back to CAT NEWS N^o 47
 

Re-evaluation of the Felidae for the 2008 IUCN Red List
by K. Nowell, J. Schipper and M. Hoffmann

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.redlist.org) is the leading measure of global plant and animal conservation status. It illustrates IUCN’s great strength in the knowledge, expertise and dedication of its Species Survival Commission (SSC) members. The IUCN Red List is updated annually and, to remain useful, species should be re-evaluated regularly, especially groups with relatively large numbers of threatened species such as the Felidae. The last comprehensive IUCN Red List evaluation for cats was in 2002.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

First Photographs in Nature of the Chinese Mountain Cat
by Y. Yufeng, Drubgyal, Achu, Lu Zhi and J. Sanderson

The Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti was the last member of the family of cats described to science (Milne-Edwards 1892). The original description, provided only as a footnote, was made from skins acquired in China during an expedition in 1889 by Prince Henri of Orléans (Milne-Edwards 1892) and returned to Paris. Though illustrations were by the late 1800s commonly produced when describing a species new to science, no illustration was included in the description of Felis bieti. Neither the Prince nor the mammalogist Alphonse Milne-Edwards, employed at the Musée d’Historie Naturelle in Paris, saw the living cat and knew its habitat, but this was not unusual at this time in history. The species name bieti assigned by Milne-Edwards derives from his Lordship Biet who led the French missionaries in China.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Historical Records of Felid collections in the Sarawak Museum
by Mohd Azlan J., Dayang Noorafizah and J. Sanderson 

Because the importance of historical records contributes to the conservation of a species, a review was made of the felid specimens housed in the Sarawak Museum, Kuching, Sarawak (SMK). SMK houses 51 specimens of five felids collected from 1891 to 1983.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Two Modern Species of Clouded Leopard: A Molecular Perspective
by A. Wilting, H. Feldhaar, V. A. Bucley-Beason, K. E. Linsenmair, S. J. O’Brien

In the last issue of Cat News (No. 46, Spring 2007) Kitchener and co-workers suggested the reclassi­fication of clouded leopards from Borneo and Sumatra into a “new old” species Neofelis diardi. As Kitchener et al. focused mainly on two scientific publications in the journal Current Biology from 2006, we offer here a short update of the molecular phylogenetic analyses and interpret these results for the future conservation and management of clouded leopards.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

The Use of Logging Roads by Clouded Leopards
by C. H. Gordon and A.-M. Stewart

Due to their secretive behaviour, nocturnal habits and low densities, there has been a distinct lack of research conducted on clouded leopards (Neofelis spp.), and thus little information exists on their ecology and behaviour. Recently, the clouded leopard has been reclassified into two distinct species: Neofelis nebulosa on mainland Asia and N. diardi on the Sundaic islands of Borneo and Sumatra. This taxonomic change heightens the conservation concern with two species presently under threat.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Recent Cat Records by Camera Traps in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo
by M. Yasuda, H. Matsubayashi, Rustam, S. Numata, J. R. Abd. Sukor, S. A. Bakar

Recent cat records were extracted from the results of camera trapping surveys of mammalian fauna carried out separately in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. A total of 27 pictures of 5 species of cats were obtained at 13 different locations in 6 study sites.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

A Pilot Study on a Single Male Cheetah in Zimbabwe
by M. Jacquier and T. Woodfine

While considered to be a threatened species globally following historic declines in numbers and distribution, the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus has a paradoxical status in Zimbabwe. Here, the cheetah is a protected species, but it is also perceived to be a ‘problem’ predator blamed for livestock losses on farmland. Consequently, many landowners have sought to remove animals from their properties, replicating the treatment of cheetah in other parts of their range.  

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

First Trapping Results from a New Sand Cat Study in Saudi Arabia
by W. M. Strauss, M. Shobrak and M. Sher Shah

The sand cat is a little-known desert specialist, despite a wide distribution range through much of the Arab world and into southwest Asia. A study in Saudi Arabia now aims to investigate the effects of habitat degradation on the range use patterns and prey-availability of the sand cat. First results regarding the trapping effort and success are reported here.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

First Iberian Lynx Tracked With GPS-GSM Collars

by J. V. López-Bao, A. Rodriguez and F. Palomares

The Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus is considered as the most endangered felid in the world. Recently, this species has been classified as “Critically Endangered” by the World Conservation Union, thus recognizing that its extinction will be likely in the short-term if suitable conservation measures are not urgently adopted (IUCN 2006).

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

First Jaguar Photo-trapped in the Caatinga of Bahaia State, Brazil

by R. G. Morato, R. C. Paula, C. B. Campos, F. Lemos, C. Cheida, L. Maffei

Jaguar Panthera onca status in the Caatinga biome is unknown for 75% of the total area. Lack of knowledge on jaguar populations has hampered conservation strategies in this biome. Information on distribution, density, ecology, and population dynamics for the species need to be generated to better design an action plan in this region. To get this information, we have started a project in a Caatinga area in the northeast of Brazil to identify first the potential areas for a long term study.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Does the Serval Still Exist in North Senegal?
by C. Clément, M. Niaga and A. Cadi

In November 2006, the serval Leptailurus serval has been observed several times in the Katane enclosure, a small area protected from human exploitation in the Ferlo-North Faunal Reserve, in Senegal. In a Sahelian area still threatened by desertification, the presence of this species is a proof of the good health of this restored ecosystem.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

The Last Tigers in Xinjiang
by A. Abdukadir and U. Breitenmoser

When Sven Hedin crossed the Takla Makan Desert from west to east in 1895 and almost died of thirst, he finally reached the Hotan River, where he found “countless tracks of wild animals: of tigers and wolves, foxes and deer, antelopes, gazelles and hares!”. We cannot be sure whether what the Swedish explorer saw at the shores of the Hotan River were really tiger tracks, but the Tarim Basin was indeed considered the south-eastern distribution edge of the extinct Caspian tiger Panthera tigris virgata.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

A Rare Morph of the Asiatic Golden Cat in Bhutan’s Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park
by S. W. Wang 

An intensive camera trapping exercise targeted at tiger and leopard has for the first time captured several photos of the Asiatic golden cat Catapuma ­temmincki from two locations in the high altitude mountain forests of Jigme ­Singye Wangchuck National Park in Bhutan. Both the normal and the ocelot morph have been captured by cameras. This is not only the first record for the existence of these cats on high altitudes in Bhutan, but for the ocelot morph it is perhaps the only photo from the wild. The only available physical evidence of this morph was so far available from a zoo in China.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Sighting of Asiatic Golden Cat in the Grasslands of Assam’s Manas National Park

by A. Choudhury 

The Asiatic Golden Cat Catopuma temmincki is a relatively poorly studied felid, which occurs from eastern Nepal through southern China to Sumatra. Its main habitat is forests, both tropical and sub-tropical; however, it occasionally has been reported from more open habitats, such as shrub and grassland. In India it is found only in north east India where it mainly occurs in the forests of the hills and foothills.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

First Experience with GPS-GSM Telemetry with Eurasian Lynx in the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains
by A. Ryser and U. Breitenmoser

Telemetry using GPS positioning and GSM reporting would be a wonderful technique to track animals with minimum effort and disturbance. The use of GPS/GSM devices was so far limited through GSM coverage, poor GPS reception in rugged terrain and dense vegetation, and, for small to medium-sized animals, through system weight. First experience with Eurasian lynx in the Swiss Alps and in the Jura Mountains demonstrate that the new, improved and lighter generation of GPS-GSM systems now can be used for medium-sized cats, even though GPS reception and GSM feed­back are still limited and system failures before reaching the theoretical lifespan of batteries occurred.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Cats at CITES CoP 14

by K. Nowell, H. Bauer and U. Breitenmoser

The 14th Conference of the Parties to CITES met 3-15 June 2007 in The Hague, The Netherlands, and several cat issues were taken up.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents

Strategic Planning for the Conservation of the Leopard in the Caucasus
by Ch. Breitenmoser-Würsten, U. Breitenmoser and D. Mallon

The leopard in the Caucasus is under threat; only some small and isolated population nuclei remain in the whole eco-region. To save the species in the Caucasus, urgent conservation actions are needed. Significant investment into the conservation of the leopard is justified as this charismatic large cat is both an umbrella species – its conservation will also include the preservation of the prey species and their habitats – and a flagship species – the leopard is the ideal carrier of the conservation idea to the local population, between the range states, and to the international conservation community.

for full article see CAT NEWS N^o 47

back to contents