ECSST News article of the day What do you think should be done members? TIGER CONSERVATION FORCES LEOPARDS INTO HUMAN TERRITORY There are a mere 3,000 tigers left in the entire world, but while conservationists scramble to save this endangered animal, they are leaving leopards to fend for themselves, forcing them into human territory where they are more at risk, according to new research. With tiger farming and poaching being major issues - which involve the killing of tigers for their bones and pelts - conservationists have dedicated their efforts to protecting the iconic species and restoring their numbers by the year 2022. But as tiger populations - and the territories they occupy - grow, leopards are increasingly likely to be pushed to the wayside, specifically, into areas where people live. Leopards, now fighting a battle on two fronts, have to adapt to both tigers and humans by changing their activity patterns. NIGHT PROWLERS According to the study, recently published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, these cats avoid people by become night prowlers, shifting their activity to when its darkest. This study shows the complexity of coupled human and natural systems, researcher Jianguo Liu of Michigan State University said in a statement. It also demonstrates the challenge of conserving multiple endangered species simultaneously. Wild leopards, it seems, are more than capable of prowling close to human humans, according to a recent related study that tracked five of the animals in India. Hunting at night and implementing a hit-and-run tactic to nab food proved effective, and two of the females even gave birth to cubs during the course of the study. But while the leopards proved themselves flexible, the researchers do not recommend that this behavior continue. There are only about 1,150 Indian leopards left since the last World Wildlife Fund (WWF) census, and contact with people trying to protect themselves - and their livestock - could result in more deaths. RETALIATORY KILLINGS Most areas where leopards and tigers co-exist are human-dominated. But tigers are more socially dominant felines than leopards, so they essentially get dibs on the areas left that are less disturbed by people, displacing READ FULL ARTICLE AT: natureworldnews/articles/11057/20141210/tiger-conservation-forces-leopards-into-human-territory.htm If you like it, please share it? ECSST (Endangered Cat Species Survival Trust) Homepage: ecsst.org (in the process of updating with lots of information regarding endangered cat species in the wild and our entire project, our photographers, cat species etc.) Facebook: facebook/Endangeredcatspecies Twitter: https://twitter/ECSST777 Photographers group: facebook/groups/332219533550937/
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:34:01 +0000
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