Tigers are Extinct from Cambodia

Finally Tigers are officially declared extinct from the jungles of Cambodia. The last Tiger was seen in the Eastern Mondulkiri province in 2007 on camera trap.

 

Cambodia's dry forest used to be home to scores of Indochinese tiger but the WWF said intensive poaching of both the tigers and its prey had devastated the numbers of tigers. Today there are no longer any breeding populations of tigers left in Cambodia,and they are therefore considered functionally extinct.

In effort to revive the population of tiger the government of Cambodia approved a plan to reintroduced this magnificent creature into the Mondulkiri protected forest in the far of east the country. The plan will see a chunk of suitable habitat carved out and protected against poachers by strong law enforcement. 

To execute this huge project two male and six female tigers needed for start. The government needs $20 to $50 for the project.

Source: The Guardian

Virtual Reality can Help Save Endangered Animal

Across the world, scientists are using immersive digital experiences to help protect endangered species. On a recent trip to Peru, Kerrie Mengersen, a professor at Australia's Queensland University of Technology, set up cameras in the jungle to shoot 360-degree videos of the possible jaguars. They can then use statistical models to estimate the location and abundance of jaguars in the area.

Vagrant bachelors could save rare bird

A study has revealed the importance of single males in small, threatened populations. Results from a study of endangered New Zealand hihi birds shows that bachelor males who don't hold breeding territories, known as 'floaters,' could help maintain genetic diversity and decrease the likelihood of inbreeding by sneakily fathering chicks. 

These underestimated individuals are vital to the long-term survival of small populations, such as in the hihi, a rare bird found only in New Zealand. There are thought to be only 2,000 individuals left in the wild, making them extremely vulnerable to natural disasters or disease, of which a single severe incident could wipe out the whole species.

While floaters have much lower breeding success rates than coupled males, in hihis they are able coerce females, which are already coupled up, into mating. This has been shown to have a small but significant impact on population size by increasing the number of breeding birds, as well as influencing the sex ratio. These factors are important in maintaining genetic diversity and decreasing levels of inbreeding.

Dr Patricia Brekke, researcher at ZSL and the lead author of the study, said: "Conservation management often discounts individuals that are thought to be unable to produce offspring, thinking that they have no effect on populations. We have shown that in hihi, floaters are able to reproduce and pass on their genes from one generation to the next, which helps with long-term survival of this endangered bird.

 

"Despite being difficult to study, as they have no fixed abode, we should pay more attention to these bachelor males as they can potentially have a big effect on genetic diversity and therefore the survival of species with very few individuals remaining. Not taking floating individuals into account can undermine our conservation efforts."

The hihi is one of the world's most evolutionarily unique birds, classed as the only member of its own family, and were lost from New Zealand's North Island by around 1895 because of introduced predators such as rats, habitat loss due to farming and disease. They are the only bird species in the world to mate face-to-face like humans.

Floating behaviour has been observed in a variety of animals including fish, mammals and insects. Floating can be a successful breeding strategy as bachelor males avoid investing their energy into defending territory and looking after chicks, instead spending time searching for mates. In hihi birds, floaters tend to be either younger males (around a year old) that are inexperienced at holding a territory or older males (over five years) who lack the energy to defend territory. Their 'homelessness' makes them difficult to study as they travel between different areas looking for food and potential mates.

Conservation efforts to save the species began in the 1980s and involves reintroducing birds to different islands and mainland reserves. ZSL has so far been involved in establishing three reintroduced populations, but these are all small (less than 150 birds each) and so hihi remain in a precarious situation.

This story is taken from Science Daily

Habitat loss threatens the world's felids

Almost half of the 36 species of felids that live in the wild in the world are at threat, according to scientists. Yet the lack of studies regarding their main threat, the loss and fragmentation of their habitat, limits the establishment of effective conservation strategies. These are the findings of a study which has only been able to find 162 scientific articles regarding this threat which clearly endangers the Iberian lynx. 

 

Despite conservation efforts, news on how Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) are hit by vehicles on Spanish roads has been reported. The status of the most endangered felid in the world is hardly improved by the continual 'incursions' into its territory.. Ever-shrinking and broken-up habitats affect the future of the lynx.

To assess the situation of the Iberian lynx and other felid species that live in the wild on our planet, a team of Brazilian and Spanish scientists has reviewed the scientific literature that exists on the main threat for these mammals: the loss and fragmentation of their habitats. The results have been published in the scientific journal Oryx. Although many scientific studies are produced (last January, for example, 60,000 scientific articles were published), researchers could only find a total of 162 studies which evaluated threats affecting felids.

North America and Europe generate the greatest amount of research on the effect of habitat loss on felids. However, in view of the lack of research in certain countries with less economic resources, the real effect of this threat is still unknown for 16 species of felids. This is the case for the Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita), the Bornean bay cat (Pardofelis badia), the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps), and the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), in danger of extinction and for whom there are very few studies and conservation measures.

Source: Science Daily