The Big Cat's World
part of Egypt's BastFest
We've all seen our own domesticated variety display classic 'cat in the wild' behavior. Dragging in lizards, birds and bits of the neighbor's trash as presents. Stalking that pair of underwear circling in the dryer. During the festival of Bast, we celebrate our own inner, wild, undeniable urge to worship the feline family. So first let's introduce our stars.
- African golden cat
- Andean mountain cat
- Asian golden cat
- Black-footed cat
- Bobcat
- Bornean bay cat
- Canadian lynx
- Caracal
- Cheetah
- Chinese mountain cat
- Clouded leopard
- Cougar
|
- Eurasian Lynx
- Fishing Cat
- Flat-headed Cat
- Geoffreys Cat
- Iberian Lynx
- Jaguar
- Jaguarundi
- Jungle Cat
- KodKod
- Leopard
- Leopard Cat
- Lion
|
- Marbled Cat
- Margay
- Ocelot
- Oncilla
- Pampas Cat
- Pallas Cat
- Rusty-spotted Cat
- Sand Cat
- Serval
- Snow Leopard
- Tiger
- Wild Cat
|
Although the amount differs according to different sources, the Taxonomic Advisory Group, or TAG, state there are currently 36 known feline species. My favorite is the Clouded Leopard. Browse through wiki's big cat page to see photos of each species and choose your own favorite if you don't already have one.
Such incredible, graceful, powerful creatures. No wonder so many of us are fascinated with them. The wild cats have many different habitats; snowy mountains to dense jungles, craggy desert scapes, grassy saharas. In each habitat they fight and claw their way into top food chain levels. They utilize the advantages of their habitat in a way few other animals exploit. We worship and adore our pet felines, now let's extend our view into the real world their living relatives face.
But be warned, it's not all fluffy. And not without controversy.
The Human Element
Whereas in the past there existed a natural balance in the relationship between human occupation and the Big Cat territory, now our upward spike in population has our presence causing devastating effects.
What is happening is as more and more land undergoes development we are pushing the wildlife out. Physically, by existing in their territory, the Big Cats have no where to go. Where it isn't us physically, it is the wider effects of our occupation; landslides, forest fires, barbed wire, pollution, fouled or relocated water sources and even land mines.
The result is that Big and Wild Cats end up living in small pockets of land, greatly diminished from their usual ranging territory. And while Big Cats themselves can at times be survivors, their smaller, more fragile prey may not prove as hearty. So now the life of a Big Cat is not only rife with disease from pollution, terrifying effects of inbreeding due to pocket-existing, it is also starving and without ample fresh water sources. All this leads to a Big Cat conservationist's greatest concern; that the Big Cat's world will disappear altogether.
Endangered Species
A species on the endangered list means it is under threat of extinction. The reasons are many, but most directly relate to human involvement sadly. Along with the problems listed above, there is also (legal and illegal) hunting and in some areas where encroaching human occupation has caused the inevitable Big Cat attacks, retaliatory slaughters. Currently the situation is so dire for the Big Cat's world that not 1 of the 40 feline species are considered safe or definitively off the red flagged list except the domesticated house cat. Areas with population problems tend to be the worst offenders where their local big cats are the under the severest of threats. According to Born Free, in India there are fewer than 2,500 Tigers and roughly 350 rare Asian Lions left due to over hunting. The situation is even more dire in east Russia for the Amur Leopard, who, according to www.WHF.org.uk, number less than 30 in the wild. The probability of these slipping from endangered into extinct is a grim possibility.
As we flourish, the big cats world diminishes. Can we strike a balance?
Captivity; the good, the bad and the ugly
I ask you to imagine a typical big cat captivity scene. What do you envision?
A frightening and heart-breaking scene: a filthy jaguar captured in Guyana 6 years earlier being kept in a structurally unsound enclosure with 3 other animals. It's fed rotten meat and unsanitary water containing sewage. There is no barrier between the enclosure and the above spectator level. Visitors can toss trash into the area until the jaguar escapes out by climbing a fallen tree, mauling a grounds keeper.
There is also the individual wild cat owner. In some cases, this means a person with more money than sense, who purchases a wild cat (perhaps bred in captivity and sold through unregulated channels) to act as a trophy animal and 'family pet'. The animal is caged and given it's meat pre-killed or tossed small prey in a "canned hunt" style. It's occasionally allowed out of it's cage to run the owner's fenced in yard. When the animal gets too big to maintain the upkeep, the owner considers putting it down. If it doesn't succumb to cage-bound disease or injury, perhaps it will escape the yard during it's next monthly run and eat a neighbor. If this scenario sounds too improbable to you...
"June 7, 1999 Yorktown, TX: A 9-year-old girl was killed when her stepfather's "pet" tiger grabbed her by the neck and dragged her into a water trough. "-from Big Cat Caucus Blog
However, not every captivity story follows that scenario. This is where the controversy comes in. Before you go march on parliament or congress to demand laws be made to stop captive big cat owning, consider this. Wild cats kept in captivity provide a genetic diversity that acts as insurance against a species extinction, especially when the species is stuck in pockets in it's native lands, unable to breed successfully. Also, wild cat owners provide a healthy living environment to cats who's own territory is dwindling and own food sources have long since been driven away by human occupation. Lastly, more countries every year adopt regulations to watch over breeders and encourage them to research prospective animal adoption applicants to ensure against abuse.
What you can do today
When it comes to captivity, lawmakers have an uphill battle deciding which is the appropriate course of action, and more so without you lending your voice. Research the facts for yourself and contact your local animal rights or conservation group to find out what direction they are taking to affect your country's or state's politics. It's time to pick your side of the fence and make a stand. Both sides agree that unregulated big cat breeding and captivity are dangerous and grossly irresponsible. We've put the animals in this position and it's our duty to fix it.
There are many big cat conservation groups today desperate for your donation, your time and your voice. Conservation groups are often the only thing between a wild cat species and extinction and many of their efforts have truly hit the mark. In China, an unprecedented law has recently been issued proclaiming all use of Tiger organs and parts in traditional medicine illegal. In India strict laws prohibiting the hunting of tigers prevent numbers further dwindling, though the numbers are currently so low it may be too late. Cat conservation groups in Australia, U.K., throughout the E.U., Canada and the U.S. need your help now and are struggling to protect local wild cat territory and protection laws.
It is likely that in our lifetime, one or more of our wild cat species will be on the verge of extinction. And even those that are temporarily clear of the endangered list are, and will continue to be, mistreated, abused and killed for unsavory purposes.
Regional Wildlife Conservation Groups:
[please be warned, links marked with *! contain graphic images]
Thank you to Sementawy for gathering conservation group links.
Sources:
