Category: Carnivores

Best Friends Forever

9/16/2017

If you haven't been following the Bengal and Sumatran tigers who are now BFFs at the San Diego Zoos Safari Park, START NOW! I'll catch you up...

Two tiger cubs, each of whom ended up in their own isolating predicament on opposite sides of the country, have been brought together in one great best friends story!

Bengal Buddy

This little guy was seized by customs agents at a California border crossing on August 23rd, 2017 when some doofus tried to smuggle him across the border.

The cub was suspected to be about 6 weeks old and was promptly taken to the Safari Park for veterinary care.

USA TODAY
The San Diego Union Tribune

Bengal Tiger
Panthera tigris tigris
IUCN Status: Engangered
~2,500 left in the wild

Sumatran Supporter

On July 11, 2017, a tiger was born across the country at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, the cub was rejected by its mother when he was only 19-days-old. After attempts to reunite mom and cub again failed, the Zoo's Great Cats team worked on other solutions.

Smithsonian Newsroom

Sumatran Tiger
Panthera tigris sumatrae
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
~400 left in the wild

Although unfortunate, their circumstances were quite timely and have brought together the cutest pair in town. Check out some the videos of their journey and be sure to follow the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with their adventures.

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It's getting crowded in here!

5/19/2016

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Today I start my first stab at crowdfunding. My dissertation project has been selected to be a project in the Cat Challenge on the crowdfunding site Experiment.com. This site is different than most other crowdfunding sites in that it is strictly for research and all projects are vetted by a panel of professionals before being launched. On general crowdfunding sites, anyone can start a campaign so, really, anyone can claim they're doing research. On Experiment.com, every project is rigorously reviewed, provided feedback, and scientifically approved so you know, as a financial backer, you can be confident you are funding real research. And through their website, us researchers are able to easily keep our backers up to date on the progress of our research.

My profile can be found at Experiment.com/liondiversity
(Make sure to watch my promo video. It took me about 24 hours to write, research, film and edit!)

The Challenge is 2-fold:

Raise the full value of my GOAL by
getting lots of BACKERS (people like you) to support my research

The project with the most BACKERS will receive an extra $1,000 added to their GOAL.
Our GOAL is $5,000 and we must receive 100% of our GOAL to get any of the money donated by the BACKERS.

PLEASE HELP!

Go to Experiment.com/liondiversity and show some support by making a donation. Any little bit helps! The more people who make donations the better. You can also help by spreading the word.

The Challenge (# of BACKERS) runs from today to Friday, June 10 @ 6PM ET
The Campaign (100% of GOAL) runs from today to Saturday, June 18

Your support is much appreciated! THANKS!!!

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Off the List

6/26/2015

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The eastern cougar, Puma concolor couguar, is officially being removed from the endangered species list. It is being declared extinct since an eastern cougar has not been seen since 1938. The decision is based on an extensive review by the US Fish and Wildlife Services which included "the best available scientific and historic information [which we now know from my lion research isn't the best scientific and historic information, just the best available of the resources accessible to us lowly wildlife researchers], queried 21 states and eastern Canadian provinces, and reviewed hundreds of reports from the public." It's not that there haven't been any cougars seen, it's just that they claim that any cougars seen in the east in the past 77 years are a result of dispersing animals from western populations or animals that have been released or escaped from captivity. These claims come from more than 100 reports dating back to 1900.

There isn't much genetic research on the puma (FYI: puma, cougar, mountain lion, catamount, panther... all the same thing, just depends on where you are and who you talk to). The scientific community seems to be quite torn about taxonomic assessment and there has been much debate around subspecies distinction, particularly in the case of using cougars in Texas to repopulate the Florida panther population. Some say they are distinct enough that they shouldn't be hybridized while others say they are the same so one can successfully repopulate the other. According to the Federal Register, "the best available information continues to support the assignment of the eastern taxon to Puma concolor couguar as distinct from other North American subspecies" based primarily on biology and life history.

The proposal to remove the eastern cougar from the endangered species list does not affect the status of the endangered Florida panther subspecies, a cluster of conservation genetics issues to discuss in more detail at another time. But, although the extinct animals will no longer be protected under the Endangered Species Act, which is intended to save animals and plants that still have a recorded population, it will also no longer be able to be used to protect similar animals, such as the Florida panther. Not sure if that matters since the Florida panther is already protected (and possibly diluted with Texas cougar) but its interesting nonetheless.

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Causing a Physical Transformation

5/22/2015

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This video is a great reminder of the immense impact large carnivores have on the environment. The presence of large carnivores increases biodiversity, creates environmental stability and can even impact the topography of a landscape. They may seem scary but they are necessary for a healthy, thriving, complete ecosystem.

BTW... Happy International Day for Biodiversity! Stay different. It helps the planet!

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity, ensures natural sustainability and provides a greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses.

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Best Friends Forever

Bengal Buddy

Sumatran Supporter

It's getting crowded in here!

Off the List

Causing a Physical Transformation

Caitlin Curry

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