New 'little tiger cat' species found in Brazil
What was believed to be one species of spotted, housecat-sized felines is in fact two, scientists have found.
Don't judge a cat by its cover.
Oncillas are housecat-size felines found throughout much of South America, and are also known as little tiger cats, little spotted cats or tigrinas. But not all oncillas are the same: New research suggests that little tiger cats in northeastern Brazil belong to a different species from those elsewhere on the continent, although they look virtually identical.
Researchers analyzed the genetic material of oncillas in northeastern Brazil, and compared them with nearby populations in the south. They found that there was no flow of genes between the two populations of oncillas, and hasn't been any for millennia, according to the study, published today (Nov. 27) in the journal Current Biology
Hamilton Zoo tiger swaps home
Auckland and Hamilton zoos will pull a striped switcheroo tomorrow.
Male Sumatran tigers Oz and Jaka will travel in opposite directions down State Highway 1 to swap homes in a bid to help further the international breeding programme for the critically-endangered big cat.
The key move is for nine-year-old Oz - who relocated from Tel Avivto Auckland in 2006 and fathered Auckland Zoo's first tiger cubs in 2008 - to Hamilton Zoo to be paired up with five-year-old Sali.
Due to poaching, loss of rainforest habitat from illegal logging and expansion of the palm oil industry there are now fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild.
Zoos throughout Australasia, America, Europe, Japan and Indonesia are working together to manage an insurance population of Sumatran tigers - currently around 300 animals.
Both Oz and Jaka have been trained to walk into custom-built crates for their respective 90-minute road trips.
RIP Masti, the tiger who remained wild at heart till the end
Bangalore: The wild tiger Masti first came to public attention back in 2002 when he was filmed by tourists who saw him moving around with a trap on his leg in the forests of Nagarahole in Karnataka.
The first pictures the world saw of Masti was of the magnificent animal crippled by a vicious jaw trap.
The pictures of the tiger were taken by tourists and on seeing them, the forest department went in, found the tiger and brought him out, knowing he could not survive in the wild.
Masti was taken to Mysore Zoo where his paw and part of his leg was amputated. He was condemned to a life in captivity. When we went to his cage in the zoo, his rage and discomfort were obvious.
He was later shifted to Bannerghatta National Park outside Bangalore in 2005 and sheltered in a centre for rescued animals.
Too strong for an ordinary cage, an open air enclosure was built for him to help him spend at least a part of the day in fresh air and sunshine.
The first pictures the world saw of Masti was of the magnificent animal crippled by a vicious jaw trap.
The pictures of the tiger were taken by tourists and on seeing them, the forest department went in, found the tiger and brought him out, knowing he could not survive in the wild.
Masti was taken to Mysore Zoo where his paw and part of his leg was amputated. He was condemned to a life in captivity. When we went to his cage in the zoo, his rage and discomfort were obvious.
He was later shifted to Bannerghatta National Park outside Bangalore in 2005 and sheltered in a centre for rescued animals.
Too strong for an ordinary cage, an open air enclosure was built for him to help him spend at least a part of the day in fresh air and sunshine.
How tiger almost drowned during filming
London - A tiger used in the film Life Of Pi almost drowned on set – and animal welfare officials allegedly covered up the incident.
The animal couldn’t get out of a water tank during the filming of one scene in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning movie, which tells the story of a boy stranded on a boat with a tiger called Richard Parker.
An official from the American Humane Society allegedly witnessed the incident with the Bengal tiger, called King, but covered it up.
Leaked emails obtained by The Hollywood Reporter suggest the AHS, the body that awards film makers the coveted “no animals were harmed in the making of this film” tag, allegedly kept quiet about the incident.
Gina Johnson, the AHS official who was monitoring the tiger during filming, allegedly told a colleague in an email: “Last week we almost ****ing killed King in the water tank.
“This one take with him went really bad and he got lost trying to swim to the side. Damn near drowned.” She continued: “Don’t mention it to anyone, especially the office”, and added she had downplayed the incident.
A spokesperson for the American Humane Association denied it had covered up alleged abuse during filmmaking. - Daily Mail
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