In the lush rainforests of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where majestic tigers, clouded leopards, eagles, and hornbills roam, lies a treasure trove of cultural heritage held dear by the Nyishi community, the largest Indigenous tribe in the state. Among their traditions is the donning of a byopa, an intricate handwoven cane cap adorned with the upper […]
Tag: big cats
Good news: Big Cat Public Safety Act rules are now a reality
For over a decade, we have been fighting hard to prevent the suffering and abuse of captive big cats, confronting a dangerous industry and the individuals who take advantage of these animals. And we celebrated in December of last year when President Biden signed the Big Cat Public Safety Act into law. The fundamental goals […]
Years of pioneering work make Brazil the model for reintroduction of jaguars
Xamã is a year old. In August 2022, the jaguar cub was found all by himself, extremely malnourished and feeble, on private land in the municipality of Sinop, in Brazil’s Mato Grosso. His mother was not around. She’d probably died, or the two may have been separated by a large fire nearby. Rescued by environmental […]
Cheetah Deaths Raise Concerns Over India’s Cheetah Reintroduction Program
In a bid to revive the cheetah population in India after 75 years, a government program to reintroduce these magnificent big cats has faced criticism and concern following the deaths of three cheetahs in recent weeks. The deaths have sparked debates about the suitability of their new habitat and the potential consequences for their well-being. […]
‘Anthill tiger’: Putting one of Africa’s rarest wildcats on the radar
Every night, somewhere unseen across the vast, semidesert and dry savanna habitat of Southern Africa, the continent’s deadliest cat emerges to hunt. Black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) are ideally suited for nocturnal stalking: They are evolutionarily older than jungle cats and domestic cats, boast exceptional night vision and hearing, and are believed to kill more prey […]
Lack of large prey may be feeding rise in Nepal’s human-tiger conflicts
KATHMANDU — Until a few months ago, residents of Geruwa, a rural municipality in western Nepal, used to rush to their homes before dusk and shut themselves indoors. That was the only way they knew to protect themselves and their livestock from the tigers that would prowl this area on the fringes of Bardiya National […]
For tigers in Nepal, highways are a giant roadblock best avoided
KATHMANDU — It starts off like the premise for a joke: “Why did the tigers cross the road?” But for researchers and conservationists in Nepal, the spread of roads throughout the big cats’ habitat is no laughing matter. A new study underscores just how serious the problem is, showing that road traffic impedes tiger movements […]
Himalayan catfight looms as tigers, leopards venture into snow leopard land
KATHMANDU — A tiger sits quietly surrounded by trees, observing something in the distance. It then roars and darts toward its target: a leopard that jumps down from a tree. The two big cats confront one another, but with the leopard taking the submissive stance of lying on the ground, the standoff doesn’t escalate into […]