big cats

The Captive Lion Problem | Earth Wise

September 25, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

In the 1990s, there was rapid growth in South Africa of the private wildlife industry. Large numbers of cattle, sheep, and goat ranchers replaced their domestic livestock with wild animals that wealthy hunters would pay lots of money to shoot. Lions were among the most prized targets for these people. Over time, hundreds of ranchers became involved in the business of breeding large numbers of the big cats in cages or small enclosures. Wealthy clients paid $25,000 to $40,000 to shoot a captive-bred lion – cheaper than the cost of a true wild lion hunt and much easier too. The animals were not afraid of humans and were easy to find.

By 2015, about 200 ranches held at least 8,000 captive-bred lions. Over 600 were trophy-hunted that year, generating about $16 million in trophy fees, mostly from Americans.

Journalists and conservationists exposed poor conditions on many lion farms and many other abuses. Over time, the South African government cracked down on the export of lion bones and other body parts for taxidermy, traditional Chinese medicine, and other uses. The days of captive lion breeding seemed numbered but shutting down the lucrative industry is not easy.

Wild lions in South Africa are not endangered. In fact, existing sanctuaries and preserves have as many lions as they can sustain. What to do with thousands of captive lions is a real problem. Some have suggested mass euthanasia, but that appalling idea has garnered very little support. The future of these animals still hangs in the balance and so far, there are really no truly desirable solutions in the offing.

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If South Africa Ends Lion Breeding, What to Do With Captive Cats?

Photo, posted August 21, 2011, courtesy of Leszek Leszczynski via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Canada Lynx And Climate Change | Earth Wise

April 19, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Canada lynx are medium-sized North American big cats known for their long, black ear tufts, and their ability to hunt across the surface of deep snow. Historically, the predator’s habitat ranged across Alaska, Canada, and much of the Northern United States. But in the contiguous U.S. today, the Canada lynx exists only in several disjunct populations in Maine, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Washington and Montana.

While Glacier National Park in Montana is famous for its grizzly bears and mountain goats, the park also holds a surprising number of Canada lynx, and could serve as a much-needed climate refuge for the big cats in the future.

Glacier National Park is one of the few, large, protected areas located within the Canada lynx range in the Lower 48. Using an array of 300 motion-sensitive cameras on hiking trails throughout Glacier, researchers from Washington State University conducted the first parkwide occupancy survey for Canada lynx inside the park. They were surprised to find that Glacier is home to roughly 50 Canada Lynx. In fact, the researchers found that the iconic predator resides across most of the park’s 1,600 square-mile landscape, although at lower densities than in the core of its range further north.

The researchers also found that Canada lynx are distributed at lower elevations inside Glacier. Since the cats are a cold-adapted species that need the deep snow, within Glacier, they have a lot of room to climb in elevation as the climate warms.

The researchers hope their survey can serve as a baseline population estimate to help their collaborators with the National Park Service keep tabs on the numbers of Canada lynx in Glacier.

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Glacier National Park could be climate haven for Canada lynx

Photo, posted February 22, 2014, courtesy of Eric Kilby via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

How To Save Big Cats | Earth Wise

March 1, 2023 By EarthWise 1 Comment

Big cats are among the most widely recognized and admired animals in the world. But these charismatic predators face many and varied threats, including the loss of habitat and prey, conflicts with humans, poaching, and the illegal wildlife trade.

Researchers from the University of Reading in the U.K. have studied the fortunes of 50 species of large carnivores worldwide over the past 50 years. They found that social and economic factors, such as quality of life, were more closely associated with declines of large carnivore species than purely environmental factors, like habitat loss.

The study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that the best way to save large carnivores, including lynx, bears, and lions, is to encourage a sustainable model of social and economic development instead of focusing exclusively on issues like climate change.

While rapid economic development pushes species to the brink of extinction, it’s also delivered enormous improvements in the quality of human life. But the analysis suggests that once people achieve a high quality of life and economic development slows, a turning point is reached and persecuted species have a chance to recover.

According to the research team, the recovery is a result of both improved habitat protections in advanced economies and a more harmonious relationship between people and predators. What would have once been considered a dangerous pest is now recognized as being an important part of both the ecosystem and culture.

In Western Europe, slower economic development and an improved quality of life have allowed populations of grey wolves to increase 1,800% since the 1960s.

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Economics trump environment to save big cats, say ecologists

Photo, posted February 8, 2015, courtesy of Mathias Appel via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Are Big Cats In Big Trouble?

January 16, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

According to researchers with the National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative, cheetahs are much closer to extinction than previously thought. The research team has released a study, which was recently published in the journal PeerJ, that updates the cheetah population numbers in southern Africa, the largest of its remaining habitat.