15 Dec 2013

Act Now to Protect Small Wild Felines

by Wanda Angermeyer | posted in: Cats in the wild, Cats of Asia, Endangered Cats, wild cat conservation | 0

Wild cats are in danger of disappearing all over the world. We need to learn more about the lives of small wild cats in their native habitat in order to protect them from such threats as habitat loss, persecution, poaching, illegal trade and human interference. There are many questions that must be answered before these threats can be addressed and conservation plans put in motion. Where are the cats located? What kind of habitat do they need? What do they eat? How large is the population?

Without all the ecological information gathered by field researchers, it is impossible to form conservation programs for small wild cats. Before the biologists can start their studies however, they must obtain funding for camera traps, radio-collars, salaries for local people and a host of other expenses. This rather specialized funding is getting increasingly hard to find, and many worthwhile projects are not able to be undertaken.

Join our growing list of small wild cat heroes. Please donate today.

100% of donations received go directly to wild cats

One small wild cat species in need of your support is the Borneo Bay Cat Pardofelis badia. It is the mystery member of the cat family. Nothing is known about their habits, behaviour, ecology or reproductive biology. Previously thought to be a small island form of the Asiatic Golden Cat Pardofelis temminckii, genetic testing has revealed the Bay Cat is a unique species, and therefore a highly endangered one. Learn more

Thank you for your support!

7 Dec 2013

#Caturday Snapshot: Fishing Cat

by Pat Bumstead | posted in: Cats of Asia | 0

22 Nov 2013

Contribute Now to Save Small Cats

by Wanda Angermeyer | posted in: Cats in the wild, Cats of Asia, Endangered Cats, wild cat conservation | 0

Wild cats like the Flat-headed Cat are in danger of disappearing all over the world. Habitat loss, persecution, poaching, illegal fur, food and pet trades, increased roads and other human interference in their habitats are taking their toll. So how do scientists and conservationists save wild cats?

The first step is to learn about their lives in the native habitat. Where are the cats located? What kind of habitat do they need? What do they eat? How large is the population? These and many other questions must be answered before suitable areas can be set aside and conservation plans put in motion.

100% of donations received go directly to wild cats

Your donations help field researchers purchase radio collars, cameras and other equipment to study the small wild cats. Join our growing list of small wild cat heroes. Please donate today.

Flat-headed Cats Prionailurus planiceps are the most unusual members of the cat family, with their long, narrow head and flattened forehead. In appearance, they bear a strong resemblance to the civets, which are not cats, but members of the Viverridae family. Learn more

Thank you for your support!

23 Sep 2013

First Sunda Clouded Leopard Collared

by Pat Bumstead | posted in: Cats of Asia, Endangered Cats | 0

A wild Sunda clouded leopard was recently trapped and fitted with a satellite collar for the first time ever, as part of a collaborative project between the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), WildCRU and the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC).

On Sunday 15 September, early morning, a male Sunda clouded leopard weighing 25 kgs, was caught in one of our traps set up along the Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysia in the vicinity of DGFC. Rarely seen, Sunda clouded leopards are amongst some of the most elusive and secretive of the world’s wild cats, and as such, remain one of the least understood. The leopard was fitted with a satellite collar to provide us with crucial information on its movements in the Kinabatangan landscape. It should send a location every 20 minutes for about 4 to 6 months, enabling us to determine its home range and how it is able to move through the fragmented landscape. Incredibly, a few days later, we caught another individual, an old female, weighing only 9 kgs. She was too small and too old to collar, but we have been documenting her in the Kinabatangan since 2010, using camera traps.

SWD, DGFC and WildCRU wish to thank Sime Darby Foundation for their support and for providing a grant of MYR 1.46 Million towards our project on the conservation of the Sunda clouded leopard and sympatric carnivores in Sabah. Additional funding and support are provided by Atlanta Zoo, Houston Zoo, Recanati-kaplan Foundation, Robertson Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo and Rufford Foundation.

Sept 21, 2013 News release from Danau Girang Field Centre

15 Jun 2013

Pallas Cats and Toxoplasmosis

by Wanda Angermeyer | posted in: Cats of Asia, Zoo cats | 0

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a common protozoan parasite (Toxoplasma gondii) found world wide that poses health risks to both humans and wildlife. The only definitive host for the parasite are members of the Felidae family (primarily domestic cats). Healthy infected cats typically do not show any signs that they carry the disease. The parasite develops in the host and oocysts (eggs) are shed in the feces. The oocysts are very resistant and can persist in the environment for over 12 months. Intermediate hosts (rodents, birds, sheep, cattle, pigs) ingest the oocysts and cysts are formed in different areas of the intermediate host’s body. The life cycle of the parasite is completed when an infected intermediate host is ingested by a cat.

Humans are usually infected through contact with infected cat feces or through undercooked meat containing cysts. Toxoplasmosis can cause serious health problems in pregnant women and individuals with a compromised immune system. Healthy people usually are not aware they have been infected.

Clinical disease is more likely to occur in cats with suppressed immune systems, including young kittens and cats with feline leukemia virus (FELV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Most cats can recover with a treatment of antibiotics and anti-parasitic drugs. There is no vaccine available.

Unfortunately, wild Pallas Cats also seem to be extremely sensitive to toxoplasmosis, causing a high mortality rate in the kittens. Please watch this 2008 video from the Linder Centre for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) at the Cincinnati Zoo for more information. I was not able to find more current information on how much progress has been made researching and controlling this problem in Pallas Cats.

22 May 2013

Happy Birthday Amy!

by Pat Bumstead | posted in: Cats in the wild, Cats of Asia, Endangered Cats | 0

ISEC Canada has the most wonderful members! So many of them are always going out of their way to do something special for the small cats.

Last Friday was Endangered Species Day, and we received a phone call from member David Cohn. Already a generous supporter of the small cats, he wanted to make an additional donation on behalf of his wife Amy’s birthday.

We’ve been saving this beautiful photo for the right occasion. As David and Amy are fans of the Pallas’ Cat, we felt this was the perfect choice to wish Amy Cohn a Happy Birthday from ISEC Canada and the small wild cats! Thank you David and Amy for your concern about the future of the small felids.

15 May 2013

Celebrating Asian Golden Cat Births After Artificial Insemination

by Wanda Angermeyer | posted in: Cats of Asia, Endangered Cats, Zoo cats | 1

Allwetter Zoo in Germany celebrated the birth of twin Asian Golden Cats on April 7, 2013. At last report, one was being nursed by the mother and the other was being cared for by keepers.

This was a very significant event as the cubs were conceived via artificial insemination (AI). Allwetter Zoo is calling this a world’s first for the species. AI has proven to be especially challenging in most wild cat breeds so every successful birth as a result of AI is a major achievement. AI has also been successful in other small wild cat species. The Cincinnati Zoo recently celebrated the birth of an Ocelot as a result of AI. Other assisted reproduction procedures such as embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization are also being researched and developed for use in endangered cat species.

Asian Golden Cats (Pardofelis temminchkii) are listed as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List and as Appendix 1 of CITES (as Catopuma temminchkii). There are very few Asian Golden Cats in captivity and most are housed in zoos in Europe and the UK. The EAZA 2007/2008 EEP report on this species listed only 20 cats being housed in 8 European institutions on Dec 31, 2008. Some of these animals were thought to belong to the subspecies “tristis” and thus not as genetically valuable. The report also stated that there was a need for more successful breeding pairs to at least keep the captive population stable.