tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:/xml/carnivores1 carnivores news from mongabay.com 2014-07-29T19:39:18Z tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13590 2014-07-28T13:17:00Z 2014-07-29T19:39:18Z Short-eared dog? Uncovering the secrets of one of the Amazon's most mysterious mammals <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0727.2010.-Los-Amigos.-Oso-at-age-4-.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Fifteen years ago, scientists knew next to nothing about one of the Amazon's most mysterious residents: the short-eared dog. Although the species was first described in 1883 and is considered the sole representative of the Atelocynus genus, biologists spent over a century largely in the dark about an animal that seemed almost a myth. Jeremy Hance -11.888234 -71.407557 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13555 2014-07-17T13:12:00Z 2014-07-17T13:29:45Z Scientists can now accurately count polar bears...from space Polar bears are big animals. As the world's largest land predators, a single male can weigh over a staggering 700 kilograms (about 1,500 pounds). But as impressive as they are, it's difficult to imagine counting polar bears from space. Still, this is exactly what scientists have done according to a new paper in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Jeremy Hance 69.108688 -78.727886 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13516 2014-07-09T17:26:00Z 2014-07-09T19:23:54Z Cats' best friend? A new role for guard dogs in South Africa <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/14/0709-dogfam-thumb.png" align="left"/></td></tr></table>While there has been a surge of recovery and reintroduction programs to combat predator decline, human population growth and limited protected areas have led to increased rates of human-wildlife conflicts in many regions of the world. A study published recently tested the ability of trained guarding dogs to protect livestock in South Africa and found it to be highly effective, protecting humans and predators alike. Morgan Erickson-Davis -31.401423 21.651473 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13512 2014-07-09T12:59:00Z 2014-07-09T17:20:02Z Stuff of fairy tales: stepping into Europe's last old-growth forest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0709.bison-bialowieza-forest-photo-by-lukasz-mazurek-wildpoland-com-07.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>There is almost nothing left of Europe's famed forests, those that provided for human communities for millennia and gave life to the world's most famous fairytales. But straddling the border between Poland and Belarus, the Bialowieza Forest is Europe's last lowland old-growth forest, parts of which have never been cut by man. Jeremy Hance 52.776516 23.876829 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13415 2014-06-19T17:07:00Z 2014-06-19T17:24:45Z Chinese fishermen get the ultimate phone video: a swimming tiger Two Chinese fishermen got the catch of their lives...on mobile phone this week. While fishing in the Ussuri River, which acts as a border between Russia and China, the fishermen were approached by a swimming Siberian tiger. These tigers, also known as Amur tigers, are down to around 350-500 animals. Jeremy Hance 46.941552 134.076563 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13399 2014-06-17T18:18:00Z 2014-06-17T21:09:28Z Camera trap captures first ever video of rarely-seen bird in the Amazon...and much more <table align="left"><tr><td><img src=" http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/1107.Mosquera--Nocturnal-curassow.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A camera trap program in Ecuador's embattled Yasuni National Program has struck gold, taking what researchers believe is the first ever film of a wild nocturnal curassow (Nothocrax urumutum). In addition, the program has captured video of other rarely-seen animals, including the short-eared dog and the giant armadillo. Jeremy Hance -0.637516 -76.148906 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13250 2014-05-19T17:34:00Z 2014-05-19T17:42:49Z Camera trap catches rare feline attempting to tackle armored prey (VIDEO) One of the world's least known wild cats may have taken on more than it could handle in a recent video released by the Gashaka Biodiversity Project from Nigeria's biggest national park, Gashaka Gumti. Jeremy Hance 7.541676 11.606435 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13214 2014-05-13T13:21:00Z 2014-05-13T13:33:06Z Scientists release odd-looking, Critically Endangered crocodiles back into the wild (PHOTOS) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0513.gahrial.release.4.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Among the largest and most endangered crocodilians in the world, the gharial is on the verge of extinction today. This harmless fish-eating crocodile has fewer than 200 adult breeding individuals in the wild, their numbers having plummeted rapidly over the past few decades. But among this gloom and doom, conservationists have been working tirelessly to reinstate the wild populations. Jeremy Hance 26.463621 84.602580 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/13206 2014-05-12T13:15:00Z 2014-05-12T14:16:28Z After 89-year absence a wolf returns to Iowa...and is shot dead DNA testing has confirmed that an animal shot in February in Iowa's Buchanan County was in fact a wolf, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. This is the first confirmed gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the U.S. state since 1925. Jeremy Hance 42.488864 -91.948882 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12992 2014-03-27T15:49:00Z 2014-03-30T18:54:23Z Kala: the face of tigers in peril <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0327.kala.Image-4.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In 1864, Walter Campbell was an officer in the British Army, stationed in India when he penned these words in his journal: "Never attack a tiger on foot&#8212;if you can help it. There are cases in which you must do so. Then face him like a Briton, and kill him if you can; for if you fail to kill him, he will certainly kill you." In a stroke of good fortune for the tiger, perceptions in India have changed drastically since Campbell's time. Tiger hunting is now banned and conservationists are usually able to rescue the big cats if they become stranded while navigating increasingly human-occupied areas. But is this enough to save the tiger? Jeremy Hance 21.168602 79.645198 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12761 2014-02-11T16:29:00Z 2014-02-11T16:37:52Z Incredible encounter: whales devour European eels in the darkness of the ocean depths <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0211.eel.68473.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The Critically Endangered European eel makes one of the most astounding migrations in the wild kingdom. After spending most of its life in Europe's freshwater rivers, the eel embarks on an undersea odyssey, traveling 6,000 kilometers (3,720 miles) to the Sargasso Sea where it will spawn and die. The long-journeying eels larva than make their way back to Europe over nearly a year. Yet by tracking adult European eels (Anguilla anguilla) with electronic data loggers, scientists have discovered that some eels never make it to their spawning ground, but instead are swallowed-up in the depths by leviathans. Jeremy Hance 48.341646 -34.643556 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12713 2014-02-01T13:06:00Z 2014-02-01T13:24:50Z Endangered tiger killed in Sumatra A young Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) was shot and killed by a coffee farmer in Jambi Province. With an estimated 400 individuals left in the wild, the species is Critically Endangered, while habitat loss increasingly forces them into populated areas to search for food. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12700 2014-01-29T14:40:00Z 2014-02-19T15:28:02Z Predator appreciation: how saving lions, tigers, and polar bears could rescue ourselves <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0129.Christo_scan_46.150..jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In the new book, In Predatory Light: Lions and Tigers and Polar Bears, authors Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Sy Montgomery, and John Houston, and photographers Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson share with us an impassioned and detailed appeal to appreciate three of the world's biggest predators: lions, tigers, and polar bears. Through lengthy discussions, combining themes from scientific conservation to local community folklore, In Predatory Light takes us step by step deeper into the wild world of these awe-inspiring carnivores and their varied plight as they facedown extinction. Jeremy Hance 78.80198 15.948486 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12695 2014-01-28T15:59:00Z 2014-01-28T16:32:18Z Over 2,500 wolves killed in U.S.'s lower 48 since 2011 Hunters and trappers have killed 2,567 gray wolves in the U.S.'s lower 48 states since 2011, according to recent data. Gray wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>) were protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for nearly 40 years before being stripped of their protection status by a legislative rider in 2011. Last year total wolf populations were estimated at over 6,000 in the region. Jeremy Hance 44.510218 -110.611954 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12694 2014-01-28T13:43:00Z 2014-01-29T13:37:35Z Feral crèches: parenting in wild India <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0128.Picture11_SBear.600.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The Wildlife Conservation Society-India has been camera trapping wild animals for over 20 years in the Western Ghats. The results reveal the most intimate, fascinating and sometimes comical insights into animal behavior and ecology. These mammals generally become secretive and protective during parenting, and therefore we seldom get to see little ones in the wild. But discretely placed camera traps have not only caught glimpses of these adorable wild babies, but also produced wonderful family albums! Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12649 2014-01-17T12:55:00Z 2014-01-29T15:43:26Z Wonderful Creatures: A nematode drama played out in a millipede's gut <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0117.1d.-Rhigonema-tomentosum_-David-J-Hunt.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Nematodes are typically small animals that to the naked eye look very much alike; however, these creatures are fantastically diverse &#8212;on a par with the arthropods in terms of species diversity. At face value, nematodes lack the charisma of larger animals, so there are very few biologists who have made it their life’s work to understand them. Those who do have been rewarded with a glimpse of the incredible diversity of these animals, an example of which is the complex menagerie of nematodes that dwell in the guts of large, tropical millipedes. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12645 2014-01-16T20:26:00Z 2014-01-16T20:45:42Z Snow leopards and other mammals caught on camera trap in Uzbekistan (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0116.CAM43590-2013-11-16_14-31-13.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Scientists knew that snow leopards (Panthera uncia) still survived in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan, but late last year they captured the first ever photos. Camera traps in the Gissar Nature Reserve took photos of the big cats, along with bear, lynx, ibex, wild boar, and other mammals. The camera trap program was led by biologists Bakhtiyor Aromov and Yelizaveta Protas working with Panthera, WWF's Central Asia Program, and Uzbekistan's Biocontrol Agency. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12632 2014-01-14T16:40:00Z 2014-01-14T16:47:19Z German government gives tigers $27 million At a summit in 2010, the world's 13 tiger range states pledged to double the number of tigers (Panthera tigris) in the wild by 2020. Today, non-tiger state Germany announced its assistance toward that end. Through its KfW Development Bank, the German government has pledged around $27 million (20 million Euro) to a new program run by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Jeremy Hance -0.870633 102.386627 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12610 2014-01-08T22:03:00Z 2014-01-09T19:47:45Z Lions face extinction in West Africa: less than 250 survive <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/14/0108.Henschel_Lion_Niokolo-Koba_NP_SenegalCREDIT.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The lions of West Africa, which may represent a distinct subspecies, are on the precipice of extinction. A sober new study in PLOS ONE reports that less than 250 mature lions survive in the region. Scientists have long known that West Africa's lions were in trouble, but no one expected the situation to be as dire as it was. In fact, in 2012 scientists estimated the population at over 500. But looking at 21 parks, scientists were shocked to find lions persisted in just four with only one population containing more than 50 individuals. Jeremy Hance 11.248102 1.598455 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12478 2013-12-03T21:42:00Z 2013-12-03T22:07:53Z 86 percent of big animals in the Sahara Desert are extinct or endangered <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/1203.addax_termit_niger_0512-copyright-Thomas-Rabeil-and-Sahara-Conservation-Fund_150-.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Bigger than all of Brazil, among the harshest ecosystems on Earth, and largely undeveloped, one would expect that the Sahara desert would be a haven for desert wildlife. One would anticipate that big African animals&#8212;which are facing poaching and habitat loss in other parts of the world&#8212;would thrive in this vast wilderness. But a new landmark study in Diversity and Distributions finds that the megafauna of the Sahara desert are on the verge of total collapse. Jeremy Hance 22.411029 12.235107 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12461 2013-11-27T16:58:00Z 2013-11-27T17:24:45Z Scientists discover new cat species roaming Brazil <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/1126.L-guttulus-08-TGO_med_res2.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>As a family, cats are some of the most well-studied animals on Earth, but that doesn't mean these adept carnivores don't continue to surprise us. Scientists have announced today the stunning discovery of a new species of cat, long-confused with another. Looking at the molecular data of small cats in Brazil, researchers found that the tigrina&#8212;also known as the oncilla in Central America&#8212;is actually two separate species. The new species has been dubbed Leopardus guttulus and is found in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil, while the other Leopardus tigrinus is found in the cerrado and Caatinga ecosystems in northeastern Brazil. Jeremy Hance -25.697226 -48.620796 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12453 2013-11-26T18:50:00Z 2014-01-27T15:10:40Z Camera traps reveal Amur leopards are breeding in China (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/1126.amurleopards.1.1.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Good news today about one of the world's rarest mammals: camera traps in China's Wangqing Nature Reserve have captured the first proof of breeding Amur leopards in the country, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The photos show a mother Amur leopard with two cubs. A recent survey by WWF-Russia estimated the total wild population of Amur leopards at just 50 individuals, but that's a population on the rise (from a possible nadir of 25) and expanding into long-unused territory. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12305 2013-11-04T22:23:00Z 2013-11-05T15:28:35Z World's most cryptic feline photographed in logging concession <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/1104baycat150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The bay cat is arguably the world's least-known member of the cat family (Felidae). Although first described by scientists in 1874, no photo existed of a living specimen until 1998 and a wild cat in its rainforest habitat wasn't photographed until five years later. Given this, scientists with Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Imperial College London were taken aback when their remote camera traps captured numerous photos of these elusive cats hanging out in a commercial logging concession in Sabah, a state in Malaysian Borneo. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12214 2013-10-17T20:09:00Z 2014-02-22T01:56:45Z Honey badgers and more: camera traps reveal wealth of small carnivores in Gabon (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/1017.2.-B.-nigripes-_LB-Panthera-(small).150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Gabon has lost most of its big meat-eaters including lions, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs (although it's still home to leopards), but a new study focuses on the country's lesser-known species with an appetite for flesh. For the first time, researchers surveyed Gabon's small carnivores, including 12 species from the honey badger (<i>Mellivora capensis</i>) to the marsh mongoose (<i>Atilax paludinosus</i>). Jeremy Hance -2.130856 9.697723 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12148 2013-09-30T14:24:00Z 2013-10-02T18:58:40Z Samburu's lions: how the big cats could make a comeback in Kenya <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/ewaso.DSC_0584.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In 2009 conservationists estimated that less than 2,000 lions survive in Kenya, a drop of 26 percent in just seven years. In addition, the East Africa country continues to hemorrhage lions: around a hundred a year. Poaching, poisoning, and large-scale habitat loss has put lions on the defensive across Africa, but even countries once thought lion strongholds--like Kenya--have seen populations harried to devastation and in some cases local extinction. Shivani Bhalla, a fourth-generation Kenyan, is working to turnaround this trend in Samburu National Reserve. Jeremy Hance 0.615244 37.532769 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12083 2013-09-17T15:03:00Z 2013-09-17T16:19:20Z Lions rising: community conservation making a difference for Africa's kings in Mozambique <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0917.LICM-11--Newst-male-lion-in-the-area.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Everyone knows that tigers, pandas, and blue whales are threatened with extinction&#8212;but lions!? Researchers were shocked to recently discover that lion populations have fallen precipitously: down to around 30,000 animals across the African continent. While 30,000 may sound like a lot, this is a nearly 70 percent decline since 1960. In addition, lion populations are increasingly fragmented with a number of populations having vanished altogether. However, there is hope: one place where lion populations are actually on the rise is Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique. Here, lion populations have risen by around 60 percent in just seven years. In part this is due to the effort of Colleen and Keith Begg. Jeremy Hance -12.004398 37.446442 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12036 2013-09-10T13:57:00Z 2013-09-11T12:34:54Z Protecting predators in the wildest landscape you've never heard of <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0910.DSC_3198lion2bw-.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The Serengeti, the Congo, the Okavango Delta: many of Africa's great wildernesses are household names, however on a continent that never fails to surprise remain vast wild lands practically unknown to the global public. One of these is the Ruaha landscape: covering 51,800 square kilometers (20,000 square miles) of southern Tanzania's woodlands and savannah, Ruaha contains the largest population of elephants in East Africa, over 500 bird species, and a wealth of iconic top predators, including cheetah, hyena, wild dogs, leopard, and&#8212;the jewel in its crown&#8212;10 percent of the world's lions. But that's not all, one of Africa's least-known and secretive tribal groups, the Barabaig, also calls Ruaha home. Jeremy Hance -7.490133 35.01646 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/12017 2013-09-04T19:30:00Z 2013-09-08T15:43:22Z Featured video: 'this is day one for the olinguito' Last month scientists unveiled a remarkable discovery: a new mammal in the order Carnivora (even though it mostly lives off fruits) in the Andean cloud forests. This was the first new mammal from that order in the Western Hemisphere since the 1970s. The olinguito had long been mistaken for its closest relatives, olingos&#8212;small tree-dwelling mammals that inhabit the lowland rainforests of South and Central America&#8212;however genetic research showed the olinguito had actually been separated by 3-4 million years from its cousins. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11980 2013-08-29T15:28:00Z 2013-08-30T17:49:23Z Featured video: how tigers could save human civilization In the video below, John Vaillant, author of the <i>The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival</i>, tells an audience at TEDxYYC about the similarities between tigers and human beings. Given these similarities&#8212;big mammals, apex predator, highly adaptable, intelligent, and stunningly 'superior'&#8212;John Vaillant asks an illuminating question: what can we learn from the tiger? It turns out learning from tigers could help conserve the human race. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11930 2013-08-18T14:52:00Z 2013-08-18T16:33:29Z Meet the BABY olinguito <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0818.Baby-Olinguito-in-La-Mesenia-Reserve-Colombia-Photo-by-Luis-Mazariegos.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Since its announcement on Thursday, the olinguito&#8212;the world's newest mammal&#8212;has taken the world by storm. Hundreds of articles have been written about the new species, while its cuddly appearance has already been made the subject of cartoons. Now, conservationists have released the first photos of a baby olinguito. The new photos come from La Mesenia Conservation Project in Colombia, an Andean cloud forest reserve that is a project area for the NGO SavingSpecies. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11917 2013-08-15T15:32:00Z 2013-08-26T20:29:07Z Scientists discover teddy bear-like mammal hiding out in Andean cloud forests (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/150olinguito.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>While the olinguito looks like a wild, tree-climbing teddy bear with a cat's tail, it's actually the world's newest mammalian carnivore. The remarkable discovery&#8212;the first mammal carnivore uncovered in the Western Hemisphere since the 1970s&#8212;was found in the lush cloud forests of the Andes, a biodiverse region home to a wide-range of species found no-where else. Dubbed the olinguito (<i>Bassaricyon neblina</i>), the new mammal is a member of a little-known, elusive group of mammals&#8212;olingos&#8212;that are related to raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous. However, according to its description in the journal Zookeys, the olinguito is the most distinct member of its group, separated from other olingos by 3-4 million years (or longer than Homo sapiens have walked the Earth). Jeremy Hance 0.006695 -78.679547 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11891 2013-08-07T14:20:00Z 2013-08-11T14:53:46Z Last disease-free Tasmanian devils imperiled by mine <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0807.800px-TasmanianDevil_1888.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The federal environment minister, Mark Butler, has given the go-ahead to a controversial mine that the courts halted amid concerns it could drastically affect the last stronghold of the Tasmanian devil. Butler said he had granted approval to Shree Minerals to proceed with its iron ore mine at Nelson Bay River in the north-west of Tasmania, subject to 30 conditions. Jeremy Hance -41.481833 144.983368 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11861 2013-07-31T18:14:00Z 2013-07-31T18:31:51Z Balkan lynx conservation unifies neighboring countries <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/0731balkan-lynx150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>They still call the Balkans “the Powder Keg of Europe.” For good reason too: bloody ethnic and religious conflicts in the past decades have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. As recently as 2001, the army in Macedonia was fighting with ethnic Albanians, many of them from Kosovo. However, in the past seven years a rare and charismatic wild cat – the Balkan lynx (<em>Lynx lynx balcanicus</em>)– is serving to unify countries with troubled historical and political relations. Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro are collaborating on a joint conservation strategy for the Critically Endangered animal. Rhett Butler 41.622116 20.665176 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11857 2013-07-30T16:02:00Z 2013-07-30T16:20:56Z Nepal's tigers on the rebound Nearly two hundred tigers roam the lowland forests of Nepal, according to a new survey. This is a 63 percent increase in the country's tiger population since 2009, and rare good news for global efforts to save the tiger from extinction. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11835 2013-07-25T18:44:00Z 2013-07-25T22:37:43Z Cheetah don’t overheat during hunts A new study published in <i>Biology Letters</i> finds that contrary to popular opinion, cheetah don’t overheat during hunts. But their body temperature rises after successful hunts due to stress than another predator may seize their prey. Rhett Butler -20.814211 16.653357 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11771 2013-07-15T18:12:00Z 2013-07-15T18:43:56Z Scientists: lions need funding not fences <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0715.Lion_waiting_in_Namibia.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Fences are not the answer to the decline in Africa's lions, according to a new paper in <i>Ecology Letters</i>. The new research directly counters an earlier controversial study that argued keeping lions fenced-in would be cheaper and more effective in saving the big cats. African lion (<i>Panthera leo</i>) populations across the continent have fallen dramatically: it's estimated that the current population is around 15,000-35,000 lions, down from 100,000 just 50 years ago. The animal kings are suffering from booming human populations, habitat loss and fragmentation, prey decline, trophy hunting, and human-lion conflict. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11766 2013-07-12T02:55:00Z 2013-07-12T03:20:04Z 5 men rescued, 1 killed, after 5-day Sumatran tiger standoff <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/animals/150/animals_02478.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Five men were finally rescued on Monday after spending five days trapped in a tree by a group of Sumatran tigers. A team of around 30 people rescued the men after several tiger tamers were able to lure the animals away using chants and mantras. The men were attacked inside Aceh’s Gunung Leuser National Park by a mother tiger after accidentally killing its cub in a trap the group had set to hunt deer. The tiger killed one of the men, 28-year-old David, and forced the others to escape up a tree. Rhett Butler 3.864255 97.606444 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11672 2013-06-28T18:37:00Z 2013-07-05T16:59:48Z Sumatran tiger density lower than previously thought The critically endangered Sumatran tiger may be even rarer than previously thought, reports a study published in the journal <i>Oryx</i>. Rhett Butler -0.084457 101.614494 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11619 2013-06-19T17:18:00Z 2013-07-04T13:58:01Z Conserving top predators results in less CO2 in the air <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0619.carbon.predators.1_Spider.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>What does a wolf in Yellowstone National Park have in common with an ambush spider on a meadow in Connecticut? Both are predators and thus eat herbivores, such as elk (in the case of wolves) and grasshoppers (in the case of spiders). Elk and grasshoppers also have more in common than you probably imagine: they both consume large quantities of plant matter. While scientists have long-known that predators lead to carbon storage by reducing herbivore populations, a new study reveals a novel way in which top predators cause an ecosystem to store more carbon. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11571 2013-06-10T14:24:00Z 2013-06-19T23:54:41Z Tibetan monks partner with conservationists to protect the snow leopard <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0610.Snow-Leopard.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Tibetan monks could be the key to safeguarding the snow leopard (<i>Panthera uncia</i>) from extinction, according to an innovative program by big cat NGO Panthera which is partnering with Buddhist monasteries deep in leopard territory. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, snow leopard populations have dropped by a fifth in the last 16 years or so. Large, beautiful, and almost never-seen, snow leopards are the apex predators of the high plateaus and mountains of central Asia, but their survival like so many big predators is in jeopardy. Jeremy Hance 33.504759 87.963865 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11546 2013-06-04T19:13:00Z 2013-06-05T15:34:25Z Monitor lizards vanishing to international trade in pets and skins <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0603.57248_web.monitorlizards.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The world's monitor lizards remind us that the world was once ruled by reptiles: this genus (Varanus) includes the world's biggest lizards, such as the stunning Komodo dragon and many other island kings. A large number beautifully-colored and patterned, these lizards are known for their intelligence and their apex role in many island food chains. However, a new study finds that the world's monitors, especially those in Southeast Asia, are vanishing due to the international pet trade and for their skins, which are turned into handbags and straps for watches. Meanwhile the rapid destruction of their rainforest homes is exacerbating the situation. Jeremy Hance -8.561331 119.476891 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11475 2013-05-23T15:18:00Z 2013-05-23T15:23:25Z Three new species of carnivorous snails discovered in endangered habitat in Thailand (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0523.carnivoroussnails.-55266.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Scientists from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and the Natural History Museum, London recently discovered three new species of carnivorous snails in northern Thailand. However, the celebration of these discoveries is tainted by the fact that the new snails are already threatened with extinction due to the destruction of their limestone habitat. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11457 2013-05-21T14:02:00Z 2013-05-21T14:17:31Z Scientists capture one of the world's rarest big cats on film (photos) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0521.javanleopard.8733156523_7504e31131_o.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Less than a hundred kilometers from the bustling metropolis of Jakarta, scientists have captured incredible photos of one of the world's most endangered big cats: the Javan leopard (<i>Panthera pardus melas</i>). Taken by a research project in Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park, the photos show the magnificent animal relaxing in dense primary rainforest. Scientists believe that fewer than 250 mature Javan leopard survive, and the population may be down to 100. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11456 2013-05-20T16:36:00Z 2014-02-22T23:20:28Z Could the Tasmanian tiger be hiding out in New Guinea? <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0520.ThylacineOslo.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Many people still believe the Tasmanian tiger (<i>Thylacinus cynocephalus</i>) survives in the wilds of Tasmania, even though the species was declared extinct over eighty years ago. Sightings and reports of the elusive carnivorous marsupial, which was the top predator on the island, pop-up almost as frequently as those of Bigfoot in North America, but to date no definitive evidence has emerged of its survival. Yet, a noted cryptozoologist (one who searches for hidden animals), Dr. Karl Shuker, wrote recently that tiger hunters should perhaps turn their attention to a different island: New Guinea. Jeremy Hance -4.140983 137.213287 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11446 2013-05-16T19:42:00Z 2013-05-16T20:38:14Z Crazy cat numbers: unusually high jaguar densities discovered in the Amazon rainforest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0516.wwf.sandiego.Jaguar-2.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Jaguars (<i>Panthera onca</i>) are the biggest cat in the Americas and the only member of the Panthera genus in the New World; an animal most people recognize, the jaguar is also the third largest cat in the world with an intoxicatingly dangerous beauty. The feline ranges from the harsh deserts of southern Arizona to the lush rainforests of Central America, and from the Pantanal wetlands all the way down to northern Argentina. These mega-predators stalk prey quietly through the grasses of Venezuelan savannas, prowl the Atlantic forests of eastern Brazil, hunt along the river of the Amazon, and even venture into lower parts of the Andes. Jeremy Hance -12.036634 -69.727936 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11342 2013-05-02T18:08:00Z 2013-05-03T12:17:46Z Endangered primates and cats may be hiding out in swamps and mangrove forests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay.s3.amazonaws.com/sabah/150/sabah_3798.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>What happens to animals when their forest is cut down? If they can, they migrate to different forests. But in an age when forests are falling far and fast, many species may have to shift to entirely different environments. A new paper in <i>Folia Primatologica</i> theorizes that some 60 primate species and 20 wild cat species in Asia and Africa may be relying more on less-impacted environments such as swamp forests, mangroves, and peat forests. Jeremy Hance -2.54936 113.64521 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11330 2013-05-01T16:24:00Z 2013-05-01T16:31:10Z 13 year search for Taiwan's top predator comes up empty-handed After 13 years of searching for the Formosan clouded leopard (<i>Neofelis nebulosa brachyura</i>), once hopeful scientists say they believe the cat is likely extinct. For more than a decade scientists set up over 1,500 camera traps and scent traps in the mountains of Taiwan where they believed the cat may still be hiding out, only to find nothing. Jeremy Hance 23.171926 120.858994 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11317 2013-04-29T17:56:00Z 2013-04-29T19:24:37Z Obama Administration to propose stripping protection from all gray wolves The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to end protection for all gray wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>) in the lower 48 states, save for a small population of Mexican wolves in New Mexico, reports the Los Angeles Times. The proposal comes two years after wolves were removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in western states by a legislative rider on a budget bill, and soon after in the midwest. Since then hunting and trapping has killed over 1,500 wolves in these two regions. Jeremy Hance 48.056054 -93.275757 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11298 2013-04-24T19:12:00Z 2013-04-25T15:53:59Z Bizarre, little-known carnivore sold as illegal pet in Indonesian markets (photo) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0424.DSC_3186.javanferretbadger.250.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Few people have ever heard of the Javan ferret-badger, but that hasn't stopped this animal&#8212;little-known even to scientists&#8212;from being sold in open markets in Jakarta according to a new paper in <i>Small Carnivore Conservation</i>. The Javan ferret-badger (<i>Melogale orientalis</i>) is one of five species in the ferret-badger family, which are smaller than proper badgers with long bushy tails and elongated faces; all five species are found in Asia. Jeremy Hance -6.193803 106.828194 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11268 2013-04-18T14:30:00Z 2013-04-18T16:00:43Z Lions for sale: big game hunting combines with lion bone trade to threaten endangered cats <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://www.mongabay.com/images/uganda/150/ug8_5895.JPG" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Koos Hermanus would rather not give names to the lions he breeds. So here, behind a 2.4-meter high electric fence, is 1R, a three-and-a-half-year-old male, who consumes 5kg of meat a day and weighs almost 200kg. It will only leave its enclosure once it has been "booked"' by a hunter, most of whom are from the United States. At that point the big cat will be set loose in the wild for the first time in its life, 96 hours before the hunt begins. It usually takes about four days to track down the prey, with the trophy hunter following its trail on foot, accompanied by big-game professionals including Hermanus. He currently has 14 lions at his property near Groot Marico, about two and a half hours by road west of Johannesburg. Jeremy Hance -31.597253 25.726318 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11247 2013-04-16T21:00:00Z 2013-04-16T21:07:26Z Civet poop coffee may be threatening wild species <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0416.Common-Palm-Civet.shepherd.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Popularization of the world's strangest coffee may be imperiling a a suite of small mammals in Indonesia, according to a new study in <i>Small Carnivore Conservation</i>. The coffee, known as <i>kopi luwak</i> (kopi for coffee and luwak for the civet), is made from whole coffee beans that have passed through the guts of the animal and out the other side. The coffee is apparently noted for its distinct taste, though some have argued it is little more than novelty. Jeremy Hance -6.210528 106.84164 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11201 2013-04-09T17:25:00Z 2013-04-09T17:33:02Z Amur leopard population rises to 50 animals, but at risk from tigers, poachers <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0409.amurleopard.wwd.WEB_257680.250.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In the remote Russian far east, amid pine forests and long winters, a great cat may be beginning to make a recovery. A new survey estimates that the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) population has risen to as many as 50 individuals. While this may not sound like much, it's a far cry from the a population that may have fallen to just 25 animals. Sporting the heaviest coat of any leopard, the Amur leopard largely hunts hoofed animals, such as deer and boar, in a forest still ruled by the Siberian tiger. Jeremy Hance 44.715514 134.60083 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11086 2013-03-20T23:23:00Z 2013-03-20T23:29:36Z Male lions require dense vegetation for successful ambush hunting <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/animals/150/z_00009.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>For a long time male lions were derided as the lazy ones in the pride, depending on females for the bulk of hunting and not pulling their weight. Much of this was based on field observations&#8212;female lions hunt cooperatively, often in open savannah, and therefore are easier to track at night. But new research in <i>Animal Behaviour</i> is showing that males are adroit hunters in their own right, except prickly males hunt alone and use dense vegetation as cover; instead of social hunting in open savannah, they depend on ambushing unsuspecting prey. Jeremy Hance -23.85821 31.463242 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11062 2013-03-18T16:03:00Z 2013-03-21T00:08:49Z Forgotten lions: shedding light on the fate of lions in unprotected areas <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0318.lions-03-18-at-9.33.18-AM.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>African lions (<i>Panthera leo</i>) living outside of protected areas like national parks or reserves also happen to be studied much less than those residing within protected areas, to the detriment of lion conservation initiatives. In response to this trend, a group of researchers surveyed an understudied, unprotected region in northwestern Mozambique called the Tete Province, whose geography and proximity to two national parks suggests a presence of lions. Jeremy Hance -16.165218 33.605404 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/11014 2013-03-08T18:12:00Z 2013-03-12T03:31:14Z Conservationists: ban the wild cheetah pet trade A group of prominent conservation groups have joined an alliance of African states in calling on CITES to ban the trade in wild cheetah for the pet trade. Rhett Butler 13.724961 100.557947 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10985 2013-03-06T20:27:00Z 2013-07-15T14:04:13Z The end of wild Africa?: lions may need fences to survive <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/tz_1653a.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In order for dwindling lion populations to survive in Africa, large-scale fencing projects may be required according to new research in Ecology Letters. Recent estimates have put lion populations down to 15,000-35,000, a massive drop from a population that was thought to be around 100,000 in 1960. The worsening plight of lions have pushed the researchers to suggest what is likely to be a controversial proposal: fence the top predators in. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10931 2013-02-26T18:52:00Z 2013-02-26T19:09:42Z Chinese government creating secret demand for tiger trade alleges NGO (warning: graphic images) <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0226.China_Chaohu_tiger-skin-rug-for-sale-with-permit-at-Xiafeng-taxidermy-copyright-EIA.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The number of tigers being captive bred in China for consumption exceed those surviving in the wild&#8212;across 13 countries&#8212;by over a third, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). The report, Hidden in Plain Sight, alleges that while the Chinese government has been taking a tough stance on tiger conservation abroad, at home it has been secretly creating demand for the internationally-banned trade. Few animals in the world have garnered as much conservation attention at the tiger (Panthera tigirs), including an international summit in 2010 that raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the vanishing wild cats. Jeremy Hance 25.273262 110.285854 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10930 2013-02-26T15:38:00Z 2013-03-04T15:46:13Z Asiatic cheetahs: on the road to extinction? <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0226.cheetahs.iran.Miandasht01_2.150..jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are unique among large cats. They have a highly specialized body, a mild temperament, and are the fastest living animals on land. Acinonyx jubatus venaticus, the Asiatic subspecies, is unique among cheetahs and the only member of five currently living subspecies to occur outside of Africa. Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List&#8212;with a population of between 70 and 100 individuals&#8212;the Asiatic cheetah is one of the rarest felines on the planet. But new proposed road through one of its last habitat strongholds may threaten the cat even further. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10860 2013-02-12T17:55:00Z 2013-02-12T18:26:57Z Tigers gobble up 49 percent of India's wildlife conservation funds, more imperiled species get nothing Nearly half of India's wildlife budget goes to one species: the tiger, reports a recent article in Live Mint. India has devoted around $63 million to wildlife conservation for 2013-2013, of which Project Tiger receives $31 million. The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List; however India is also home to 132 species currently considered Critically Endangered, the highest rating before extinction. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10849 2013-02-07T21:06:00Z 2013-02-24T00:16:03Z Catching Borneo's mysterious wild cats on film <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0207.Marbled_Cat.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>In my childhood's biology books from the 50's, the Australian marsupial tiger Thylacine is classified rare but alive. Today we know that the last thylacine died in a Tasmanian zoo 7th September, 1936, after a century of intensive hunting encouraged by bounties. The local government had finally introduced official protection 59 days before the last specimen died. Despite the optimism in my old books, no more thylacines were ever found. No film of it in the wild exists. Jeremy Hance 4.958247 117.693787 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10846 2013-02-07T17:51:00Z 2013-02-07T18:03:30Z Animal picture of the day: the world's biggest cat The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Siberian tiger, is the world's biggest cat. An adult male weighs on average about 390 pounds (176 kilograms). The largest yet recorded weighed 460 pounds (207 kilograms), although there are reports of considerably larger animals in the past. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10834 2013-02-06T17:28:00Z 2013-02-06T17:45:51Z Over 1,500 wolves killed in the contiguous U.S. since hunting legalized <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/wolfandsharks.wolf.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Hunters and trappers have killed approximately 1,530 wolves over the last 18 months in the contiguous U.S., which excludes Alaska. After being protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for 38 years, gray wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>) were stripped of their protected states in 2011 by a legislative rider (the only animal to ever be removed in this way). Hunting and trapping first began in Montana and Idaho and has since opened in Wyoming, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10818 2013-02-05T22:19:00Z 2013-02-05T22:28:20Z U.S. proposes to list wolverine under Endangered Species Act Arguably one of the toughest animals on Earth, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) may soon find itself protected under the U.S.'s Endangered Species Act (ESA) as climate change melts away its preferred habitat. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced it was proposing to place the world's largest terrestrial mustelid on the list. Only 250-300 wolverines are believed to survive in the contiguous U.S. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10808 2013-02-04T18:19:00Z 2013-02-24T02:59:02Z Geneticists discover distinct lion group in squalid conditions <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0204.lion.light.Addis-3.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>They languished behind bars in squalid conditions, their very survival in jeopardy. Outside, an international team of advocates strove to bring worldwide attention to their plight. With modern genetics, the experts sought to prove what they had long believed: that these individuals were special. Like other cases of individuals waiting for rescue from a life of deprivation behind bars, the fate of those held captive might be dramatically altered with the application of genetic science to answer questions of debated identity. Now recent DNA analysis has made it official: this group is special and because of their scientifically confirmed distinctiveness they will soon enjoy greater freedom. Jeremy Hance 9.042788 38.761997 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10797 2013-02-01T15:44:00Z 2013-02-01T17:18:23Z Man drove Tasmanian Tiger to extinction in Australia Man, not disease, drove the Tasmanian Tiger to extinction, according to a new study published in the <i>Journal of Animal Ecology</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10780 2013-01-29T22:27:00Z 2013-02-13T16:42:15Z Claim of human and tiger 'coexistence' lacks perspective <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0129.Tiger-by-Kalyan-Varma.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Nepal's Chitwan National Park was the site of a study, published in September 2012 by Carter and others, which concluded that, tigers coexist with humans at fine spatial scales. This paper has ignited a scientific debate regarding its implications for large carnivore conservation worldwide, with scientists at institutions worldwide questioning the validity of claims of coexistence. At the foundation of this debate, perhaps, is the unresolved question, "what is coexistence?" Jeremy Hance 27.487373 84.480591 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10729 2013-01-21T18:49:00Z 2013-01-22T16:30:43Z Living beside a tiger reserve: scientists study compensation for human-wildlife conflict in India <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/0121_Kalyan_Varma_D111619.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>During an average year, 87% of households surrounding Kanha Tiger Reserve in Central India report experiencing some kind of conflict with wild animals, according to a new paper in the open-access journal PLOS One. Co-existence with protected, free-roaming wildlife can be a challenge when living at the edge of a tiger reserve. "Local residents most often directly bear the costs of living alongside wildlife and may have limited ability to cope with losses" wrote the authors of the new paper. Jeremy Hance 22.311967 80.569496 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10728 2013-01-21T17:31:00Z 2013-01-21T18:16:40Z Three developing nations move to ban hunting to protect vanishing wildlife <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/jlh/zimbabwe-botswana/150/chobe_1119.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Three developing countries have recently toughened hunting regulations believing the changes will better protect vanishing species. Botswana has announced it will ban trophy hunting on public lands beginning in 2014, while Zambia has recently banned any hunting of leopards or lions, both of which are disappearing across Africa. However, the most stringent ban comes from another continent: Costa Rica&#8212;often considered one of the "greenest" countries on Earth&#8212;has recently passed a law that bans all sport hunting and trapping both inside and outside protected areas. The controversial new law is considered the toughest in the Western Hemisphere. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10690 2013-01-15T15:38:00Z 2013-01-16T14:50:58Z In the kingdom of the black panther <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/13/Infrared-light-makes-rosettes-appear-clearer_Rimba.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The black panther has a mythical aura: Rudyard Kipling chose the animal for one of his heroes in <i>the Jungle Book</i>, in the 1970s it became the symbol of an African-American socialist party, while comic guru Stan Lee selected the stunning feline for his first black superhero. But the real black panther isn't an actual species, instead it's a rare dark pigmentation found most commonly in leopards, but also occasionally in jaguars and other wild cats. The rarity of the black panther&#8212;not to mention its striking appearance&#8212;has added to their mystery. However, recent studies have found that black panthers, in this case 'black leopards,' are astoundingly common in one part of the world: the Malayan peninsula. Jeremy Hance 5.014339 102.647781 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10688 2013-01-14T23:17:00Z 2013-01-16T23:10:24Z Saving the Arabian leopard, the world's smallest leopard <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://mongabay-images.s3.amazonaws.com/13/0114arabianleopard150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Today most people are more likely to associate Yemen with warfare and bizarre terrorism plots rather than wildlife. But Yemen is home to a surprising diversity of animals, including a population of the world's smallest leopard: The Arabian leopard (<i>Panthera pardus nimr</i>). Native to the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabian leopard is today extremely rare &#8212; less than 200 animals are thought to survive in the wild. Despite the cat's precarious position, there is relatively little local enthusiasm to protect a species that is widely seen as a threat to livestock. Nevertheless one man in Yemen is trying to boost the value of leopard in the eyes of local people. David Stanton, an American teacher living in Yemen, had devoted his life to saving the Arabian leopard. Rhett Butler 23.223679 57.263077 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10636 2013-01-03T18:21:00Z 2013-02-05T15:01:56Z An avalanche of decline: snow leopard populations are plummeting The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Traditionally, the market for large cat products has centered around tiger bones and parts for traditional Chinese medicine. Snow leopards (Uncia uncia), however, are a novel trend in the illegal wildlife trade arena and skins and taxidermy mounts are the most recent fad in luxury home décor. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10564 2012-12-12T20:20:00Z 2012-12-12T20:28:17Z Rare jungle cat filmed for only the second time A biologist on vacation in Malaysian Borneo caught one of the world's rarest cats on video for only the second time, reports the BBC. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10513 2012-12-04T17:45:00Z 2012-12-05T15:29:57Z Lion population falls 68 percent in 50 years <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/animals/150/z_00009.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>African lions, one of the most iconic species on the planet, are in rapid decline. According to a new study in Biodiversity Conservation, the African lion (Panthera leo leo) population has dropped from around 100,000 animals just fifty years ago to as few as 32,000 today. The study, which used high resolution satellite imagery to study savannah ecosystems across Africa, also found that lion habitat had plunged by 75 percent. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10511 2012-12-04T16:02:00Z 2012-12-04T17:37:20Z Africa's great savannahs may be more endangered than the world's rainforests <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/kenya/150/kenya_elf_0806.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Few of the world's ecosystems are more iconic than Africa's sprawling savannahs home to elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and the undisputed king of the animal kingdom: lions. This wild realm, where megafauna still roam in abundance, has inspired everyone from Ernest Hemingway to Karen Blixen, and David Livingstone to Theodore Roosevelt. Today it is the heart of Africa's wildlife tourism and includes staunch defenders such as Richard Leakey, Michael Fay, and the Jouberts. Despite this, the ecosystem has received less media attention than imperiled ecosystems like rainforests. But a ground-breaking study in Biodiversity Conservation finds that 75 percent of these large-scale intact grasslands have been lost, at least from the lion's point of view. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10495 2012-12-03T15:29:00Z 2014-02-22T23:20:47Z New Guinea singing dog photographed in the wild for the first time A rarely seen canine has been photographed in the wild, likely for the first time. Tom Hewitt, director of Adventure Alternative Borneo, photographed the New Guinea singing dog during a 12-day expedition up a remote mountain in Indonesian Papua. Very closely related to the Australian dingo, the New Guinea singing dog, so named for its unique vocalizations, has become hugely threatened by hybridization with domesticated dogs. Jeremy Hance -4.709881 140.290546 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10442 2012-11-20T20:47:00Z 2012-12-02T22:24:11Z Wolves, mole rats, and nyala: the struggle to conserve Ethiopia's highlands <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/GiantMoleRat_MartinHarvey.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>There is a place in the world where wolves live almost entirely off mountain rodents, lions dwell in forests, and freshwater rolls downstream to 12 million people, but the place&#8212;Ethiopia's Bale Mountains National Park&#8212;remains imperiled by a lack of legal boundaries and encroachment by a growing human population. "Much of the land in Africa above 3,000 meters has been altered or degraded to the point where it isn’t able to perform most of the ecosystem functions that it is designed to do. Bale, although under threat and already impacted to a degree by anthropogenic activities, is still able to perform its most important ecosystem functions, and as such ranks among only a handful of representative alpine ecosystems in Africa." Jeremy Hance 6.913252 39.599059 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10399 2012-11-14T18:34:00Z 2012-11-21T19:24:42Z Controversial wolf hunt moves to the Midwest, 196 wolves killed to date <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/nowolvesbumpersticker.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The hugely controversial wolf hunt in the U.S. has spread from the western U.S. (Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming) to the Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) this year. Although the wolf hunt is less than a month old in the region&#8212;and only eleven days old in Minnesota&#8212;196 animals so far have been shot. As in the west, the wolf hunt has raised hackles among environmentalists along with fierce defenders among hunters. Wolves, which were protected under the the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1973, were stripped of that status by legislation in 2009, opening the door&#8212;should a state choose&#8212;to trophy hunting. Jeremy Hance 48.026672 -92.164764 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10378 2012-11-12T17:31:00Z 2012-11-12T17:43:48Z Conservationists turn camera traps on tiger poachers <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/Intruder-caught-on-camera_ZSL_Lazovsky.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Remote camera traps, which take photos or video when a sensor is triggered, have been increasingly used to document rare and shy wildlife, but now conservationists are taking the technology one step further: detecting poachers. Already, camera traps set up for wildlife have captured images of park trespassers and poachers worldwide, but for the first time conservationists are setting camera traps with the specific goal of tracking illegal activity. Jeremy Hance 44.762337 134.996337 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10341 2012-10-31T15:30:00Z 2012-10-31T15:37:30Z Picture of the day: cheetah cubs wrestle Halloween pumpkins The fastest land animal in the world, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) can exceed 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) in short bursts. This speed allows them to take down prey using rapid-fire ambush hunting. Jeremy Hance 51.849644 -0.542886 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10323 2012-10-31T13:24:00Z 2013-02-05T15:18:02Z Leopard poaching is a bigger problem in India than previously believed <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/Leopard-head_c_TRAFFIC-web.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>A recent study conducted by wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC uncovered unnerving statistics about the illegal trade of leopards (Panthera pardus) in India: at least four leopards have been poached every week for the past decade in the country. The study, entitled Illuminating the Blind Spot: A study on illegal trade in Leopard parts in India, highlights the severity of leopard poaching from 2001 to 2010, despite preventative measures established in 1972 by the Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA) that prohibit the sale of leopard parts in India. Jeremy Hance 28.634555 77.213173 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10317 2012-10-25T19:17:00Z 2012-11-12T18:57:59Z Illegal hunting threatens iconic animals across Africa's great savannas, especially predators <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/snared-cheetah_Kafue.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Bushmeat hunting has become a grave concern for species in West and Central Africa, but a new report notes that lesser-known illegal hunting in Africa's iconic savannas is also decimating some animals. Surprisingly, illegal hunting across eastern and southern Africa is hitting big predators particularly hard, such as cheetah, lion, leopard, and wild dog. Although rarely targets of hunters, these predators are running out of food due to overhunting and, in addition, often becoming victims of snares set out for other species. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10316 2012-10-25T16:50:00Z 2012-10-25T17:40:33Z After seven year search, scientists film cryptic predator in Minas Gerais South America's rare and little-known bush dog (Speothos venaticus) looks like a miniature dachshund who went bad: leaner, meaner, and not one to cuddle on your lap, the bush dog is found in 11 South American countries, but scientists believe it's rare in all of its habitats, which include the Amazon, the Pantanal wetlands, and the cerrado savannah. Given its scarcity, little is known about its wanderings. Jeremy Hance -18.542117 -44.366456 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10278 2012-10-18T16:47:00Z 2012-10-18T21:26:19Z Photos: emperor penguins take first place in renowned wildlife photo contest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/053_Paul-Nicklen-(Canada)-Bubble-jetting-emperors-.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Photographer, Paul Nicklen, says he'll never forget the moment when a slew of emperor penguins burst by him in the frigid Ross Sea; he'd waited in the cold water, using a snorkel, to capture this image. Now, Nicklen has won the much-coveted Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition for the antic, bubbling photograph. Owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide, this is the 48th year of the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year, which hands out awards to 100 notable wildlife and environment photos. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10269 2012-10-15T19:57:00Z 2012-10-15T20:15:29Z Picture of the day: the maned lioness The title is not a typo. Sometimes lioness grow manes as rich and large as males, and there appears to be larger proportion of such 'maned lionesses' in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Jeremy Hance -19.497664 22.911758 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10229 2012-10-03T17:48:00Z 2012-10-03T19:31:40Z Photos: new mammal menagerie uncovered in remote Peruvian cloud forest <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/newnightmonkey.tnns.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Every year scientists describe around 18,000 new species, but mammals make up less than half a percent of those. Yet mammal surprises remain: deep in the remote Peruvian Andes, scientists have made an incredible discovery: a rich cloud forest and alpine grassland ecosystem that may be home to no less than eight new mammal species. Although most of these new mammals are currently under study&#8212;and have not been officially described yet (a process which can take several years)&#8212;lead scientists, Horacio Zeballos of Peru and Gerardo Ceballos of Mexico are certain they have uncovered a small forest, surrounded by deforestation and farmland, that shelters a remarkable menagerie of mammals unknown to scientists until now. Jeremy Hance -5.175747 -79.290504 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10218 2012-10-01T10:55:00Z 2012-10-01T16:23:18Z Cute animal picture of the day: caracal kitten in Yemen The first ever research project on the caracal (Caracal caracal) in Yemen has taken an astounding photo of a mother caracal and her kitten in the Hawf Protected Area. Conducted by largely local researchers, the study is aiming to estimate Yemen's caracal population and better understand the threats to the species. Jeremy Hance 16.633231 53.029432 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10212 2012-09-27T14:15:00Z 2013-02-05T15:11:48Z Jaguar conservation gets a boost in North and Central America <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/jaguarsitting_credit.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Jaguar conservation has received a huge boost in the past few months both in Latin America and in the U.S. An historic agreement singed between the world's leading wild cat conservation organization Panthera and the government of Costa Rica in addition to a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposal bring renewed hope to the efforts to revive the iconic jaguar in its current habitat and return the cats to the American Southwest. Jeremy Hance 9.935035 -84.088211 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10194 2012-09-25T19:06:00Z 2012-09-25T19:23:50Z Cute animal picture of the day: tiger triplets Last month, the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo saw the arrival of three Siberian tiger cubs (Panthera tigris altaica). Also known as Amur tigers, they are the world's largest cats with adult males weighing up to 318 kilograms (700 pounds). Most of the population is found in far eastern Russia, however a few animals also survive across the border in China. Jeremy Hance 40.854202 -73.874867 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10169 2012-09-17T21:41:00Z 2012-09-17T23:15:19Z Arachnopocalypse: with birds away, the spiders play in Guam <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/browntreesnake.47588.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The island of Guam is drowning in spiders. New research in the open-access journal PLOS ONE has found that in the wet season, Guam's arachnid population booms to around 40 times higher than adjacent islands. Scientists say this is because Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, has lost its insect-eating forest birds. Guam's forests were once rich in birdlife until the invasion of non-native brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in the 1940s decimated biodiverse bird communities. Now, the island is not only overrun with snakes, but spiders too. Jeremy Hance 13.462418 144.778404 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10163 2012-09-17T17:04:00Z 2012-09-18T02:30:17Z Rare birds abound in Brazil's Acre state The Brazilian state of Acre has had little attention by bird-lovers and bird scientists, though it lies deep in the Amazonian rainforest. Now a new survey in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science by ornithologist, John J. DeLuca, works to build a better picture of rare birds in this largely-neglected region. The work is all the more important as the Brazil-Peru Interoceanic Highway could bring massive changes to the region. Jeremy Hance -9.037003 -70.725403 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10162 2012-09-17T16:20:00Z 2012-09-18T02:30:02Z Buffer zones key to survival of maned wolf <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay-images/12/750px-Maned_Wolf_11,_Beardsley_Zoo,_2009-11-06.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Known for its abnormally long lanky legs, its reddish-orange coat, and its omnivorous diet, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is one of the more beautiful and bizarre predators of South America. However its stronghold, the Brazilian Cerrado, is vanishing rapidly to industrialized agriculture and urban development. Now, a new study in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science reveals the key role of buffer zones and unprotected areas in keeping the maned wolf from extinction in the Cerrado savannah, where only 2 percent of the ecosystem is under protection. Jeremy Hance -19.911706 -43.913441 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10161 2012-09-17T15:18:00Z 2012-09-18T02:28:05Z Local knowledge matches scientific data on wildlife abundances How far can scientists trust local knowledge when it comes to ecosystems? This is a question that is undergoing heavy debate in scientific circles. A new study in mongabay.com's open access journal Tropical Conservation Science contributes to the debate by finding that basic local knowledge of animal abundance in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe aligned closely with scientific surveys. Jeremy Hance -21.403212 32.068863 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10090 2012-09-04T18:06:00Z 2012-09-04T19:19:44Z Tiger and cubs filmed near proposed dam in Thailand A tigress and two cubs have been filmed by remote camera trap in a forest under threat by a $400 million dam in Thailand. To be built on the Mae Wong River, the dam imperils two Thai protected areas, Mae Wong National Park and Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10089 2012-09-04T17:50:00Z 2012-09-04T22:51:26Z Tigers and humans can coexist, says study Humans and tigers can coexist in the same area with minimal conflict, finds a new study that raises hopes for big cat conservation. Rhett Butler 27.483908 84.476418 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/10003 2012-08-13T18:25:00Z 2012-08-16T13:05:50Z King of the jungle: lions discovered in rainforests Calling the African lion (Panthera leo) the 'king of the jungle' is usually a misnomer, as the species is almost always found in savannah or dry forests, but recent photos by the Germany-based Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) document lions in Ethiopian rainforests. Taken in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve, the photos show a female lion hiding out in thick montane jungle. Jeremy Hance 7.278698 36.243095 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9944 2012-07-31T14:22:00Z 2012-07-31T14:40:08Z Cute animal pictures of the day: lynx triplets With a massive range, spanning from scattered populations in Western Europe to Eastern Siberia, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a highly successful mid-sized predator. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, the wild cat is now being reintroduced into parts of Western Europe where it was hunted to local extinction. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9868 2012-07-19T17:37:00Z 2012-08-16T17:28:54Z Animal picture of the day: leopard with giant prey <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Leopard-Gaur-Calf-Kill.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>It's true: a leopard cannot change its spots&#8212;even after eight years! Using a computer program that looks at leopard spot patterns, researchers were able to identify the above leopard, which was snapped by an Indian photographer, with a leopard individual photographed eight years before by camera trap. This Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is known as BPL-123, and has made its home in India Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Jeremy Hance 11.664425 76.627829 tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9860 2012-07-18T14:50:00Z 2012-07-18T15:11:10Z First snow leopards collared in Afghanistan as species faces rising threat from climate change <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/j/Anthony-Simms-WCS-SL-Afghan-Photo.150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Scientists have captured and collared two snow leopards (Panthera uncia), arguably one of the world's most elusive predators, in Afghanistan for the first time. Undertaken by researchers with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Afghani vets, the successful operation was conducted as a new study finds that snow leopard habitat could shrink by nearly one-third due to anthropogenic climate change in the Himalayas. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9858 2012-07-18T00:36:00Z 2012-07-18T01:03:38Z First video footage of wild snow leopard cubs in their den in Mongolia Panthera, a wild cat conservation group, and the Snow Leopard Trust have released the first footage of snow leopards with their mothers in their dens in Mongolia. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/9841 2012-07-15T20:26:00Z 2012-08-16T17:53:21Z Cute animal picture of the day: spotted hyena cub Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are found across sub-Saharan Africa. Adept hunters, hyenas can also survive by scavenging and opportunism. They form the largest packs of any carnivore, which are run by matriarchs. Although, they resemble dogs, the hyena is actually more closely related to cats and weasels. Jeremy Hance 51.862768 0.833356