Big Cat Updates
All the cats who recently saw the vet are doing well.
Divinity Bobcat is eating better each day.
Will Bobcat is getting more destructive every day; which is a good sign that he may be ready to go back outside soon.
Chaos Caracal is walking on all four paws and eating well.
Ginger Serval is still a little woozy and not interested in eating after having two rotten molars extracted yesterday.
Despite a LOT of rain, it is soaking in well, so we aren’t experiencing any cage flooding.
Keeper Lauren Buckingham’s Coordinator Report for Monday, August, 28, 2017
Very wet and rainy day today.
Chaos and Ginger both saw Dr Justin. Chaos is in the outside hospital recovery cage, ginger is inside the recovery hospital towards the back, behind will and divinity. Chaos ate a full meal this evening. Both are awake and alert. The drop cam is on Ginger.
Despite the rain most cats ate well. Sarah B and MC braved torrential downpours to ensure the picky cats got additional meals.
Divinity ate great today. This evening she was eating cut up and ground turkey.
Ginger’s cages were worked on. Half was cleaned up and the roof on both sections cleared. The project was halted due to rain but there is not much left to finish it.
We got 3 food deliveries today, including red, chicken, pork, turkey breast and fish, so the freezers are stock piled with all kinds of goodies for the cats. Everyone chipped in to make sure the trucks were unloaded and food set in the correct places.
Because we could not work outside for most of the afternoon, food prep was cleaned up and the counters scrubbed.
Will’s diet has been increased, both in the morning and in the evening.
ACTION ALERT – LAST DAY
HAVE YOU SHOWN YOUR CLAWS? The Florida Panther is in a heated cat fight and needs your help by August 29th!
Last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they would conduct a review the Florida panther’s protective status. This iconic species is currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act but developers, ranchers, and hunters are challenging federal officials to down list or completely remove the panther’s protective status – potentially setting the stage for a panther trophy hunt in the near future!
Road kills, habitat loss, and development in panther range continue to be threats. Dozens of applications for developments, mines, and other projects are currently being considered in panther habitat. In fact, a development plan that would build a city the size of Washington D.C. in the heart of panther territory in currently under review! With as little as 120 cats left in the state, the Florida panther must stay protected!
This is a serious threat to the future of the Florida panther and the results of this review will have far reaching implications. Tell wildlife officials to keep their paws off the Florida panther’s protective status and to not mess with their recovery goals. This is a battle for one of Florida’s most beloved species and we still need you to join the fight!
TAKE ACTION @ http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51389/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=22851
So far over 3,500 comments have been submitted! Today is the last day to comment.
Jennifer just published the CatFight page to our site. It’s a one-stop shop for all the major issues facing the Florida Panther and will be regularly updated as issues arise and opportunities to protect the Florida panther become available. https://
Facebook Live Video Replays
Enjoy aerial footage captured by our drone of Kali the tigress heading to our vacation rotation enclosure for her two week stay. BigCatTV.com
Tigers are pretty nonchalant about the pouring rain, lightning and thunder of Hurricane Harvey.
Win A Big Cat Rescue Supporter Band – Show the world that you support Big Cat Rescue by wearing one a Big Cat Rescue awareness bracelet. Band is black with the BCR tiger, paw prints, and the words Big Cat Rescue in white. Each day that you make the Call of the Wild Carole is notified and at the end of every day, Carole will run a randomizer to pick one winner every day. It is important that when you make the Call of the Wild that you use you accurate address because that is the address that Keeper Lauren will then mail a Big Cat Rescue Supporter Wrist Band to the daily winner. Make the Call of the Wild at https://BigCatAct.com If you do not know what the Call of the Wild is check out the info at: http://bigcatrescue.org/cta-call-wild/ Recent Winners: August 28, 2017 Elizabeth e., August 29, 2017 Thomas C.
Keeper Corner
Keeper Desmond Fowles: Best buddies, Kewlona and Dryden, enjoy hanging out together.
Keeper Desmond Fowles: Cameron Lion, you cannot see me!
Keeper Desmond Fowles: Jade napping, resting her head on a soft rock.
2017 Saving Wild Places for Wild Cats
New updates just since June!
S.P.E.C.I.E.S
Big Cat Rescue donated $2,500, in June 2017, to assist with the first surveys of African Golden Cat in Cameroon. The study is being conducted by Dr Anthony Giordano, his non profit organization S.P.E.C.I.E.S and UCLA’s Center for Tropical Research. African Golden Cats are endemic to rainforests of west and central Africa. They are a close relative of the Caracal and African Serval and currently listed on the IUCN realist as vulnerable. Due to its reclusive tendencies little is currently known about the ecology or behavior of this species.
The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is subject to superstition by tribal people in southern Cameroon. Pygmy tribes carry golden cat tails with them on hunts as a lucky token and their skin is used in circumcision rituals. Hunting for the golden cat is banned across 12 of its range countries, with Cameroon being an exception. In Cameroon conservation is generally not viewed as a good thing by local people, People who live and depend upon the forest, either for food or income, often see little or no value in conservation thus changing local perceptions is a key part of the project. This project will provide much needed information on African golden Cat distribution and population size, but also work closely with local communities and authorities to ensure better protection.
A pilot camera-trap study has already been completed in Dja Faunal Reserve and a second proposed site of Lokebe National Park along the border with Gabon, has been set and looks promising. The project aims to raise around $12,000 in the coming months to fund the second site study.
Read more about S.P.E.C.I.E.S and the projects they are currently undertaking here: https://carnivores.org, http://carnivores.org/poached- trafficked-saving-cameroons-af rican-golden-cats-pangolins/
JAGUARUNDI IN ARGENTINA
The Jaguarundi is considered a generalist predator and occupies a broad spectrum of low-altitude habitats. The scarcity of information on Jaguarundis is a reason of concern, and a recent review of the available data suggests that frequently its population densities may be lower than traditionally believed. The number of studies on Jaguarundi ecology is limited and even some basic aspects of its biology are still little known. In particular, although the available information suggest that this cat is able to adapt to fragmented and altered landscapes, it is unclear how habitat loss and fragmentation affect Jaguarundis. Thus further studies are essential to clarify its conservation. Big Cat Rescue donated to such a study in June, a partnership between Felidae Conservation Fund and S.P.E.C.I.E.S.
The project aims to start filling the gap in knowledge of the Jaguarundi, specifically in Argentina. Although little information is available on the felid communities of Argentina, in some regions jaguarundis appear to be relatively abundant. Based on that information, this study focuses on two regions; Dry Chaco and the Lowland Yungas. Both ecoregions have been heavily modified by anthropogenic activities in the last decades, but in some areas they may still harbor a great diversity of small cat species, including jaguarundis.
Although the long-term goal of this project is to carry out a comprehensive conservation biology study of the jaguarundi, The initial objectives are:
1. Identify a promising study site for the long-term study of jaguarundis and its interactions
with the other members of the carnivore guild.
2. Produce novel information on habitat use and activity patterns of the carnivore guild of two little studied areas across a gradient of anthropogenic alteration of natural habitats.
3. Study the overlap in habitat association and activity patterns between these carnivores.
4. Provide training opportunities on carnivore field study for graduate students.
AFRICAN PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE – NORTHERN TANZANIA INITIATIVE
In July 2017, Big Cat Rescue donated funds to assist the African People & Wildlife.
Northern Tanzania includes 30,000 square kilometers of grassland, Acacia woodland and Commiphora bushland. Cat species residing here include the most threatened population of African lions, as well as leopards, cheetah and caracals. Despite its size, this area holds only two protected areas, Tarangire National Park, and Lake Manyara National Park. Every week lions and other predators are being killed as they are forced to share their habitat with an increasing human population.
In this semi-arid landscape, the pastoralist Maasai people depend upon the availability of water and food for themselves and for the livestock herds that form their economic foundation. Patterns of seasonal rain create a constant movement of prey species in and out of those parks meaning lions and other predators rely on the community land outside of these parks for their survival.
For those born and raised in Tanzania, these predators are a threat to valuable livestock, particularly when livestock are left in vulnerable situations. When livestock are killed by wildlife, the herders retaliate, most often by chasing and killing the lions they find.
The programme set in place by the African People & Wildlife focuses on ensuring that wildlife have the habitat and food resources they need to flourish alongside growing human populations.
Living Walls: Unique, culturally appropriate and environmentally-friendly enclosures protect livestock from lions, keep lions out of the way of Maasai spears and contribute to habitat protection. The fence posts are made from native Commiphora limbs, that when planted will take root and flourish, so never need to be replaced. A Chain link barrier resists all predators- Commiphora grows in height and density, further deterring predators by providing a visual and physical barrier- Requires no upkeep throughout the year. Living Walls prevent nighttime raids of predators with a 99.9% success rate. When livestock are protected, human-wildlife conflict is reduced. To date, no lions have been killed at corrals fortified with Living Walls.
Warriors for Wildlife: Warriors for Wildlife are local community members, facilitated by the African People & Wildlife, who assist in our efforts around wildlife monitoring, big cat conflict prevention and enforcement of wildlife laws. The Warriors for Wildlife team includes 42 Big Cat Conflict officers who work to save the lives of livestock via rapid response in 20 communities, and 7 highly-trained Community Scouts who are deployed to combat poaching and other illegal activities. For Wildlife monitoring Program officers, assisted by community members, monitor the health of wildlife populations to measure program impacts.
Read more about the great work done by the African People & Wildlife here: africanpeoplewildlife.org
INTERNATIONAL TIGER DAY 2017
For International Tiger Day 2017, a Fundraiser was held to raise money and continue our support of The Corbett Foundation and their open wells initiative. The Corbett Foundation is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization solely committed to the conservation of wildlife. They work towards a harmonious coexistence between human beings and wildlife across some of the most important wildlife habitats in India, namely Corbett Tiger Reserve, Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve and around the Greater Rann of Kutch. Local Communities and wildlife share natural ecosystems and this often raises conflict, so the health and wellbeing of these communities are often directly linked to their willingness to participate in wildlife conservation efforts. The Corbett foundation has implemented its programs in over 400 villages in the last decade.
Big Cat Rescue matched the profit from purchases of our International Tiger Day merchandise – and any donations made on the merchandise page, dollar for dollar up to $5000 and donated it to the Corbett Foundation’s in situ work to protect wild tigers, leopards and other animals in India from falling into open farm wells. One specific area the Corbett foundation is working on is the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Open farm wells, dug by villagers, in the buffer zone of the Reserve, are proving to be a deathtrap for wild animals, with several cases having been reported of animals, including tigers and leopards, drowning by accidentally falling into the open wells. Currently around 2500 of these open farm wells exist, many in the core zone of the Tiger Reserve. The Corbett Foundation, has initiated a project to install chain-link fencing around such open farm wells to prevent any further accidental drowning. In the first phase of the project, 200 fences have already been built around wells closest to the core of the reserve.
In March 2016, Big Cat Rescue donated $5,000 to assist with this initiative and from this fundraiser we were able to donate a further $17,240. The cost to fence one well is between $90-$100, meaning from our donations around 200 wells will be successfully fenced.
Read more about the Corbett Foundation here: www.corbettfoundation.org
FREE Cookies Cookbook
This is a FREE downloadable PDF so you get it instantly. 22 recipes and 27 photos. These are some of the best recipes from Big Cat Rescue fans. Get yours now at https://catrescue.myshopify.com/products/cookbook-big-cat-style-cookies
Quick Links – http://bigcatrescue.org/quick-links/
Cooper August 27th & 28th
Waking up again and looking for breakfast
Waking up and getting off the platform
Check out Cooper’s whole story: http://bigcatrescue.org/cooper/
Viewer Videos From Explore.org/bigcatrescue
Andy in a hurry to get out of the lake
A swim in the rain
Andy morning dip
Run Kali!
Curious Kali
Pretty girl Divinity
3-2-1 – Let’s go!
Kali enjoying the pond in VR
Vacation Rotation Championships in Barrel Roll
Andy Anhinga drying his wings
Gorgeous Kali
Viewer Pix
Big Cat Friend Dusty Moccasins: Tigergator
WANTED – Graphic Artists – Carole is looking for a graphic artist who really gets what we are all about and would would like to help us with some graphics for shirts. If that is you or if you know someone like that, please have them email Carole at cat@bigcatrescue.org
