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Leopard - Panthera pardus
Topic Started: Jan 7 2012, 08:52 PM (43,034 Views)
Kurtz
Kleptoparasite
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]


To Skin a Cat is a documentary film about one man’s mission to halt the alarming decline in southern Africa’s leopard populations due to a widespread skin trade.

Traditionally, only the Zulu royals have been allowed to wear leopard skins. However, in the last three decades the Shembe Church, a four million strong religious group, has adopted the skins into their ceremonial costume. The demand for leopard skins is now astronomical. Because the use of skins is so wide spread and culturally entrenched, law enforcement seems helpless to police this trade in a protected species. It has become, in one researchers words, 'a major conservation blindspot'.

Leopard researcher Tristan Dickerson believes that you can’t save the leopard without the support of the Shembe people. The film follows Dickerson as he travels from the heart of leopard country to the heart of Shembe and Zulu culture in an effort to discover a solution that benefits all parties. His best solution turns out to be fake fur. Bad fakes are commonly used by church members while they save for the expensive real thing. Dickerson believes that if he can produce a high quality, affordable fake fur, and gain the endorsement of the powerful leader of the Church he can turn the tables in favor of the leopard.
Edited by Taipan, Jan 19 2018, 08:47 AM.
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chui
Heterotrophic Organism
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Study on the diet and prey preference of leopards in the Golestan NP in north eastern Iran. This park is considered the best remaining habitat for the Persian leopard where its prey base is still relatively intact. It’s quite impressive that in this region the single most important prey species is wild boar which makes up around 50% of the leopard's diet. As the authors note this is in contrast with many other parts of the species range (ex. South Africa, India) where suids are generally avoided and more nimble prey such as impala or chital is predominantly taken. However as also stated, there are some other regions (ie. Gabon) as well where suids (red river hogs) represent the single most important prey.

Prey of the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in a mixed forest-steppe landscape in northeastern Iran

Abstract

We carried out a dietary analysis of Persian Leopards, Panthera pardus saxicolor, in a temperate region in north-eastern Iran, where the largest population nucleus exists across the subspecies range. We investigated 113 faecal samples collected between February 2009 and March 2010 in Golestan National Park. Faecal analysis revealed that leopards predominantly preyed upon wild ungulates, with the Wild Boar, Sus scrofa, being the most important prey species in terms of frequency and biomass. Eleven different prey items were identified, 7 of which were ungulates, comprising 99% of the total food items. We also found a spatial pattern in the prey composition of leopards: cervids were predominantly found in forest landscapes, whereas Wild Sheep, Ovis orientalis, was mainly found in steppe habitats, revealing the leopards’ predation on medium-to large-sized ungulates. Livestock remains were mainly extracted from steppe samples, but the overall contribution to the leopard diet pattern (approximately 8.5% of consumed biomass) suggested that conflict with human communities, at least within the investigated core parts of the National Park, is not a major concern. The study provides the first illustration of the Persian Leopard's dietary composition in a temperate area with a relatively high diversity of available prey, and can be a baseline for future investigation and human-leopard interaction monitoring


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ManEater
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Leopard, primary prey in various parts of the world:

-impala in Kruger National Park, South Africa, and Rhodes Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe (Smith 1978; Bailey 1993);

-impala, springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), and small antelope in the Kalahari, South Africa (Mills 1990; Owen Smith and Mills 2008);

-impala, bush duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), red duiker (Cephalophus natalensis), southern reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), and desert warthog in the Phinda– Mkhuze complex, South Africa (Balme et al. 2010);

-rodents, bush-pig (Potamochoerus larvatus), and red-flanked duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus) in Lope National Park, Gabon (Henschel et al. 2005);

-rock hyrax (Procavia johnstoni [currently P. capensis]) and groove-toothed rat (Otomys) on Mt. Kenya (Roedel et al. 2004);

-chital (Axis axis) in Nepal (Odden et al. 2010) and India (Arivazhagan et al. 2007);

-cattle (Bos taurus), northern plains gray langur (Presbytis entellus [currently Semnopithecus entellus]), goral (Naemorhedus goral), and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the Himalayas (Mukherjee and Mishra 2001);

-bezoar goats (Capra aegagrus) in Armenia (Khorozyan and Malkhasyan 2003);

-tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus) and bamboo rats (Rhizomys sinense) in the Wolong Reserve, China (Johnson et al. 1993);

-sambar (Cervus unicolor [currently Rusa unicolor]), muntjac (Muntiacus), Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), goral, and livestock in Bhutan (Wang and Macdonald 2009).
Edited by ManEater, Mar 13 2017, 03:50 AM.
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Kurtz
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UNEXPECTED LEOPARD BEHAVIOUR

Leopards, because of their solitary behaviour, are known to do whatever it takes to ensure that genes of a specific male are passed on. We have experienced infant mortality as rival males kill cubs that do not belong to them. Male leopards do not play a major role in day-to-day fending of their presumed cubs. However, they ferociously defend territories, which their females and cubs reside, to avoid infant fatality from other males. This implies the strong and dominant males pass on their genes successfully to the next generation.

We have experienced leopards killing one another in territorial fights, both in male vs male, female vs female and male vs female. Literature suggests that males only associate with females when they are on heat, in which mating ranges anything between 4 to 14 days. On the 14th of June 2016, with a group of 7 guests we found NKOSI mating with ISASKIA. There was an uncollared male leopard as well and a bit of growling towards NKOSI but no physical contact. Isaskia was rather mating with both. On the 26th of September 2016, the guests and I found Nkosi mating with Mafuta. Mafuta being a very shy cat, she disappeared instantly allowing us just to catch a glimpse of her tail through the tall grass, but confirmed her identity with the telemetry. We were shocked to find out Nkosi lying side to side with Kibo (before he was collared): no aggression, no fight but the 2 making turns to mate with Mafuta.

On the 20th of October 2016, we found Nkosi mating with another female leopard. KIBO (confirmed because he was collared by then), was there as well. No aggression or fighting. We have found Nkosi with other young males, other than Kibo, mating with one female on a couple of occasions.

Although this is a rare behaviour, it has been reported in Londolozi Game Reserve, please watch video here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVuTemJuOi.

On this particular incidence, it was an old dominant male and a young male mating with one female. This is similar to what we have observed on a couple of occasions on Okonjima. Questions still remain whether these males are somehow related? Father and Son? Or it is randomly unrelated males. For sure, without DNA analysis, the question remains unanswered. When do they kill one another when it comes down to territory, mating rights and food resources?

On the 4th of March 2017, we found Nkosi and Kibo growling at each other once more. The following morning Nkosi had a swollen eye, presumably injury from a fight with Kibo. Are they good friends when there is a female on heat and enemies later on? Or Kibo is in his prime and expanding his territory? It is a puzzle.

We cannot confirm with definite that Kibo was the male who inflicted Nkosi’s final fatal wounds, as there were no eye witnesses. However in this instance, based on their history as mentioned above, its safe to assume that Kibo was the male who Nkosi shared his final territorial battle with.
Kibo the 68,6 kilograms, 4 years old(2017) male leopard:
https://www.facebook.com/AfriCatNamibiaHQ/posts/1910934302475135
Edited by Kurtz, Apr 30 2018, 10:16 PM.
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ManEater
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Home range of male leopards in different study sites
Mean home range in km²:

- Sariska TR, India (Dry deciduous/thorn forest) 73.8 km²

- KaengKrachen NP, Thailand ((Forested hills) 17.7 km²

- Kaudom Game Reserve, Namibia (Woodland savanna) 451.2 km²

- Kruger NP, South Africa (Woodland savanna) 76.2 km²

- Cape Province, South Africa (Fynbos/plantation) 388 km²

- Tai NP, Ivory Coast (Tropical forest) 85.6 km²

- Waterberg Plateau Park, Namibia (Thornbush savanna) 118.7 km²

- Hula KhaKueng WLS, Thailand (Dry tropical forest) 32 km²

- Kalahari Gemsbok NP, South Africa, (Desert/grassland) 2182 km²

- Nagarhole NP, India (Tropical forest) 21.7 km²

- Serengeti NP, Tanzania (Plains/woodland) 57.5 km²

- Sabie River, Kruger NP, (Woodland savanna) 27.7 km²

- Wilpattu NP, Sri Lanka (Tropical forest/scrubland) 9.5 km²


From: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/105/03/0338.pdf
Edited by ManEater, Apr 3 2017, 07:46 AM.
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Kurtz
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1. Male Leopard Territorial Disputes

Following a male leopard each day has proved to be both incredible and infuriating at times. While ‘Tsavo’, our newest focus animal, is generally relaxed to the presence of vehicles, his typical leopard movements sees us following signal deep into thickets, into river beds and generally impenetrable areas. On the odd occasion we have had a sighting, he is nearly always displaying interesting behaviour, allowing us to collect invaluable data. We have recorded him on kills 5 times in the last month and interacting with other leopards on 4 occasions. The most recent interaction has been the most dramatic and hints at the start of a new era for Karongwe’s leopards.

While we have been hypothesising that ‘Tsavo’ is in the process of pushing out the Southern male, ‘Scar’, from his territory, we got confirmation recently when the two of them were seen together locked in a territorial dispute. Just south of our base camp, which was traditionally the heart of ‘Scar’s’ territory, the two of them were found snarling at each other, engaged in deliberate posturing and ‘parallel’ walking. While leopards will fight to the death for territorial rights, physical confrontations will be avoided if possible, using intimidation tactics to induce the competitor to back down. This was exactly what we witnessed over a 3 day period. From injuries that both leopards have sustained in the past few months, we know that they have had serious fights, but this most recent confrontation featured lots of assertiveness from ‘Tsavo’ and apparent avoidance and submission behaviour from ‘Scar’. Is this the end of ‘Scar’s’ reign?

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Scar’ taking a short break from ‘Tsavo’s’ advances. Notice that he bears old facial injuries from previous territorial disputes and from mating sessions


‘Tsavo’ is now 5 years old and developing into a monstrous leopard. ‘Scar’ is at least 9 years old and is already of smaller build that ‘Tsavo’. This natural process will ensure that the genetics of the Southern leopards are likely to be strengthened as ‘Tsavo’ is likely to earn mating rights with the females that hold territories in this section of Karongwe if he successfully pushes out ‘Scar’. In the meantime, until either ‘Tsavo’ or ‘Scar’ is killed, emigrate through the fence (very possible with leopards!), or one shows total submission to the other, the leopard dynamics are going to remain very interesting and instable. But then again, we know so little about leopards in reality and they definitely don’t always ‘read the rule books’. We have heard of recent sightings of two male leopards mating with one female in presence of one another without obvious animosity! Check out the incredible video!

A fascinating pattern is emerging with ‘Tsavo’s’ movements. He has not ventured north of the most central river system on Karongwe since we’ve been tracking him. This was always assumed to be ‘Scar’s’ northern-most territorial boundary. The territory holder to the North of this river, who we think is a huge leopard known as ‘Xipuku’ (the Ghost), is possibly too powerful for ‘Tsavo’ to take on. As it stands, ‘Tsavo’ seems to have taken over the northern half of what was ‘Scar’s’ territory and is in the process of challenging ‘Scar’ for the remainder.

Here’s a short video of the two parallel walking. The leopard crossing the road is ‘Tsavo’. ‘Scar’ is sat down in the vegetation to the left, snarling. Notice how ‘Tsavo’ accelerates toward ‘Scar’ forcing ‘Scar’ to get up and parallel walk in the background. You also hear a Baboon sounding the alarm – understandably upset at the sight of these two large predators!

Every day we set out to track ‘Tsavo’, we do so with heightened anticipation for yet more fascinating sightings and data. Invariably, he stays well hidden for a lot of the time, but with yet more kills, territorial disputes and hopefully mating sessions on the horizon, we are in store for lots of excitement!

Andreas Fox
Limpopo and KZN Program Coordinator
GVI South Africa
http://www.gvi.co.uk/blog/male-leopard-territorial-disputes/

________________________________________________________________________

2. Namibia Otjiwarongo:

Yesterday another big male, whom we have named MAWENZI, joined the AfriCat| Okonjima Leopard Density Project.

He is now officially the biggest collared cat in the Okonjima Nature Reserve, weighing in at 77.7kg and beating Madiba's weight by 1.7kg.

We've decided to focus on majestic mountain ranges to help inspire name choices for the next few collared animals. Mawenzi is one of three volcanic cones to make up Mount Kilimanjaro.

Thanks to all for the great teamwork Emoticon grin:D !!!

#AfriCat #Namibia #conservationphotography #wildlifeconservation #leopard #bigcats #research

www.africat.org

© Louis Heyns — Okonjima Lodge.

https://www.facebook.com/AfriCatNamibiaHQ/photos/pb.1653333651568536.-2207520000.1493813773./1927943164107582/?type=3&theater

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Edited by Kurtz, May 3 2017, 11:00 PM.
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Taipan
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African leopards revealed: Study documents minute-to-minute behavior of elusive cats
Results illuminate the energetic 'cost' of their drive to kill and pave the way for greater understanding of the ecosystem impacts of predation


Date: June 21, 2017
Source: University of California - Santa Cruz

The elusive behavior of the African leopard has been revealed in great detail for the first time as part of a sophisticated study that links the majestic cat's caloric demands and its drive to kill.

A team led by Chris Wilmers, associate professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, produced an unprecedented picture of this carnivore's predatory and reproductive behaviors by outfitting the cats with high-tech wildlife tracking collars equipped with GPS technology and an accelerometer to measure energy output.

"This is the first time we've had really detailed energetic data from a wild terrestrial mammal over an extended period," said Wilmers, lead author of a new paper, "Energetics-informed Behavioral States Reveal the Drive to Kill in African Leopards," which appears today (June 21, 2017) in the online edition of the journal Ecosphere.

The team gathered data from five animals over two months: one adult male; one adult female with one cub; one adult female without cubs; one yearling male cub; and a young "dispersal-aged" male ready to establish his own territory. "The sample size is small, but we got lucky with the diversity of age and sex," noted Wilmers.

Information gleaned from the collars allowed Wilmers' team to match the leopards' behavior with time and place, enabling them to assess the energetic "costs" of reproductive behavior -- dispersal and territorial patrol for males; parenting for females.

The study revealed that for male African leopards, territorial patrol activities account for 26 percent of their daily caloric intake; for females, parenting a one-year old offspring consumes 8 percent of their calories.

"Energetics is the ultimate currency for an animal's survival," said Wilmers. "To survive, an animal needs to balance the calories it's expending with the calories it's taking in. If it wants to reproduce, it has to run an energetic surplus."

Wilmers, a wildlife ecologist who studies animal behavior and its cascading effects on ecosystems, continued: "Based on what the leopards are doing, they run up different energetic budgets, which in turn influence their drive to kill. They might kill more prey, bigger prey, or go after more desirable prey in more dangerous places -- closer to humans, for example."

One of the most striking behaviors described in the study was a kill by the adult male leopard. The data document him approaching a small village in a meandering fashion. He attacks and kills a goat inside a pen, then spends five minutes dragging the goat across the river to a spot where vegetation gives him the cover he needs to begin feeding.

"It gives us incredible insight into their behavior to see where they are moving and what they're doing on such a fine time scale," said Wilmers. "This allows us to see these cryptic animals moving through their environment."

Another example details the behavior of the adult female with a yearling cub. She kills an aardwolf (a small insect-eating mammal), feeds a bit, then meanders and rests for a few hours until she kills an impala (a medium-sized antelope that is common prey for African leopards). She feeds briefly, then walks directly back to her cub, guiding it first to the aardwolf and then the impala.

Additionally, Wilmers was able to calculate and then compare the energetics of the mother and her son as they traveled together, concluding that the cub expended 12 percent more energy to travel the same distance.

African leopards are among the most elusive mammals on the planet -- more so than African lions or cheetahs. "Their whole strategy is to be elusive," said Wilmers. "People get glimpses of them, but that's all. Looking at this data is like going on a safari for the first time and seeing an animal you've only seen in captivity before."

These fine-grained energetics data open the door to understanding the ecological consequences of the leopard's predatory drive. Knowing the African leopard's energetic needs allows researchers to evaluate where they hunt, what they hunt, and to estimate the level of risk they might be willing to take in pursuit of attractive prey. In combination, these factors have implications for humans and the livestock that often share habitat with African leopards.

The placement of a fence, for example, could have energetic "costs" for leopards if they have to travel farther -- expending more energy -- to patrol territory, hunt, and provide for their offspring. Those costs would increase their drive to kill. "They might take bigger risks, they might catch larger prey like impala, and that could effect the impala population and what they feed on," said Wilmers, outlining the "cascade" of ecosystem effects that could follow human changes to the landscape.

"To be able to link behavior to energetics to ecological effects is an important conceptual advance," said Wilmers. "Once you understand how that circle works, we can assess how our actions will impact the animals, and how those effects will play out on the ecosystem."

Story Source: University of California - Santa Cruz. "African leopards revealed: Study documents minute-to-minute behavior of elusive cats: Results illuminate the energetic 'cost' of their drive to kill and pave the way for greater understanding of the ecosystem impacts of predation." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170621190032.htm (accessed June 23, 2017).




Journal Reference:
Christopher C. Wilmers, Lynne A. Isbell, Justin P. Suraci, Terrie M. Williams. Energetics-informed behavioral states reveal the drive to kill in African leopards. Ecosphere, 2017; 8 (6): e01850 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1850

Abstract
The drive to kill prey is central to understanding the population viability and ecological effects of large carnivores. This drive is modulated by behaviorally determined energetic expenditures, yet current methods of estimating the energetics of terrestrial carnivores are too coarse to inform the fine time scale behavioral decisions that incur the energetic costs leading to predation. Here, we use combined GPS and accelerometer collars calibrated to measure energetic outputs at scales of seconds to months on African leopards in Kenya. Fine-scale data on energetic expenditures and movement allowed us to determine energetically informed behavioral states that accurately identified when animals killed or scavenged prey, and allowed us to visualize novel details concerning the cryptic natural history of these predators. Our results revealed large variation in daily field metabolic rate ranging from 11,000 to 32,000 kJ depending on the animal and the specific behaviors undertaken. Leopards expended 47,470 kJ between kill events on average, but this was increased if meal size from the previous kill was large. Our methods also allowed us to estimate the energetic costs of dispersal, territorial patrol, and parental care, considered important factors in overall energetic balance and thus the drive to kill. Based on this approach, we demonstrate how the cycle of behavior, energetic expenditure, and predatory drive underlies population trajectories of large carnivores as well as their direct and indirect effects on ecosystems.
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Attached File _Energetics_informed_behavioral_states_reveal_the_drive_to_kill_in_African_leopards.pdf (3.72 MB)
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chui
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As I’ve stated before I’ve never been convinced that all leopards in Africa belong to a single subspecies. To me it seemed unlikely that the various geographic features on the continent (ie rivers, deserts, mountains etc) would not have acted as barriers to gene flow to some extent at least. Also, the fact most wide spanning African mammals whose phylogeny had been more extensively studied had consistently shown geographic divisions (specifically a West/Eastern divide) made me question why the same wouldn't apply to leopards. And now the all encompassing African subspecies classification accepted for the past 15-20yrs based on previous studies (with relatively limited data) has been challenged by a more extensive study which analyzed mitochondrial genetic diversity in Sub-Saharan leopard populations using a much larger sample. This study suggests strong divisions between West African, Central/East African, and Southern Arican leopard populations with the Central/East African group likely being further divided into 3 groups (West Central, Central-East, and Central-Southern). This suggests there may be at least 5 different subspecies of leopard in Africa and possibly more as data from certain parts of the continent were not included, specifically North Africa (Barbary coast) and North Eastern Africa (Somalia/Eritrea etc). I would be very surprised if the now likely extinct North African leopard population was not genetically distinct given that the vast Sahara desert would almost certainly have isolated it from other leopard populations on the continent.

As the authors note, further research is needed to clarify the exact taxonomic grouping of African leopard populations and more definitively define the boundaries between populations. Nonetheless, this appears to be very strong evidence for multiple leopard subspecies in Africa.

Historical mitochondrial diversity in African leopards (Panthera pardus) revealed by archival museum specimens

From the Conclusion segment of this article:

"This work represents the most comprehensive mtDNA dataset of leopards comprising data from 182 wild individuals representing sub-Saharan Africa. We reveal extensive, cryptic diversity in the ND-5 locus among historical populations and retention of independent genetic lineages in extant populations. Distinct African leopard haplotypes are geographically clustered indicating African leopards represent several genetically differentiated populations. Our findings generally agree with Miththapala et al. (1996) and Uphyrkina et al. (2001) that leopards harbour high levels of genetic diversity, but illustrate additional evidence of regional structure within Africa.

The African leopard harbours a greater degree of genetic diversity than previously indicated and is partitioned in a pattern providing strong support for significant genetic subdivision. Our pairwise FST analyses using mtDNA revealed leopard populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa retain highly divergent copies of the ND-5 locus on levels approaching, and in some instances exceeding, FST values observed between Asiatic populations (Arabian and Persian leopards) presently recognized by the IUCN as separate subspecies (Figure 4). AMOVA revealed population structuring indicating a lack of gene flow between larger geographic regions (West Africa, Central-East/Central-Southern Africa, and Southern Africa) and among all the populations within regions. Two populations, CEA and CSA showed decreased pairwise differences relative to other populations, which could be an artifact of decreased sampling. Lastly, the star-like phylogeny, widespread distribution, and connectedness of the H10 haplotype points to a likely origin of diversity for the ancestral haplotype of this locus in Central and East Africa. We caution this work may not fully express the degree of genetic diversity present in African leopards, especially given sampling deficiencies in North Africa, parts of West Africa, and in Northeastern Africa.

This study has raised important questions regarding the taxonomic status of leopards in Africa. First, these findings support a distinction between African populations and Arabian and Persian leopard populations. We found additional strong support for an East-West split in African leopards, which may correspond to previously hypothesized taxonomic groupings (Figure 1, Table 1) and is congruent with numerous recent phylogeographic analyses of widespread African taxa (Moodley & Bruford 2007; Lorenzen et al. 2012; Dobigny et al. 2013; Smitz et al. 2013; Bertola et al. 2016; Fennessy et al. 2016). More sampling is needed to accurately delineate geographic features acting as potential barriers to gene flow (e.g. Sanaga River in Central Cameroon), while a suture zone has been identified between CWCA and CEA populations (Figures 2 and 3). In addition, we have identified previously unrecognized levels of genetic diversity in historical collections of African leopards not represented in contemporary leopard populations. While only based on mtDNA, the reconstruction of a haplotype network using novel samples of African leopards has reopened a >15-year-old conversation regarding African leopard diversity and taxonomy. We acknowledge that our results are limited by the use of mtDNA, and consequently single locus data. We therefore, strongly recommend multilocus sampling to investigate whether African leopards exhibit evidence of discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear markers (Toews & Brelsford 2012). These findings will provide the foundation for our ongoing analysis of temporal changes in phylogeographic patterns using sequence capture from historical collections, which will contribute to management and planning strategies to conserve remaining genetic diversity in the African leopard."
Edited by chui, Aug 19 2017, 03:52 AM.
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Taipan
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Canine distemper confirmed in Far Eastern leopard, world's most endangered big cat
Canine distemper virus discovered in two-year-old female Amur leopard found in Russia's Land of Leopard National Park


Date: January 17, 2018
Source: Wildlife Conservation Society

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Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis).
Credit: © Vladimir Wrangel / Fotolia

The Far Eastern or Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is already among the rarest of the world's big cats, but new research reveals that it faces yet another threat: infection with canine distemper virus (CDV). A new study published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases describes the first documented case of CDV in a wild Far Eastern leopard.

The case involved a two-year-old female leopard that was found along a road that crosses the Land of the Leopard National Park, in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai.

"The leopard was extremely sick when she was brought in, and had severe neurological disease" said Ekaterina Blidchenko, veterinarian with the National Park and the TRNGO Animal Rehabilitation Center. "Despite hand-feeding and veterinary attention, her condition worsened, and a decision was made to euthanize her for humane reasons."

Although CDV is well known in domestic dogs, it also infects a wide range of carnivore species, including big cats. In 1994, a CDV outbreak in Tanzania killed over 1,000 lions in the Serengeti National Park.

Said Nadezhda Sulikhan, a scientific staff member of Land of the Leopard National Park and Ph.D. candidate at the Federal Scientific Center of East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity (part of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences): "The leopard virus was genetically similar to infections we've diagnosed in wild Amur tigers. But we think these infections have spilled over from a disease reservoir among domestic dogs, or common wild carnivores like badgers and foxes."

Unlike the situation for a social species like lions, outbreaks of CDV are likely to spread more slowly among more solitary cats like leopards and tigers. However, even infrequent transmission can have profound consequences for the species concerned. Research has estimated that extinction of small populations of tigers is 65 percent more likely when they're exposed to CDV.

Globally, carnivore populations are being pushed into smaller and more fragmented islands of habitat. If these trends continue, infectious diseases are likely to become a greater threat to carnivore survival in the future.

Said Dr. Martin Gilbert, Wildlife Health Cornell Carnivore Specialist with Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine: "As carnivore numbers decline, they face a greater risk from chance events like outbreaks of disease. With such a limited breeding population, even a small number of deaths from disease can be the difference between the survival of a population or extinction."

The combined pressures of habitat degradation, hunting and prey depletion have already marginalized this subspecies to a single population of approximately 80 individuals along the border of the Russian Far East and neighboring northeast China. Conservationists now need to understand the severity of this new-found threat, and also where it is coming from, as this information is critical for developing measures that counter the disease's impact.

Said Dr. Sulikhan: "Until we know where the virus is coming from, it is impossible to target vaccinations or other interventions to prevent infections in leopards. We are now working to unlock this riddle, and understand the importance of domestic dogs versus wild sources of the virus."

For now, the most effective way to combat this new disease threat is through traditional carnivore conservation approaches; reducing hunting and protecting habitat.

Dr. Dale Miquelle, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia Program and co-author of the paper, said: "By increasing the size and connectivity of leopard populations, they become more able to cope with losses from infectious disease, vastly reducing the risk of extinction"

Said Tatiana Baranowska, Director the Land of the Leopard National Park which holds the majority of Far Eastern leopards left in the world: "We are doing our utmost, in concert with our Chinese colleagues, to improve and expand leopard habitat to enlarge the existing population. Although disease and other threats are looming, we have great hope that our current and planned efforts will secure a future for this unique big cat."

Story Source: Wildlife Conservation Society. "Canine distemper confirmed in Far Eastern leopard, world's most endangered big cat: Canine distemper virus discovered in two-year-old female Amur leopard found in Russia's Land of Leopard National Park." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180117102648.htm (accessed January 18, 2018).




Journal Reference:
Nadezhda S. Sulikhan, Martin Gilbert, Ekaterina Yu. Blidchenko, Sergei V. Naidenko, Galina V. Ivanchuk, Tatiana Yu. Gorpenchenko, Mikhail V. Alshinetskiy, Elena I. Shevtsova, John M. Goodrich, John C. M. Lewis, Mikhail S. Goncharuk, Olga V. Uphyrkina, Vyatcheslav V. Rozhnov, Sergey V. Shedko, Denise McAloose, Dale G. Miquelle. CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS IN A WILD FAR EASTERN LEOPARD (PANTHERA PARDUS ORIENTALIS). Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 2018; 54 (1): 170 DOI: 10.7589/2017-03-065

Abstract
The critically endangered population of Far Eastern leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) may number as few as 60 individuals and is at risk from stochastic processes such as infectious disease. During May 2015, a case of canine distemper virus (CDV) was diagnosed in a wild leopard exhibiting severe neurologic disease in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai. Amplified sequences of the CDV hemagglutinin gene and phosphoprotein gene aligned within the Arctic-like clade of CDV, which includes viruses from elsewhere in Russia, China, Europe, and North America. Histologic examination of cerebral tissue revealed perivascular lymphoid cuffing and demyelination of the white matter consistent with CDV infection. Neutralizing antibodies against CDV were detected in archived serum from two wild Far Eastern leopards sampled during 1993–94, confirming previous exposure in the population. This leopard population is likely too small to maintain circulation of CDV, suggesting that infections arise from spillover from more-abundant domestic or wild carnivore reservoirs. Increasing the population size and establishment of additional populations of leopards would be important steps toward securing the future of this subspecies and reducing the risk posed by future outbreaks of CDV or other infectious diseases.

http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.7589/2017-03-065
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New study confirms Cambodia's last leopards on brink of extinction

March 1, 2018, Panthera

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study has confirmed that the world's last breeding population of leopards in Cambodia is at immediate risk of extinction, having declined an astonishing 72% during a five-year period. The population represents the last remaining leopards in all of eastern Indochina - a region incorporating Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The report was published this month in the Royal Society Open Science journal by Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Panthera - the global wild cat conservation organization, WWF-Cambodia, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia.

Carried out in Cambodia's Eastern Plains Landscape, the study revealed one of the lowest concentrations of leopards ever reported in Asia, with a density of one individual per 100 square kilometers. Increased poaching, especially indiscriminate snaring for the illegal wildlife trade and bushmeat, is to blame for the dramatic decline.

Panthera Southeast Asia Leopard Program Coordinator and study coauthor, Dr. Jan Kamler, stated, "This population represents the last glimmer of hope for leopards in all of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam - a subspecies on the verge of blinking out. No longer can we, as an international community, overlook conservation of this unique wild cat."

Kamler continued, "As the world gathers to celebrate World Wildlife Day this Saturday, we must band together in action, not just in words, to curb the epidemic of poaching facing this gorgeous big cat and others around the globe."

Professor David Macdonald, Director of the WildCRU and also a co-author, added "Leopards are a monument to opportunism, adapting to habitats from desert to urban jungle, but their adaptability risks a deadly complacency: people think - "oh, leopards will be fine". They won't! Almost everywhere they are doing worse than people thought, and our findings show that in SE Asia they are heading for catastrophe".

In addition to these somber results, scientists were shocked to discover that the primary prey of leopards was banteng - a wild species of cattle weighing up to 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds). In particular, male leopards targeted this large ungulate, making this the only known leopard population in the world whose main prey weighed greater than 500 kg (1,100 pounds), more than five times the leopard's mass.

Scientists believe the Indochinese leopards' new choice of prey was triggered by the extirpation of tigers from the region in 2009, which created a predatory void for the opportunistic and highly adaptable species.

Prompted by the study's findings, Panthera and WildCRU are working with local and national collaborators to increase effective law enforcement and monitoring of this region, which will include the use of Panthera PoacherCams, and strengthen environmental laws to develop strictly protected conservation zones and increased fines for poachers.

Historically found throughout all of Southeast Asia, the Indochinese leopard has lost 95% of its range and is likely to be classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN later this year. A separate study recently authored by WildCRU, Panthera and partners estimates just over 1,000 breeding adult Indochinese leopards remain in all of Southeast Asia. However, just 20-30 reproductive individuals remain in eastern Cambodia, representing the last hope for the leopard's future in eastern Indochina.

Poaching for bushmeat and the illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss, prey decline due to bushmeat poaching, and conflict with people are to blame, creating a deadly cocktail of threats facing leopards in Asia, and around the globe.

WildCRU scientist and lead author, Susana Rostro-Garcia, stated, "Much of the snaring in Cambodia, and across Southeast Asia, is driven by the rising demand for bushmeat. Wild landscapes are covered with thousands of snares set to catch wild pig and deer to supply bushmeat markets. Unfortunately, these snares also negatively impact many other species, with leopards and other wildlife often caught as by catch, and their valuable parts removed and sold to illegal wildlife traders."

In particular, as tiger numbers plummet due to poaching pressure, leopard skins and other body parts are increasingly coveted for use as status symbols and in traditional Asian medicines sold through the illegal wildlife trade.

This Saturday, March 3, the United Nations' World Wildlife Day will be held, in partnership with Panthera, under the banner of 'Big Cats: Predators Under Threat' to underscore the intensity of these threats and the critical need to turn the tide to save big cat species like the Indochinese leopard.

https://phys.org/news/2018-03-cambodia-leopards-brink-extinction.html




Journal Reference:
Susana Rostro-García et al, An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard ( Panthera pardus delacouri ) in eastern Cambodia, Royal Society Open Science (2018). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171187

Abstract
We studied the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia, in one of the few potentially remaining viable populations in Southeast Asia. The aims were to determine the: (i) current leopard density in Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) and (ii) diet, prey selection and predation impact of leopard in SWS. The density, estimated using spatially explicit capture–recapture models, was 1.0 leopard/100 km2, 72% lower than an estimate from 2009 at the same site, and one of the lowest densities ever reported in Asia. Dietary analysis of 73 DNA confirmed scats showed leopard consumed 13 prey species, although ungulates comprised 87% of the biomass consumed (BC). The overall main prey (42% BC) was banteng (Bos javanicus), making this the only known leopard population whose main prey had adult weight greater than 500 kg. Consumption of wild pig (Sus scrofa) was also one of the highest ever reported (22% BC), indicating leopard consistently predated on ungulates with some of the largest adult weights in SWS. There were important differences in diet and prey selection between sexes, as males consumed mostly banteng (62% BC) in proportion to availability, but few muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis; 7% BC), whereas females selectively consumed muntjac (56% BC) and avoided banteng (less than 1% BC). Predation impact was low (0.5–3.2% of populations) for the three ungulate species consumed. We conclude that the Indochinese leopard is an important apex predator in SWS, but this unique population is declining at an alarming rate and will soon be eradicated unless effective protection is provided.

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Figure 2. Jacob's electivity index (D) of the biomass of ungulates consumed by the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in SWS, Cambodia.

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Figure 4. Biomass of ungulates consumed by male and female Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) compared to biomass available in SWS, Cambodia.
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Leopards that live in cities are protecting people from rabies

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A leopard in Mumbai, India
Steve Winter / National Geographic

By Amy Lewis
DAILY NEWS 8 March 2018

When leopards stray into a city, people often fear them because of the danger they pose. But it turns out these big cats could be valuable neighbours: by preying on feral dogs in Mumbai, they are reducing the risk of people catching rabies.

About 20,000 people die of rabies in India every year. Feral dogs are the main source, as they bite people and pass on the rabies virus.

Christopher O’Bryan and Alexander Braczkowski at the University of Queensland and their colleagues compiled existing data on the diet of leopards living in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, on the edges of Mumbai. They found that 40 per cent of the average leopard’s diet consists of feral dogs.

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Feral dogs roam the streets of Mumbai
Steve Winter / National Geographic

All told, the 35 leopards in the park probably eat 1,500 dogs per year. Given how often the dogs bite people and how many of them have rabies, the leopards’ kills are preventing about 1,000 bite incidents per year – and 90 potential rabies cases.

“This study is a striking example of a large carnivorous animal providing a direct benefit to humans,” says O’Bryan.

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Can leopards and humans co-exist?
Steve Winter / National Geographic

The same could be true of other leopard populations that encroach on cities. The team found 19 studies describing leopards eating feral dogs in Asia and Africa. However, O’Bryan says that they would need to be studied more closely to be sure that they bring the same benefit.

The researchers also emphasise that leopards can cause harm. In particular, they often kill livestock – leading people to persecute them.

“It’s difficult to weigh up the costs with the benefits with a large cat species that’s known to attack and even kill humans,” says O’Bryan. “We just want to provide an angle that hasn’t been explored before, despite the pieces of the puzzle being in front of us the whole time.”

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2163166-leopards-that-live-in-cities-are-protecting-people-from-rabies/
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Kurtz
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Africa Leopard modern summa
Africa Leopard

..Omissis.."A large cat with robust, muscular forequarters, slender hindquarters, relatively short legs and a long tail around two-thirds of head and body length. Head and neck thickset, especially in males where neck circumference may exceed head circumference by 40 mm (L.T.B. Hunter pers. obs.)"..Omissis..

Edited by Kurtz, Apr 30 2018, 10:09 PM.
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Leopard meals: Females go for diversity
Female leopards have a much wider spectrum of prey species than males


Date: May 8, 2018
Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin

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This is a leopard in the study area.
Credit: Leibniz-IZW/Miha Krofel

Leopards, top predators of the African savannah, are known to feed on a variety of prey species. These include smaller and medium-sized mammals such as impala, gemsbok, kudus and warthogs but they can also target relatively small "appetizers" such as hares.

It has been largely unknown, however, whether they specialise in certain prey animals and which factors might influence prey preferences. Christian Voigt and his colleagues from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Berlin investigated these questions by studying the diet of leopards on commercial farmland in central Namibia.

Leopards avoid humans and it is difficult to observe them when they catch their prey. The team of scientists, therefore, chose an indirect method: they measured the composition of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in leopard whiskers. The tissue of prey animals consists of specific isotopes of an element which is characteristic for that prey species. Once leopards consumed their prey, the isotope composition of the prey is assimilated into the leopard's body, including their whiskers, according to the relative abundance in the overall diet. This allows conclusions about the main diet of each leopard and the variety of items it might have consumed.

While the leopards were sedated to facilitate GPS collaring and examination of their health, the researchers cut off one whisker from each of the 18 adult female and 18 male animals. Back in the laboratory the hair was then cut into 5 mm segments and analyzed on stable isotope ratios. As the whiskers of leopards grow at a rate of approximately 0.65 mm per day, each segment therefore corresponds to a period of approximately eight days. The 8 to 10 cm long whiskers allowed the scientists to look back on approximately 150 days of the "feeding history" of each animal.

Voigt, the lead author of the study, and his colleagues identified prey groups with similar isotopic composition based on the ratio of the rare and common stable isotopes of the elements carbon and nitrogen (?13C and ?15N). "The females used a significantly wider isotope food niche than males," explains Voigt, head of the stable isotope laboratory at Leibniz-IZW. The scientists suggest that one of the reasons for this result lies in the size differences between the sexes: female leopards, at 34 kg on average, are substantially smaller and weigh less than their male counterparts at up to 58 kg. Females need less energy owing to their lower body weight, but are also restricted in their movements when rearing young cubs, which they do on their own. "The females cannot specialize on certain prey species because the abundance of these prey species would decrease over time and access to them would become more difficult in their restricted home range when rearing cubs. They therefore need to feed on a wider range of, by necessity then smaller, prey species," says Jörg Melzheimer, ecologist at the Leibniz-IZW and initiator of the study. The males, on the contrary, have large home ranges, thus more options and specialize on a relatively small number of prey species.

In central Namibia leopards are currently spreading and increase in numbers on commercial farmland. At the same time the local population of cheetahs is apparently declining. "Whether there is a correlation between these two trends is currently unknown. However, it is known that lions, spotted hyenas and also leopards sometimes chase cheetahs away when encountered or even kill them," explains Bettina Wachter, lead scientist of the cheetah research project of the Leibniz-IZW.

The current study is based on a previous study of the cheetah research project. "In cheetahs, we also documented a high specialization in certain prey groups, but no difference in the diet between the sexes," Voigt explains. Unlike leopards, cheetah females are quite similar in body size to males.

The expansion of leopards in central Namibia might lead to new conflicts with local farmers. They are likely to persecute these charismatic big cats if they lose an increasing number of their livestock. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the diet of leopards and to develop solutions for potential conflicts in close cooperation with farmers.

Story Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin. "Leopard meals: Females go for diversity: Female leopards have a much wider spectrum of prey species than males." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180508170858.htm (accessed May 9, 2018).




Journal Reference:
C. C. Voigt, M. Krofel, V. Menges, B. Wachter, J. Melzheimer. Sex-specific dietary specialization in a terrestrial apex predator, the leopard, revealed by stable isotope analysis. Journal of Zoology, 2018; DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12566

Abstract
Apex predators in terrestrial ecosystems, such as leopards in the African savanna, feed on a wide variety of prey species, yet it is unknown whether individuals specialize on certain prey, and whether specialization changes with body traits. Here, we asked whether individual specialization of adult leopards (Panthera pardus) varies with sex, body mass, body length and age classes. We used the variation of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in 643 segments of whiskers as a temporal record of past diets and established isotopic dietary niches for 36 adult leopards (18 males, 18 females). Based on a variance analysis for stable carbon isotope ratios, we found that between‐individual variation was larger than within‐individual variation, indicating a high degree of overall specialization within the studied leopards. Female adult leopards exhibited larger isotopic dietary niche widths than male adult leopards. Isotopic niche width did not vary with body mass, body length or age. Our data suggest a difference in the level of specialization between the sexes, which might be explained by more opportunistic feeding of small‐sized female leopards, most likely connected with a higher use of small prey species of different isotopic composition. Inter‐sexual resource partitioning likely facilitates territory sharing between the sexes.

https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.12566

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Kurtz
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From Dr. Guy Balme and Dr. Luke Hunter.. see the article
Leopard distribution and abundance is unaffected by interference competition with lions
Edited by Kurtz, May 14 2018, 09:35 PM.
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HerpestidaeB4Cat
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probably the most prescuted cat out of all the feline species .. not only are humans but by other bigger more dangerous animals around them and yes humans prescute them a lot too due to territory
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