http://www.nbcnews.com/news/wo...last-saw-100-n580796


Link has news video, photos and story.

The article is interesting and I hope they are successful.

However they seem to have got facts wrong.

The leopard thrives among human habitation. Recent studies in India show that the highest leopard densities in the world are around Bombay city.

Other cites have local leopard populations that were unknown until the recent studies using trail cameras and night vision equipment showed that these urban leopards are totally nocturnal and retreat into rocky hills, abandoned buildings, old pipes, sewage systems, scrub around railway lines etc. during the day.

Leopards can survive on small rodents, birds and carrion if they have to, though they prefer larger prey including domestic stock like dogs, cats (!!!), chicken, goats, cows etc.

The real key to the demise of the leopard in that region is hinted at in the article - the use of poison to kill wolves, which also killed leopards!

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
The article is interesting and I hope they are successful.

However they seem to have got facts wrong.

The leopard thrives among human habitation. Recent studies in India show that the highest leopard densities in the world are around Bombay city.

Other cites have local leopard populations that were unknown until the recent studies using trail cameras and night vision equipment showed that these urban leopards are totally nocturnal and retreat into rocky hills, abandoned buildings, old pipes, sewage systems, scrub around railway lines etc. during the day.

Leopards can survive on small rodents, birds and carrion if they have to, though they prefer larger prey including domestic stock like dogs, cats (!!!), chicken, goats, cows etc.

The real key to the demise of the leopard in that region is hinted at in the article - the use of poison to kill wolves, which also killed leopards!

Indian leopards are thriving cause they are munching on dogs and not getting hunted.

I knew of one family who shot 100 plus leopards in the same area outside of Bombay - Mahabeshwar and Pancghani hill stations. This was in the 1940-1960s. Very high leopard density.

People get richer in India, more food gets wasted, more wasted food means more stray dogs - leopards get fed well.

Mike

Awesome
We should do it here with Jags

Gotta wonder with Jaguars. If they are managed like the wolf and protected like the mountain lion in California. It's another disaster waiting to happen!

How would you know how wolves are managed, they are doing just fine and so do elk and deer
Still nothing wrong to have full array of original species

The ONLY way that leopard will thrive is if it becomes a huntable species. Russians live by the SSS rule....for leopards and humans.

Not that simple.

This rule is quite fine with herd animals, ungulates like deer, wild sheep, Markhor etc.

With predators, the wider ecosystem is critical. They need the prey, water and the safe environment.

Tigers are notorious for being shy. They will not hang around heavily populated areas (unlike leopards). Tigers may occasionally stay on in sugar cane fields but do not live there all the time.

Russia is much colder with really cold winters. The eco system does not support as many prey species and as many numbers of prey animals.

Remember that Russia has a very low human population density & still tigers and leopards have been under threat for decades.

Look at the recovery of the tiger in India. The program was started in 1971. By the early 90s the number of tigers went up to around 4000. But the system failed to protect the entire ecosystem and tiger were poisoned for the Chinese market.

Since then the protection is far more integrated and the recovery has been far quicker. Far more tiger sightings than in the early 90s.

So I would challenge the idea that hunting will help save the leopard (or tiger) in Russia.

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:
The ONLY way that leopard will thrive is if it becomes a huntable species. Russians live by the SSS rule....for leopards and humans.