Conserving the dwindling jaguar population in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest won’t be possible without protecting its prey. That’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that the absence of deer, peccaries and other animals that sustain these big cats is driving it toward local extinction. Jaguars (Panthera onca) once ranged from the southwestern U.S. to Argentina and […]
Tag: big cats
“That’s never going to heal.” A lion suffers a broken leg in Botswana. Will he be able to survive?
In Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a team of wildlife filmmakers have been tracking a group of big cats for the BBC TV series Big Cats 24/7 – and there’s one animal who has defied all odds. Malome, meaning ‘uncle’, was named because of his unusual relationship with the Xudum Pride; one of the biggest lion prides in the world. He […]
Powerful swimmers with massive heads, thick necks, and paws like sledgehammers, these diving big cats hunt below and above the water. Watch them in action
It was said that it couldn’t be done: the terrain was too dangerous; the floods would wipe out the cameras; the system was too unpredictable. But the truth is, no-one had really tried Andi Cross tells Melissa Hobson. We were headed to Porto Jofre, known for its wild jaguars, to help the Jaguar Identification Project (JIP) complete a […]
Do tigers get a taste for human flesh after a first bite?
Tigers are best admired at a distance. It’s far easier to appreciate these biggest of big cats when there’s no danger of being eaten by one. And the fact is that, while most tigers stick to a diet of deer, pigs and buffalo, they do sometimes kill and eat people. Between 2020 and 2024, tigers killed 378 people […]
Tiger experts hide camera traps in Sumatran jungle. What they capture is “critically important”
Camera traps installed in a jungle in northern Sumatra have recorded nearly three times more images of critically endangered Sumatran tigers than previous surveys. The work, which took place in the Leuser Ecosystem – a huge area of forest located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra – shows that sustained conservation on the […]
Global tiger trafficking crisis worsens with nine big cats seized monthly
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysa (AP) — Authorities have seized an average of nine tigers each month over the past five years, highlighting a worsening trafficking crisis. A report by TRAFFIC warns that criminal networks are evolving faster than conservation efforts can respond. The global wild tiger population has plummeted to an estimated 3,700-5,500. Despite international protection, […]
Watch dramatic BBC footage shows desperate, ravenous leopard mother risking death for her cubs, high in the treetops
In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta, leopards love to feast on large ungulates, such as antelope and zebra. The Delta is usually home to a rich array of flora and fauna, attracting huge populations of elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, buffalo and antelope from across the region. The abundance of prey makes it a prime location for Africa’s […]
Troubled New Zealand wildlife park euthanises two lions
A New Zealand wildlife park has been forced to euthanise two of their lions, following the closure of the park amid ongoing financial difficulties. The privately owned Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the northern city of Whangārei on New Zealand’s north island, has been up for sale since August. The sanctuary said they had been […]