Sunday 31 July 2016

NEWSLINK: Tippi Hedren and the big cats at her sanctuary were spared by the ‘demonic’ Sand fire

The big exotic cats that live at the Shambala Preserve in Acton were able to stay in place during the worst of the Sand fire and did not have to evacuate, said actress and activist Tippi Hedren, who founded the sanctuary.


Hedren said on Facebook Tuesday that Shambala’s staff and fire personnel were prepared to keep the sanctuary and the big cats safe.


“The knowledge of these amazing men and women is to be commended,” she wrote on the Roar Foundation’s Facebook page.


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UK SIGHTING: Couple stunned after spotting 'terrifying beast' on motorway

Peter Lennon and his wife stopped in the middle of the M50 in Gloucestershire when the spotted the mysterious large cat cross the carriageway on Sunday night.

The pair were driving home to Redditch from Cardiff when an animal "the size of a mountain lion" appeared from the bushes at the side of the road.

Peter said the "dark brown or black" beast stood next to the couple's van for a moment, before disappearing into the night.

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Tuesday 26 July 2016

SIGHTING: Is a big cat on the loose in Estepona?

A video published on social media on Tuesday, July 26, appears to show a large, cat-like beast prowling around in scrubland close to Estepona.

Commenters speculated as to the identity of the mystery animal, which is said to weigh approximately 30-35 kilos and was only on display for a few seconds before disappearing into a thicket of trees.


Many keyboard warriors believe the animal to be a cougar, also known as puma or mountain lion, the world’s fourth largest cat which tends to weigh between 45 and 55 kilos when adult, although exceptional individuals can attain 90 kilos.

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Monday 25 July 2016

PHOTOS: How Does A Tiger Keep Cool In This Heat? One Word: Bloodsicles

It was hot at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., this weekend. Really hot. The iPhone weather app displayed a sweltering 100 degrees.


"It feels like a million degrees," says Tammy Long, who was visiting from Pennsylvania with her husband and 2-year-old daughter. "It's sweltering out here."


Parents and kids crowd under what look like giant shower heads throughout the park. Cool mist covers them from head to toe.

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NEWSLINK: All Natural Cat Treats Support Big Cat Rescue

H3 Essentials, a family-owned manufacturer of pet supplements and products in Evanston, Ill., launched a line of freeze-dried cat treats and has partnered with Chris Poole, creator and videographer of Cole & Marmalade,IHeartCats.com and PureFormulas, to kick off the Little Cats Helping Big Cats campaign. 

Every purchase of the new treats supports and brings awareness to Big Cat Rescue, an accredited sanctuary for exotic cats in Tampa, Fla., that houses more than 80 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars and other abandoned, neglected or abused cats.

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ARTICLE: Pride in Our Prides – Saving Lions with Livestock Kraals

Lions and people live a tenuous coexistence. Where their activities overlap problems are inevitable. 
The consequence often is fatal; sometimes for the people involved, more frequently so for the lions. In retaliation of attacks on humans or livestock, people resort to drastic measures including poisoning. Along the northern edge of Botswana’s Okavango Delta poisoning killed up to 60% of the known lion population in 2013. In response, we started Pride in Our Prides to alleviate the tensions between rural communities and the lions that leave the safety of the Delta.

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Thursday 21 July 2016

NEWSLINK: Government to tap Tillari as tiger habitat

The state government is planning to declare a patch of evergreen forests at Tillari in the Konkan as a wildlife sanctuary to develop it as a tiger habitat.


The area in Sindhudurg, which is nestled in the Western Ghats on the cusp of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, can be used to develop the source tiger population for the Sahyadri tiger reserve, which has just around seven tigers.

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Wednesday 20 July 2016

ARTICLE: Why Malawi is poised to be the next big safari destination

Life and death in the wild can be sudden and dramatic. A golden dawn was rising to a chorus of birdsong in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park as antelopes grazed and butterflies flitted among lush grass, while a warthog lapped quietly at a reedy brook. It was a bucolic African scene of peace and harmony. Then all hell broke loose.

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Tuesday 19 July 2016

NEWSLINK: Dying Tiger Spent His Life Being Paraded Around At Football Games

Mike the tiger's Facebook page is inundated with messages like "You are so loved" and "We're pulling for you."

Born and bred as a live mascot, the now 11-year-old tiger has spent his life being wheeled out in front of cheering fans at Louisiana State University.

And now, he'll finally retire from the life that was forced upon him — but only because he's been diagnosed with an inoperable and rare cancer.

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NEWSLINK: Big cats HAVE lived in wild near Plymouth, says Dartmoor Zoo owner

Wild big cats DID live on the edge of Plymouth until as recently as 2010, according to the owner of Dartmoor Zoo.


There have been dozens of sightings of big cats over the years leading to the rise of the legend of the Beast of Dartmoor, as well as instances such as a 20-stone lion allegedly spotted on a South Hams country lane, not to mention reports of sheep being slaughtered by a beast in Buckfastleigh in 2014 - only to be later dismissed by police or animal experts.

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Sunday 17 July 2016

VIDEO: This Kruger lion is the absolute King of Roar

Few things are spine-chilling as the roar of a lion. It packs a punch that can frighten the toughest of us, but can also make you feel all warm and fuzzy for being proudly South African.


For locals and visitors coming into SA, hearing the African Lion roar is certainly one of the bucketlist African experiences.

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NEWSLINK: Tiger safari project in Corbett red flagged

The National Tiger Conservation Authority has red flagged a proposed tiger safari project in Uttarakhand’s Corbett National Park and asked the State government to first comply with wildlife norms.


The NTCA and Central Zoo Authority (CZA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, feel that the proposed safari project may expose tigers to poaching.

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Monday 11 July 2016

VIDEO: Rescued lion and tiger become friends

Cameron the lion and Zabu the tiger were rescued from a rundown roadside zoo. Keepers tried to breed them in the hope of selling 'liger 'cubs.

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Sunday 10 July 2016

ARTICLE: Cecil the Lion: Summit to address plight of Africa’s magnificent animal

Leading conservation groups are coming together in memory of the big cat killed by an American dentist a year ago today to draw up a master plan to save the creatures.

Yet protecting Africa’s remaining lions will cost around £1 billion a year to stop them becoming extinct within a few generations.

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Thursday 7 July 2016

NEWSLINK: Wild Amur leopard tasked with becoming hero father to help save the species

Siberian leopards are one of the world's most endangered species with only 80 alive in the wild and another 200 in captivity. Leo80M's role is to boost the numbers.

The leopard is becoming the first in 60 years to be moved from the wild to a zoo. He is not going on show to the public but at Moscow Zoo he will entertain females from around the world, also part of a breeding programme that could be the difference between survival and extinction for these rare animals.

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NEWSLINK: Parks chief vows to up seized tiger care

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says it will improve facilities for taking care of 146 tigers confiscated from the famous Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi's Sai Yok district. The improvements aim to meet with standard animal welfare practices, said Adisorn Noochdamrong, the department's deputy chief, who on Friday accompanied the media on visits to two wildlife breeding centres.

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