves were reintroduced after a ballot measure passed. Pro-wolf voters tended to be urban dwellers or otherwise unattached to livestock based livelihoods. Those residents are staunchly anti-wolf.

Wolf predation can be hard to prove for livestock owners. They often leave little behind. Repayment to owners can be cumbersome and slow.

Predation hits smaller interests harder. But losses can be severe. Two wolves in Idaho panicked a flock of sheep. Almost 150 sheep died during the stampede. As the California wolf population increases it will be important to watch the reaction of livestock interests. Wolf poisoners have struck in Oregon, for example.

Researchers tagged a pregnant porbeagle shark and monitored it for five months. When the tags went silent the researchers realized that the mother-to-be had been eaten. The pregnant porbeagle shark was probably a meal for a great white shark, researchers believe.

The fatal encounter is causing marine biologists to re-think the hunting habits of larger sharks. They may eat each other more than was previously believed.

According to CNN the results of the findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Frontiers “explores ocean-based solutions to emerging global challenges.” The incident occurred between 2020 and 2021.

“This is the first documented predation event of a porbeagle shark anywhere in the world,” said lead study author Dr. Brooke Anderson, a marine fisheries biologist in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, via email.

Porbeagle sharks, which are found across the Atlantic and South Pacific oceans and Mediterranean Sea, can reach a little more than 12 feet (3.7 meters) long and weigh as much as 507 pounds (230 kilograms). The elusive, large sharks can also live between 30 and 65 years old. But female porbeagles can’t reproduce until they reach 13 years old. The females give birth to four pups every one or two years.” The pregnant porbeagle sharks pups were victims of the attack as well.

According to CNN the shark in question ” measuring 7.2 feet (2.2 meters) long, largely remained underwater for five months, cruising along at depths of 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200 meters) at night and 1,969 to 2,625 feet (600 to 800 meters) during the day. The ocean temperature fluctuated between 43.5 and 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit (6.4 and 23.5 degrees Celsius).

But 158 days after the shark was tagged and released, the pop-off tag began to transmit data from the sea southwest of Bermuda, suggesting it had come off the shark and was floating on the ocean’s surface.

For four days in March 2021, the tag registered a constant temperature of 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) at a depth ranging from 492 to 1,968 feet (150 to 600 meters). Then the tag floated up.

The team pieced together several factors that indicated the shark had been eaten and the tag excreted by a larger predator that gobbled up the shark, researchers said.

The researchers are now wondering how much shark-to-shark predation impacts the populations of larger sharks Such sharks were thought to be apex predators at little risk of being eaten.

Pregnant porbeagle sharks are not the only sharks under study. Researchers have recently discovered that bull sharks travel as far as 1,000 miles up the Mississippi River. Greenland sharks are also study subjects because they have adapted to Arctic waters and live hundreds of years. New types of sharks are still being discovered, including a new ghost shark.

The Indian government’s ambitious plan to reintroduce cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) into suitable Indian habitat has faced many challenges. But the latest Project Cheetah setback may doom the project.

Javan, the projects only free ranging cat has been found dead, possibly from suspected drowning. Since cheetahs rarely drown the actual cause of death is still under investigation.

The death of the cat throws the project into confusion and may be the final Project Cheetah setback.

As envisioned the plan involved transplanting cheetahs from Namibia to India. The transplanted cats were to be acclimated to life in India and then released. But many of the transplanted cats have died. The others are in captive isolation and may not be released into the wild.

India has had a number of conservation successes, including Project Tiger, which helped bring the regal cat back from the brink of extinction. The potential failure of Project Cheetah has brought out critical response.

“Dr Ravi Chellam, a wildlife biologist and conservation scientist, believes that India’s cheetah endeavour has reached a conservation dead end, with little hope for revival.

When asked if the multimillion dollar cheetah project could be salvaged, Chellam’s response was blunt: “Not really, because we’ve put the cart before the horse.”

“We should have first prepared a sufficient extent of suitable habitat and then brought the cats. Instead, the cats have been here in India for nearly two years, and we are still preparing small fragments of habitat, fencing these areas, and focusing on captive breeding,” he said.

The longer the surviving cats remain in captivity the less hope for successful reintroduction, some experts say.

The deceased cat was named Pavan and his life and death echoes that of P-22. P-22 was the famous Los Angeles mountain lion (Puma concolor) whose exploits pushed development of the Liberty Canyon overcrossing. He succumbed to old age, chronic disease and the results of a car strike. He was one of over 100 of the big cats

studied by the National Park Service (NPS) in the Sant Monica Mountains,

“Dr Laurie Marker, one of the world’s foremost cheetah experts, said the recent death marks a significant setback.

“[Pavan’s death is] very sad. He had been out for nearly two years, showing how well wild cheetahs can live,” Marker told This Week in Asia.

“Reintroduction is a very, very hard process. We need many cheetahs to re-establish an extinct population. The process is not easy. We will celebrate Pavan’s life for helping his species regain territory in India. I ask all of India to honour him and what he stands for,” Marker said.” Marker is executive director of theCheetah Conservation Fund.

The Project Cheetah setback has to be viewed against the risks facing cheetahs world wide. There are about 7,000 thought to be alive now, the majority in Africa. Asiatic cheetahs survive in Iran in a complex political situation. They may number as few as 30 and as many as 100. The Iranian Cheetah Society is seeking to protect the surviving cheetahs in that region.

Although the African lion population is estimated at 25,000 individuals, increasing habitat fragmentation is putting the future of Panthera leo in serious risk .Researchers at Oxford University have completed a recent continent wide survey that shows the cats are at serious risk from the fragmentation of populations

They are therefore facing some of the same threats as jaguars (Panthera onca) tigers (Panthera tigris) cougars (Puma concolor) and Gir lions (a subspecies of Panthera leo) in India . Potentially, some of the same strategies that seem to be aiding these big cats can be used to help protect the African lion population

“The study built on extensive lion monitoring projects which WildCRU has playevd a major role in for decades to map the current state of lion populations across Africa. Thise revealed that whilst the total population of wild lions in Africa may be estimated art between 20,000 and 25,000 individuals, many of these live within small, fragmented populations at risk of disappearing. For instance, of the 25 countries where African lions remain, nearly half of these nations have fewer than 250 individuals, with eight countries having only a single wild lion population. Furthermore, less than half of the 62 known wild African lion populations have over 100 lions.

However, the vulnerability of different lion populations cannot be assessed simply through their size.  For each population, the researchers identified ecological and socio-political factors that may influence their survival. Smaller lion populations or higher densities of people and livestock, for example, would contribute to higher ecological fragility, while higher levels of corruption or lower GDP per capita would contribute to greater socio-political fragility. These were then integrated into a single overall fragility index.”

WildCru is Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. Professor Amy Dickman is the director.

The study of the African lion population is in line with the results of similar research about other large cats. Habitat fragmentation is a serious risk for many large cats. Cougars in the Santa Monica Mountains, for example, are inbreeding due to habitat fragmentation. The overcrossing in Liberty Canyon is expected to build a wildlife corridor to help ease that problem. Cats and other wildlife will be able to cross over the deadly 101 Freeway. Wildlife corridors help animals cross dangerous areas such as freeways. The liberty Canyon venture is inspiring conservationists in Belize to bridge the gap between jaguar populations. Another tactic is straightforward reintroduction. India, for example has imported cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from Namibia. The animals are expected to repopulate parts of India from which they were driven at least 70 years ago.

tNone of the methods so far have been a “silver bullet.” But together they are working. In addition, eco-tourism has increased the value of all wildlife, Tourists viewing wildlife pump increasing amounts of money into local economies viewing. Other efforts seek to decrease conflict between humans and wildlife. One example is beekeeping and snow leopards. Convincing locals to keep bees rather than livestock can give the locals a reliable source of income. It also reduces conflict with the cats over predation.

Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are an invasive species wreaking havoc on Florida’s ecosystems already under attack from numerous other invasive species. For several years Florida python hunters have answered the call to retaliate. This year is no exception.

According to Popular Science the annual 10-day hunt began earlier in August. The goal for Floria python hunters is to catch and destroy as many of the rapacious creatures as possible. The snakes may have eaten 90 of the mammals in some areas. Nevertheless, the snakes are to be disposed of humanely or even eaten.

The recommended disposal method is pithing. The snake is first hit on the head with a mallet. Then an ice pick or similar tool is used to scramble the brain. There are suggestions that people should eat the python meat. Some restaurants are experimenting with python dishes. The official website has all the rules and regulations for aspiring Florida python hunters. There are year-round opportunities to help reduce the numbers of pythons in the state.

Last year 209 were taken by Florida python hunters during the event. An estimated 18,000 have been captured under any circumstances up to 2023. The estimated python population may be 300,000 so these numbers seem small. But a female can lay up to 100 eggs at a time. The average is lower. She lays multiple clutches during her lifetime. Taking a female out of the equation is a significant victory.

Catching a female prevents the laying of hundreds of eggs.

It is also possible that the snakes will migrate out of Florida. The reptiles have moved out of the Everglades and may move to other states.

Colorado reintroduced gray wolves (Canis lupus) to the state last December. Now as Colorado wolves begin to eat livestock one wonders about the future of the controversial reintroduction.

According to SkyHighNews wolves have killed just over one dozen head of livestock since the return of the wolves to the state. Colorado wildlife authorities are aware of the anger against the return of the predators. They have been closely monitoring the wolves and even mapping their movements for the public. SkyHighNews is a news outlet serving Grand County, Colorado.

The wolves were brought back into the state after a hotly fought ballot initiative resulted in a win for reintroduction. Colorado wildlife authorities are investigating the killings. They have been sensitive to public concerns. They maintain a map locating generalized wolf activity.

Wolf reintroduction has pitted mainly urban wolf conservationists against mostly rural ranchers, farmers and other livestock iterests.

The problem remains that wolves are predators and do kill livestock. How to evaluate and compensate losses remains an issue.

As Colorado wolves begin to eat livestock the issue. Is heating up. Colorado wildlife biologists are in the middle of the contesting factions. Wolves have been slowly moving back into old habitats since the 1970s. Opposition remains fierce, however. Wolves have been poisoned in Oregon and California. The battle is not confined to the United States. Successful reintroduction in Italy has resulted in retaliation.

The rancher faction is not without evidence. As a recent post of ours noted French authorities estimate wolves kill 15,000 head of livestock annually.

Leopards are one of the the world’s big cats and join four others in the panthera lineage. Leopards (Pathera pardus), Tigers (Panthera tigris) Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) lions (Panthera leo) and jaguars(Panthera onca) comprise the roaring cats. All are under some level of threat. Leopards may be the most numerous of all and India and Tanzania lead the world in the population estimate.

According to WorldoStats the two nations have about 14,000 leopards each. Far more than other countries, Countries such as South Africa are considered to have robust populations if they have as many as 5,000 of the cats. Habitat loss and poaching are major threats to leopards throughout their range

Worldostats says:

• India: India is home to one of the largest populations of leopards in the world. Estimates suggest there are about 12,000 to 14,000 leopards across the country. The dense forests, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries provide ideal habitats for these adaptable predators. Prominent regions with substantial leopard populations include Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The leopard’s presence is notable even in urban fringes, making them a unique case of human-wildlife coexistence. India’s conservation efforts, led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and various state forest departments, have been instrumental in protecting these big cats.
• Tanzania: Tanzania is renowned for its rich biodiversity, and leopards are an integral part of its wildlife heritage. The country boasts a healthy population of leopards, particularly in renowned national parks such as the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Estimates suggest there are around 5,000 to 10,000 leopards in Tanzania, although the exact numbers are challenging to ascertain due to their elusive nature. The extensive savannas and protected areas in Tanzania provide ideal hunting grounds and habitats for leopards. The country’s commitment to wildlife conservation, through organizations like the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), ensures that these majestic cats continue to thrive.

Conservation efforts are in play around the world. Saudi Arabia is working hard to protect the smallest and one of the rarest of the leopard subspecies. India is performing a balancing act as efforts to increase tiger populations may result in leopards abandoning areas where tigers abound. India and Tanzania are both seeking to maintain stable leopard populations.

Leopards do have a couple of advantages in the fight for survival. Up to about 150 poun, the cats are much smaller than lions, tigers and jaguars so they can subsist on smaller prey in a pinch. They are also so stealthy that there have been reports of leopards living close proximity to people. They also have many humans who respect them. As the picture below shows, leopards can be mistaken for jaguars and vice versa. The jaguars is significantly larger, however and its spots (rosettes) frequently have a spot inside them.