Wildcat
253 creative works found
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This is a Barbary Lion, of which there are none left in the wild as they were hunted to almost extinction. Barbary Prides are now found only in wildlife parks. Lion Cub at Paradise Valley Springs, Rotorua. We got to cuddle the cub :)
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Sumatran tiger cub and mother. National Zoo. / / / TIP JAR: IF YOU LIKE MY WORK SUPPORT ME WITH ANY AMOUNT YOU WISH / Part of my line promoting awareness and raising funds for endangered species globally. This is also available as cards and prints. All proceeds (100%) are going to the Wildlife Conservation Society for endangered species protection. If you are interested in a more artistic, painterly look than click HERE to view it in my new Signature Series! Because without these animals I would never be able to bring their beauty to you, I am going to pledge to donate 100% of all of my sales proceeds from cards and prints of the imagery in this series here on Redbubble to Wildlife Conservation Society / / / / / / / Portfolio Areas / Tigers / Wildlife / Macro / Landscape / Birds / Abstracts / Cats~wild and domestic
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Cougar taken at Arizona Sonoran Desert Zoo near Tucson, Arizona.
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This is the first in a series I foresee doing, to increase awareness to the plight of endangered and threatened animals from around the globe. This First Edition focuses on three of the largest and most endangered carnivores today, the Sumatran tiger, the Amur leopard, and the Snow leopard. These are by no means the only imperiled wild cats, as the majority of wild cat species smaller in average body size than 30 kg are at a critical stage. / / / Because without these animals I would never be able to bring their beauty to you, I am going to pledge to donate 100% of all of my sales proceeds from cards and prints of the imagery in this series here on Redbubble to Wildlife Conservation Society Thank you for your support in the race to stave off the extinction of these magnificent creatures.
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“Extinction is forever” t-shirt. Part of my line promoting awareness and raising funds for endangered species globally. This is also available as cards and prints. All proceeds (100%) are going to the Wildlife Conservation Society for endangered species protection. Because without these animals I would never be able to bring their beauty to you, I am going to pledge to donate 100% of all of my sales proceeds from cards and prints of the imagery in this series here on Redbubble to Wildlife Conservation Society
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STALKING TIGER Slowly through the grass / The tiger stalked his prey / His movement long and languid / In the middle of the day / The sun was high and bright / As a vivid burning orb / His body moving slowly / Less heat there to absorb / Gazelles were moving fitfully / Around the waterhole / Nervous eyes were flitting wildly / As the world they did behold / A movement in the distance / And the animals did jump / The nerve ends all a jangling / Each one with quivering rump / Then like avenging angels / The tiger now does pounce / Gazelles are scattering wildly / With a death like spinning dance / And one of them is slower / No longer held at bay / The tiger now triumphant / As it finishes its prey Phil Sanders (aka Brummieboy) / 5/4/07 Thanks for the wonderful poem Phil!
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18×24 pastel on pastelboard. The original is available. Please contact me for further information. / Portrait of a South American Jaguar looking so sweet and innocent.. but don’t let that fool you.. she is still a predator. Scientific Name: Panthera onca / Size: Head and body 3.7-6.1 feet (112-185cm); tail length 1.5-2.5 feet (45-75cm) / Weight: 126-249 pounds (57-113kg) / Distribution: From central Mexico through Central America to Northern Argentina / Habitat: Tropical forest, savanna, scrub, swamps – normally where water is available / Diet: Peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, monkeys, armadillos, river turtles, otters, caimans, and domestic livestock / Reproduction: After a gestation period of 13-15 weeks, female gives birth to 2-4 cubs / Longevity: Up to 12 years (20 in captivity) / Population: Estimated at greater than 10,000 / Status: Near Threatened (information from The Big Cats )
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18×24 pastel on pastelboard. The original is sold. / This was taken from a photograph by Rita Groszmann with her permission. The cat was a resident in California at the time. For some reason, the piece almost did itself.. it was almost like I was watching it come together from another vantage point. Really enjoyable.. time flew!! Scientific Name: Panthera tigris / Size: Male Bengal: Head to tail tip 8.8-10.2 feet (2.7-3.1m); Female 7.8-9.4 feet (2.4-2.8m) / Weight: Male: 396-573 pounds (180-260kg); Female: 287-353 pounds (130-160kg) / Distribution: India, Manchuria, China, Indonesia / Habitat: Varied, including tropical forest, snow-covered evergreen forest, deciduous forests, mangrove swamps and drier forest types. / Diet: Deer, wild pigs, buffalo, antelope, and gaurs (wild oxen) / Reproduction: After a gestation period of 13-16 weeks, female gives birth to 2-4 cubs / Longevity: About 15 years (to 20 in captivity) / Population: Estimated at below 2,500 / Status: Endangered (information from The Big Cats ) Completed 1998 I FINALLY found the original scan of this piece.. and here you have it..
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Amur leopard snarling. Captive animal. / / Amur leopard, only 33 are left in the wild, more precious than its weight in 24 karat gold! / / The AMUR leopard is rarely found in cold or high-elevation environments and is best known in its more familiar home in the savannas of Africa, where populations are relatively stable. However, in the northernmost part of its range, a rare subspecies of this cat lives in the temperate forests and harsh winters of the Russian Far East. This is the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), also known as the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard or the Korean leopard. IUCN’s 2000 Red List of Threatened Species classifies the subspecies as Critically Endangered, and the CITES has listed it on Appendix I. In 1998, the Russian government adopted a strategy for the conservation of the Amur leopard. WWF is supporting anti-poaching activities in the Barsovy wildlife refuge, as well within the whole leopard habitat in the Russian Far East. The organization is also implementing programmes to stop the traffic in Amur leopard parts and to increase the population of prey ungulate (hoofed) species in the leopard’s habitat. WWF staff are also monitoring the leopard population and its habitat. The Amur leopard has some very distinguishing features. The hairs of its summer pelt are 2.5 cm long but in winter they are replaced by 7 cm long ones. Apart from its long winter coat, the Amur leopard is easily told apart from other leopard subspecies by its widely spaced rosettes with thick borders. It also has longer legs, probably an adaptation for walking through snow. The Amur leopard is habitually nocturnal and solitary. Nimble-footed and strong, it carries and hides unfinished kills so that they are not taken by other predators. Adult males: 32-48 kg, exceptionally large males weigh up to 75 kg. Females: 25-43 kg. Light colour in the winter, more reddish-yellow in the summer. Major habitat type: Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests / Range States: Russia, China, probably North Korea Geographical Location: South of the Far East-Primorskii region (Russian Far East), Tzilin, Heilundzyan Provinces (Northern China). Ecological Region: Russian Far East Temperate Forests Interesting Fact: The Amur leopard has been reported to leap more than 6 m horizontally and more than 3 m vertically. Fewer than 40 left in the wild Taken w/Nikon D2Xs, Nikkor 300/4 AFS-I
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10×14 watercolor enhanced colored pencil on Arches satin finish watercolor paper. Original unavailable. / A double portrait of the white Bengal Tiger, which, at one time, was only on a preserve for the “king” in India. All white tigers that you see today, got their start from that one tiger. Mohan is the founding father of the captive bred white tigers of Rewa. He was captured as a cub in 1951 when maharaja Shri Martand Singh of Rewa and his hunting party in Bandhavgarh found a tigress with four 9-month-old cubs, one of which was white. All except the white cub were shot. The white cub was captured and housed at the unused Govindgarh Palace. The maharaja named him Mohan, which roughly translates as “Enchanter”, one of the many forms of the God Krishna. The Maharaja shot a white tiger in 1948, and his father kept a male white tiger in captivity from 1915 to 1920. This white tiger, which was larger than average like most white tigers, was known to have a white male sibling, which continued to live in the wild. After the death of the captive animal it was mounted and presented to the Emperor King George V, as a token of loyalty. This specimen is now in the British Museum. This same Maharaja, the father of Shri Martand Singh, was once suspended by the British while he was under investigation for murder. There was a white tiger in the menagerie in Exeter Change in London in 1820, which was examined by the famous French anatomist Baron Cuvier, and described in his “Animal Kingdom” as having faint stripes only visible from certain angles of refraction. In 1953, Mohan was bred to a normal-coloured wild tigress called Begum (“royal consort”), and they produced two male orange cubs on Sept. 7. In 1955 they had a litter of two males and two females on April 10 (which included a male named Sampson and a female named Radha). In 1956 they again had a litter of two males and two females on July 10, which included a male named Sultan who went to Ahmedabad Zoo, and a female named Vindhya who went to Delhi Zoo and was bred to an unrelated male named Suraj. These early breeding experiments failed to yield a single white cub. A maharaja who was a cousin of the Maharaja of Rewa observed “Rewa was frustrated. I told him the answer-incest of course!” Mohan was then bred to his daughter Radha (who carried the white gene inherited from him) and they produced a number of white cubs, including a litter of four on Oct. 30, 1958, which included a male named Raja, and three females named Rani, Mohini, and Sukishi. These four were the first white tigers born in captivity. Raja and Rani went to the New Delhi Zoo, and Mohini was bought by the German-American billionaire John W. Kluge (who is also known for the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress and the John W. Kluge Prize, and owns the rights to the MASH TV series) for $10,000, for the US National Zoo, as a gift to the children of America, in 1960. In 1989 Kluge was the richest man in the world. Sukeshi remained at Govindgarh Palace, where she was born, in a harem courtyard, as a mate for Mohan. The Indian government made a deal with the Maharaja, under the terms of which Raja and Rani would go to the New Delhi Zoo for free. In exchange the Maharaja’s white tiger breeding would be subsidized and he would receive a share of their cubs. He wanted Rs 100,000 for them. The Indian Parliament used to hear reports on the progress of the white tigers, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and U Nu of Burma participated in public christening ceremonies for white cubs at New Delhi Zoo. President Tito of Yugoslavia visited New Delhi Zoo and asked for white tigers for Belgrade Zoo, but was refused. A white tiger named Dalip from New Delhi Zoo represented India in two international expositions in Budapest and Osaka. The government of West Bengal bought two white males, named Niladari and Himadri, from the Maharaja for Calcutta Zoo, and an orange female named Malini, from the same litter of three born in 1960, accompanied them there. The Alipore Zoo in Calcutta, recovered the purchase price of the white tigers within six months by charging extra to see them. Calcutta Zoo had a fine specimen of a white tiger in 1920. Six zoos acquired white tigers from the Maharaja of Rewa including the Bristol Zoo in England (a brother and sister pair named Champak and Chameli on June 22, 1963) and the Crandon Park Zoo in Miami acquired a white tigress in 1968. Bristol Zoo’s pair, born in 1962, came from another litter of four, all white, but two (one female and one male) didn’t survive. It’s astounding that Mohan and Radha produced another litter of four white cubs, as they did in 1958. By 1966 the Bombay Zoo had a white tigress named Lakshmi, born in 1964, from the Maharaja. The Calcutta Zoo sold a white tigress named Sefali to Gauhati Zoo and sent a second white tiger there on loan. By 1976 Lucknow Zoo also had a white tiger which was a gift from New Delhi Zoo. A white tigress named Nandni, who was born in New Delhi Zoo in 1971, went to Hyderabad Zoo. This is how the white tiger diaspora progressed. Zoos with white tigers constituted a most exclusive club and the white tigers themselves represented a single extended family. The Maharaja was negotiating the sale of a white male, named Virat, as late as 1976, when he died of enteritis. Virat was a son of Mohan and Sukeshi and the maharaja put him on the market after attempting to breed him to Sukeshi, which would have raised the inbreeding coefficient. India imposed an export ban on white tigers in 1960, in an effort to preserve a monopoly, probably because Anglo-Indian naturalist E.P. Gee recommended that Govindgarh Palace, and it’s white tiger inhabitants, be made a “national trust”, which didn’t happen. After the export ban was imposed the Maharaja threatened to release all of his white tigers into the Rewa forest, and so he was given dispensation to sell two more pairs abroad, to offset his costs. Mohini was only allowed to leave India because President Eisenhower intervened personally with Prime Minister Nehru, to ask for the release of the United States government’s white tiger. A white sister of Mohini’s was brought to New Delhi the year before to show the President, who was no stranger to white tigers. Circus owner Clyde Beatty also bought a white tiger from the Maharaja in 1960, for $10,000 in a deal facilitated by Washington Zoo director T.H. Reed, which had to be cancelled because of the export ban, which made Mohini even more valuable. She was estimated to be worth $28,000. Dr. Reed had travelled to India to escort Mohini to Washington. Years later the Bristol Zoo needed a new breeding male and traded a white female to New Delhi Zoo for a white tiger named Roop, who had been named by U Nu, the Prime Minister of Burma. He was the son of Raja by his own mother and half sister- Radha, born in New Delhi. Radha, and many other tigers from Govindgarh including Sukeshi, were later transferred to New Delhi. Begum went to live at Ahmedabad Zoo and was bred to her son Sultan. They produced twelve cubs in four litters between 1958 and 1961. Bristol Zoo later transferred two male white tigers to Dudley Zoo. In 1951 the Maharaja placed ads in The New York Times and The Times of London, and wrote to the director of the Manchester Zoo, and probably others, offering to sell his captured white tiger cub. He wanted the princely sum of $28,000 for Mohan. The Maharaja was prevented by law from converting rupees into American dollars, and wanted the money to buy a speed boat. Mohan died in 1970, aged almost 20, and was laid to rest with Hindu rites as the palace staff observed official mourning. He was the last recorded white tiger born in the wild. The last white tiger reported in the wild was shot in 1958. Pushpraj Singh, the reigning Maharaja of Rewa, is asking students to sign a petition to ask the President of India to return at least two white tigers to Govindgarh Palace, as a tourist attraction. (information from Wikipedia) Complete 2007
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This is a 16×20 pastel portrait of Tigger, one of the residents of Noah’s Lost Ark Animal Sanctuary. Original is unavailable. / His history is not pleasant.. he was kept in a small concrete enclosure for 9 years. After coming to the sanctuary he would lunge at the fence whenever a man would come near. He would also respond that way if the man happened to be holding anything in his hands. He really did not know what grass or kindness was until his arrival at NLA. / Regretably he died in 2004 from what they believe was a stroke. At least his last couple of years were a definite improvement over all those that came before. / I truly hope that another message comes through.. that these animals DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS.. that’s why places like Noah’s are in existence. If people would just think before they buy that cute LITTLE cub.. life would be easier on all of us especially the animals. After all.. they didn’t ask to be in the situation they are.. and there are far to many unscrupulous people out there that are in it for the money.. / At least with education, we might make a little difference.. even if we save just one animal.. it’s a beginning!! / All proceeds from any sales will be donated to Noah’s Lost Ark Sanctuary for the care and feeding of the animals.
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20.5×32.5 pastel on felt matboard. Original unavailable. / Nanook was one of the lucky ones.. Noah’s Lost Ark got him when he was a mere cub (he’s quite a big boy now.. over 300 pounds) and has lived there his whole life. Would you believe, he has allergies? Come spring, he gets a big congested and gets some very special treatment because of it.. but he’s a happy boy. / I truly hope that another message comes through.. that these animals DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS.. that’s why places like Noah’s are in existence. If people would just think before they buy that cute LITTLE cub.. life would be easier on all of us especially the animals. After all.. they didn’t ask to be in the situation they are.. and there are far to many unscrupulous people out there that are in it for the money.. / At least with education, we might make a little difference.. even if we save just one animal.. it’s a beginning!! / All proceeds from any sales will be donated to Noah’s Lost Ark Sanctuary for the care and feeding of the animals. Completed 2003
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Black and white version of Mramba, to me this has a whole different level of intensity. Which version do you like? Captive animal. / / / / The future of African predators is in peril. It is estimated that only 10,000-15,000 free-roaming African lions remain, down from 50,000 a decade ago. African lions are now listed as Endangered (West African subspecies) and Vulnerable (East and Southern African subspecies) by the World Conservation Union and are on Appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) list. African lions are in danger of disappearing altogether due to disease (FIV, bovine tuberculosis, canine distemper) and habitat encroachment. Today’s modern world subjects lions and other wildlife to many dangers. Mankind constantly seizes more and more of the remaining wild areas of Africa, forcing lions onto smaller and smaller parcels of land. Large-scale developments destroy the lion’s natural habitat. In areas inhabited by livestock, lions are frequently shot, snared or poisoned. And sadly, the hunting of these amazing animals for “sport,” for man’s pleasure, is still encouraged as a revenue producing industry by many African governments. African predators simply will not survive unless they are protected. 100% of proceeds from any sales of this image will be donated to the Virginia Zoo
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Shot at the Cheetah Rehabilitation Centre in Namibia
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19×24 Colored pencil and this one’s not going ANYWHERE!! As I was working on this piece, there was such a feeling of calm and joy that every time I look at it.. that feeling comes back. This one visits various rooms in my house but mostly it stays nearby. White tigers are individual specimens of the ordinary orange tiger (Panthera tigris), with a genetic condition that causes paler colouration of the normally orange fur (they still have black stripes). The condition is well-documented in the Bengal tiger subspecies (Panthera tigris tigris or P. t. bengalensis), may also have occurred in captive Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), and may have been reported historically in several other subspecies. White pelage is most closely associated with the Bengal, or Indian subspecies. Tigers in India are recognized as a single subspecies, but within India, and throughout the tiger’s geographic range they tend to be smaller, darker, and more densely striped the further south they are found, the Sumatran and now extinct Javan and Bali races being the smallest. The Bengal is the nominate subspecies or species type, the definitive tiger. For many years it was the kind most commonly seen in the West. It was the standard issue zoo and circus tiger, and it was the Bengal tiger which conformed most fully to the image of a tiger in the Western psyche. It was the tiger of Kipling and the Raj. The Bengal tiger used to be known as the “Royal Bengal tiger”, after it was hunted by the Duke of Windsor when he was Prince of Wales. Siegfried and Roy sometimes refer to their white tigers as “royal white tigers”, possibly because of the white tiger’s association with the Maharaja of Rewa. The French language version of the white tiger Wikipedia is titled “Tigre blanc royal” or “Royal white tiger.” The white individuals do not constitute a separate subspecies on their own. They have pink noses, white to cream-coloured fur, and black, grey or chocolate-coloured stripes, grey mottled skin, and ice blue eyes. White tigers tend to be born larger and attain larger than average adult sizes than orange tigers which do not carry the white gene. This may have given them an advantage in the wild. White gene carriers, or heterozygotes, also tend to be larger than average in size. K.S. Sankhala, who was director of the New Delhi Zoo in the 1960s, said that one of the functions of the white gene may have been to keep a size gene in the population, in case it was ever needed. In the wild white tigers bred white for generations. It is a myth that white tigers did not thrive in the wild and India once planned to reintroduce them. The condition occurs when inbreeding — usually between parents and cubs — produces offspring with two copies of a recessive gene. This is rare in nature, but with their unusual colouration, white tigers have become popular in zoos and entertainment that showcases exotic animals. For example, the magicians Siegfried and Roy are famous for having used trained white tigers in their performances. However, inbreeding often also leads to birth defects1, which makes breeding for white colour controversial. Although it is actually possible to create white tigers without inbreeding, such cases are exceedingly rare. Nevertheless, there are several hundred white tigers in captivity worldwide, and their numbers are on the increase. The French language version of the white tiger Wikipedia article puts the number at 800. There are about 100 white tigers in India. The modern population includes both pure Bengals and hybrid Bengal–Siberians, but it is unclear whether the recessive gene for white came from any of the Siberian ancestors, or only from Bengals. Another genetic condition makes the stripes of the tiger very pale. White tigers with this condition are called snow-white. (information from Wikipedia) Complete 1995
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19×25 pastel on Pastelboard by Ampersand. Original available. Snow Leopards have always been one of my favorites possibly because they were so hard to find when I first started drawing them. A beautiful example of what nature has given us. Complete 2003
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Captive cougar.
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Pride exemplified via Mramba, the male African lion at the Virginia Zoo. The future of African predators is in peril. It is estimated that only 10,000-15,000 free-roaming African lions remain, down from 50,000 a decade ago. African lions are now listed as Endangered (West African subspecies) and Vulnerable (East and Southern African subspecies) by the World Conservation Union and are on Appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) list. African lions are in danger of disappearing altogether due to disease (FIV, bovine tuberculosis, canine distemper) and habitat encroachment. Today’s modern world subjects lions and other wildlife to many dangers. Mankind constantly seizes more and more of the remaining wild areas of Africa, forcing lions onto smaller and smaller parcels of land. Large-scale developments destroy the lion’s natural habitat. In areas inhabited by livestock, lions are frequently shot, snared or poisoned. And sadly, the hunting of these amazing animals for “sport,” for man’s pleasure, is still encouraged as a revenue producing industry by many African governments. African predators simply will not survive unless they are protected. 100% of proceeds from any sales of this image will be donated to the Virginia Zoo
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Sumatran tiger – original photograph, digitally accented. Captive animal. / / Name: Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran Tiger) Description: The Sumatran tiger has the darkest coat of all tigers. Its broad, black stripes are closely spaced and often doubled. Unlike the Siberian tiger, it has striped forelegs. Sumatran tigers are the smallest tiger subspecies. Males average 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length from head to tail and weigh about 120 kilograms (264 pounds). Females measure approximately 2.2 meters (7 feet) in length and weigh about 90 kilograms (198 pounds). Distribution: The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to submontain and montain forest with some peat-moss forest. Biology: The Sumatran tiger eats wild pig, big deer (called rusa), and small deer (called muntjak or barking deer). The specific range size of this tiger is not know, however the population density is approximately 4–5 adult tigers/100 km 2 (39 mile 2) in optimal lowland rainforest. As elevation increases through submontain and montain forests, the number of tigers in any given area decreases because there is less prey available. Status in the wild: 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers were believed to exist in 1998, primarily in the island’s national park areas, but no island-wide census or monitoring system has been possible. Tiger numbers have continued to decline because of poaching of tigers to supply the illegal trade in tiger parts. The last remnants of lowland forest are being eliminated to establish oil palm plantations and for shifting agriculture by recent settlers from other areas of Sumatra and Indonesia. Ongoing road development makes many formerly inaccessible mountain areas accessible to illegal logging even on the steepest slopes, and many mountainous areas are being converted into plantations for coffee and other products for international markets. Tigers are legally protected but are not highly valued. Captive breeding: For three years, the Indonesian Zoological Parks’ Association (PKBSI) has been working with the Tiger Global Conservation Strategy to develop a conservation program for Sumatran tigers. In addition to the 65 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 55 tigers managed by North American zoos, 100 in European zoos, and 12 in Australasian zoos. This captive population is descended from 37 wild-caught founders. The Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Masterplan now has the potential to function as the heart of the Sumatran tiger population worldwide. It is designed to preserve sufficient genetic diversity to reinforce both captive and wild populations, thus fulfilling its goal to ensure that the in situ tiger program comprises verifiable founders permanently identified and registered in the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Studbook. It also extends the capabilities of Indonesian zoo staff to professionally manage their tiger programs in Indonesia, and at the same time serves as a model for other range country tiger management programs in Southeast Asia.
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East African leopard cub, taken at the Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado Circa 1996. Swahili Name: Chui / Scientific Name: Panthera pardus / Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder / Weight: Up to 140 pounds / Lifespan: 21 years in captivity / Habitat: Bush and riverine forest / Diet: Carnivorous / Gestation: Approximately 21/2 months / Predators: Humans The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself. Physical Characteristics / Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colors, from a light buff or tawny in warmer, dryer areas to a dark shade in deep forests. The spots, or rosettes, are circular in East African leopards but square in southern African leopards. Habitat / Dense bush in rocky surroundings and riverine forest are their favorite habitats, but leopards adapt to many places in both warm and cold climates. Their adaptability, in fact, has helped them survive the loss of habitat to increasing human settlement. Leopards are primarily nocturnal, usually resting during the daytime in trees or thick bush. The spotted coat provides almost perfect camouflage. Behavior / When a leopard stalks prey, it keeps a low profile and slinks through the grass or bush until it is close enough to launch an attack. When not hunting, it can move through herds of antelopes without unduly disturbing them by flipping its tail over its back to reveal the white underside, a sign that it is not seeking prey. Leopards are basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Each animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male’s range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several females. A leopard usually does not tolerate intrusion into its own range except to mate. Unexpected encounters between leopards can lead to fights. Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury when angry and they purr when content. They announce their presence to other leopards with a rasping or sawing cough. They have a good sense of smell and mark their ranges with urine; they also leave claw marks on trees to warn other leopards to stay away. Leopards continually move about their home ranges, seldom staying in an area for more than two or three days at a time. With marking and calling, they usually know one another’s whereabouts. A male will accompany a female in estrus for a week or so before they part and return to solitude. Diet / As they grow, cubs learn to hunt small animals. The leopard is a cunning, stealthy hunter, and its prey ranges from strong-scented carrion, fish, reptiles and birds to mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons. Caring for the Young / A litter includes two or three cubs, whose coats appear to be smoky gray as the rosettes are not yet clearly delineated. The female abandons her nomadic wandering until the cubs are large enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for about the first 8 weeks, giving them meat when they are 6 or 7 weeks old and suckling them for 3 months or longer. Predators / Leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, dense, beautiful fur has been used for ceremonial robes and coats. Different parts of the leopard the tail, claws and whiskers are popular as fetishes. These cats have a reputation as wanton killers, but research does not support the claim. In some areas farmers try to exterminate them, while in others leopards are considered symbols of wisdom. Leopards do well in captivity, and some have lived as long as 21 years. Did you know? The elegant, powerfully built leopard has a long body, relatively short legs and a broad head. Its tawny coat is covered with dark, irregular circles called “rosettes.” / Both lions and hyenas will take away a leopard’s kill if they can. To prevent this leopards store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in relative safety. Conservation status / Leopards are on CITES: Appendix I. The north Chinese leopard (P.p.japonensis), Sri Lankan leopard (P.p.kotiya), Javan leopard (P.p.melas) and north Persian leopard (P.p.saxixolor) are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. The south Arabian leopard (P.p.nimr), Amur leopard (P.p.orientalis), north African leopard (P.p.panthera) and Anatolian leopard (P.p.tulliana) are considered Critically Endangered. They are hunted for their fur and suffer from loss of natural habit due to the spread of the human population. / Information collected from African Wildlife Foundation
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Another Sumatran tiger, taken in the Dickinson Park Zoo. Name: Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran Tiger) Description: The Sumatran tiger has the darkest coat of all tigers. Its broad, black stripes are closely spaced and often doubled. Unlike the Siberian tiger, it has striped forelegs. Sumatran tigers are the smallest tiger subspecies. Males average 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length from head to tail and weigh about 120 kilograms (264 pounds). Females measure approximately 2.2 meters (7 feet) in length and weigh about 90 kilograms (198 pounds). Distribution: The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to submontain and montain forest with some peat-moss forest. Biology: The Sumatran tiger eats wild pig, big deer (called rusa), and small deer (called muntjak or barking deer). The specific range size of this tiger is not know, however the population density is approximately 4–5 adult tigers/100 km 2 (39 mile 2) in optimal lowland rainforest. As elevation increases through submontain and montain forests, the number of tigers in any given area decreases because there is less prey available. Status in the wild: 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers were believed to exist in 1998, primarily in the island’s national park areas, but no island-wide census or monitoring system has been possible. Tiger numbers have continued to decline because of poaching of tigers to supply the illegal trade in tiger parts. The last remnants of lowland forest are being eliminated to establish oil palm plantations and for shifting agriculture by recent settlers from other areas of Sumatra and Indonesia. Ongoing road development makes many formerly inaccessible mountain areas accessible to illegal logging even on the steepest slopes, and many mountainous areas are being converted into plantations for coffee and other products for international markets. Tigers are legally protected but are not highly valued. Captive breeding: For three years, the Indonesian Zoological Parks’ Association (PKBSI) has been working with the Tiger Global Conservation Strategy to develop a conservation program for Sumatran tigers. In addition to the 65 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 55 tigers managed by North American zoos, 100 in European zoos, and 12 in Australasian zoos. This captive population is descended from 37 wild-caught founders. The Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Masterplan now has the potential to function as the heart of the Sumatran tiger population worldwide. It is designed to preserve sufficient genetic diversity to reinforce both captive and wild populations, thus fulfilling its goal to ensure that the in situ tiger program comprises verifiable founders permanently identified and registered in the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Studbook. It also extends the capabilities of Indonesian zoo staff to professionally manage their tiger programs in Indonesia, and at the same time serves as a model for other range country tiger management programs in Southeast Asia.
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Name: Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran Tiger) Description: The Sumatran tiger has the darkest coat of all tigers. Its broad, black stripes are closely spaced and often doubled. Unlike the Siberian tiger, it has striped forelegs. Sumatran tigers are the smallest tiger subspecies. Males average 2.4 meters (8 feet) in length from head to tail and weigh about 120 kilograms (264 pounds). Females measure approximately 2.2 meters (7 feet) in length and weigh about 90 kilograms (198 pounds). Distribution: The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in habitat that ranges from lowland forest to submontain and montain forest with some peat-moss forest. Biology: The Sumatran tiger eats wild pig, big deer (called rusa), and small deer (called muntjak or barking deer). The specific range size of this tiger is not know, however the population density is approximately 4–5 adult tigers/100 km 2 (39 mile 2) in optimal lowland rainforest. As elevation increases through submontain and montain forests, the number of tigers in any given area decreases because there is less prey available. Status in the wild: 400-500 wild Sumatran tigers were believed to exist in 1998, primarily in the island’s national park areas, but no island-wide census or monitoring system has been possible. Tiger numbers have continued to decline because of poaching of tigers to supply the illegal trade in tiger parts. The last remnants of lowland forest are being eliminated to establish oil palm plantations and for shifting agriculture by recent settlers from other areas of Sumatra and Indonesia. Ongoing road development makes many formerly inaccessible mountain areas accessible to illegal logging even on the steepest slopes, and many mountainous areas are being converted into plantations for coffee and other products for international markets. Tigers are legally protected but are not highly valued. Captive breeding: For three years, the Indonesian Zoological Parks’ Association (PKBSI) has been working with the Tiger Global Conservation Strategy to develop a conservation program for Sumatran tigers. In addition to the 65 Sumatran tigers living in Indonesian zoos, there are 55 tigers managed by North American zoos, 100 in European zoos, and 12 in Australasian zoos. This captive population is descended from 37 wild-caught founders. The Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Masterplan now has the potential to function as the heart of the Sumatran tiger population worldwide. It is designed to preserve sufficient genetic diversity to reinforce both captive and wild populations, thus fulfilling its goal to ensure that the in situ tiger program comprises verifiable founders permanently identified and registered in the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Studbook. It also extends the capabilities of Indonesian zoo staff to professionally manage their tiger programs in Indonesia, and at the same time serves as a model for other range country tiger management programs in Southeast Asia.
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The Official T-Shirt of the Shrub Oak Wildcats Soccer Club of Westchester County, New York. The shirt can be ordered in several styles and colors and is made of the highest quality.
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Tiger
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