Word: mountainous
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...cats to live--or at least pass--among us. Scientists are moving toward a new model of mixed landscapes in which big cats would move from core protected areas through land shared with humans--tea plantations in India, ranchland in Laikipia or, in the case of the cougar (a.k.a. mountain lion), suburban parks in California--giving them more space to hunt and disperse their genes. "We need to think big, to save entire landscapes," says Alan Rabinowitz, director of science and exploration for the W.C.S. "They may not all be areas where big cats can live, but they are areas...
Despite the man-eating lore and the big headlines that follow attacks by tigers or lions that are kept as pets or performers, wild cats are generally able to live in close proximity to humans without disturbing them. Leopards are seen in the suburbs of Nairobi and Kampala. Mountain lions in Waterton, Alta., have been observed using the angles of buildings and even the beds of pickup trucks to conceal themselves when hunting. In the San Diego area, these animals tend to hang out within 100 yds. of trails used by hikers, though they are rarely noticed, according...
...people is low compared with other natural perils. In India, tigers kill 30 to 40 people annually, while 20,000 Indians die each year from snakebites. Jaguars, cheetahs, snow leopards and clouded leopards have never been known to attack humans. In the U.S., 17 people have died from mountain lion attacks over the past 100 years; many more are killed by lightning in a single year. This year, however, California has had three attacks by mountain lions on humans--one fatal. All involved hikers or bikers in cougar country; their rapid movements were probably triggers for attack. Says Boyce...
What has worked before, however, is noncaptive breeding programs. In the mid-1990s the Florida panther, a subspecies of the mountain lion, had been reduced to 30 to 50 animals that were showing hallmarks of inbreeding, including kinked tails and deformed sperm. In 1995 eight female cougars from Texas were transported to Florida and let loose. They began breeding with their endangered Floridian cousins. Last April, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials declared the program a success, estimating the genetically healthy population at 80 to 100 animals. Alas, the Iberian lynx has no suitable relative to reinvigorate its stock...
...have discovered that although some cheetahs are shot, the main reason for the animals' decline is that their favorite foods are disappearing from the landscape. Both the goitered and jeeber gazelles have been virtually wiped out by nomadic hunters. Cheetahs have been forced to survive on urial and ibex--mountain sheep and mountain goats--which are impossible to chase on steep, stony slopes. "Cheetahs have to wait for them to come down to the foothills in search of water holes," says Hunter. "It means they have a narrow hunting window, and that is depressing their population." To rehabilitate the prey...