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Briefly SPOTLIGHT ON FELIDS


Traffic light system helps Iberian lynx cross the road A hi-tech system is set to be used in Spain to prevent the Endangered Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus from one of its biggest threats— being run over by cars. Infrared sensors and a thermic camera register the presence of one of the world’smost threatenedcats as they approach roads and send a warning to a control unit.This unit triggers an alert signal for drivers and warns them through signs to slow down. The programme also includes signs asking motorists to slow down in areas where the lynx is known to live.Veterinarians, who have been behind a 20-year programme called Life LynxConnect to save this felid from extinction, know the exact locations where the lynx occurs because individuals are tracked by GPS collars after being released from captivity into the wild. It is estimated that there are 1,100 of these felines in Spain and Portugal, based on a 2020 census, com- pared to only 94 individuals in 2002.The Andalusian regional government in southern Spain, where the country’s largest lynx popu- lation is centred, is to invest EUR 370,000 in the programme. Source: iNews (2022) inews.co.uk/news/ world/spain-installs-traffic-light-system- to-help-rare-iberian-lynx-cross-the- road-1583540


‘Tiger of the Highlands’ in South Devon zoo Two Critically Endangered Scottish wildcats, sometimes referred to as ‘tiger of the Highlands’ have arrived at Dartmoor Zoo in South Devon. The two females, Morag and Moraig, came from New Forest Wildlife Park. Scottish wildcats are one of the most threatened felids. Following a history of habitat loss, persecution and, more recently, breeding with domestic cats, they are now close to extinction, with only a fewindividuals left. It is hoped that the arrival of the two females in Devon marks the beginning of a captive breeding and release programme. The animalsalsoprovideanopportunity toeducate visitors about one of the rarest mammals in Britain. The cats’ enclosure, which mimics natural habitat, was built with the help of stu- dents from Ivybridge Community College, as part of the zoo’s school inclusion programme. Source: Devon Live (2022) devonlive.com/ news/local-news/scottish-wildcats- arrived-south-devon-7004987


Can oxytocin help lion conservation.. . Scientists have tested the potential use of oxytocin for lion conservation. The hormone, whichinhumansisassociatedwith childbirth and breastfeeding, appears to also play a role in social bonding in other animals. As lions are frequently affectedbynegative interactions with people, individuals are regularly relocated fromareaswhere they are at risk fromhumans, and reintroduced to protected areas. But lions are highly territorial, and bringing a new indi- vidual into an area with resident lions can be risky. Scientists in South Africa lured lions into an enclosure and sprayed oxytocin in their noses, finding that the 23 lions given oxy- tocin weremoretolerantof othersand less territorial. They hope that their work could help wildlife facilities that need to promote social bonding between unfamiliar lions. Source: Newsweek (2022) newsweek.com/ lions-africa-love-hormone-oxytocin- conservation-1693667


.. . and should leopards be paid for their spots? The leopard’s spots—or, more accurately, rosettes—although evolved as a form of camouflage, are irresistibly eye-catching to humans. As a result, leopard skin has been repurposed as prestigious clothing for mil- lennia, for example by ancient Egyptians, for whom feline characteristics were linked with divinity. Since it first entered Western fashion in late-18th-century France, leopard print has become a proliferating fashion design with perpetual appeal. But as de- mand for leopard-print textiles has soared, leopards themselves have disappeared from .75%of their historical range. Researchers have quantified the fashion interest in leo- pard print to evaluate whether its popularity reflects an interest in leopards or spotted cats, and whether this could contribute to conservation. Conservationists suggest that one way to translate the appetite for the pattern into a sense of obligation to the species from which it stems could be through a species royalty, a charge applied to the sale of leopard print items that supports leopard conservation. They argue that such a charge could make people un- derstand that, while celebrating the leopard, they can also give back and support the preservation of this iconic species. Sources: Journal for Nature Conservation (2021) doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.125976 & The New Yorker (2022) newyorker.com/ magazine/2022/03/28/should-leopards- be-paid-for-their-spots


Community forest harbours elusive clouded leopard... New records show photographic evidence of the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa in a community-owned forest along the Indo– Myanmar border in Nagaland, at an altitude of 3,700m—one of the highest reported altitudes for this species. The tree-climbing clouded leopard is categorized as Vulnerable on theIUCNRed List.Becauseitmostly inhabits lowland evergreen rainforests, the sighting is significant. The team, led by re- searchers from the Delhi-based non-profit Wildlife Protection Society of India and in- cluding residents of Thanamir village, placed . 50 camera traps in the community forest, capturing photographs of at least two adults and two cubs in 2020 and 2021.Other spe- cies photographed include Asiatic black bear, yellow-throated marten, macaques, Asiatic golden cat, marbled cat and leopard cat, high- lighting the biodiversity value of community forests, even if they are not protected by law. Sources: Indian Express (2022) indianexpress. com/article/north-east-india/nagaland/ clouded-leopard-sighted-nagaland- mountains-7709328 & CAT news (2021) catsg.org/index.php?id=175


.. . and forest connectivity vital for jaguar conservation As a result of deforestation, jaguars now oc- cupy just 54% of their former range. Eighty per cent of forest cover in Central America has been removed or degraded, and 75% of jaguars inhabit landscapes fragmented by human activities. Many jaguar populations are restricted to refuges, known as Jaguar Conservation Units, some of which are iso- lated, and others connected by thin corridors of forest.The JaguarCorridor Initiative,which beganin2013, is anongoing effort ledbyNGO Panthera to conserve jaguar populations by connecting refuges across their remaining range. Belize, inparticular, isacrucial stepping stone for the movement of jaguars and other wildlife. A newly-protected area, the Belize Maya Forest, together with the Rio Bravo, connects Belize’s forests to a 15-million ha trinational block known as the Selva Maya. Spanning northern Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico, it is the largest continuous block of tropical forest north of the Amazon, andone of the fewlocationswhere jaguars still have a high chance of survival. Source: Geographical (2022) geographical.co. uk/places/forests/item/4302-the- connectivity-of-the-largest-forest-block-in- mesoamerica-is-dangling-by-a-thread


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Oryx, 2022, 56(4), 483–488 © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605322000606


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