Newsflash, June Marianne Leone

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Harriet Gilmore
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In what month of 2012 did the new ALTA website launch?
Who carried out health checks on the Amur leopards?
Who did I meet with on Tiger Day?

1 Newsflash, June 2012 Marianne Leone In this issue: Fondation Segré Website revamp Wildlife health monitoring 2011 update from WCS 2011 update from Phoenix Fund 2011 update from ZSL Thank you Helsinki Zoo!!

2 I am delighted to announce that as of November 2011, the Fondation Segré has pledged to fund the position of ALTA coordinator and I will be in this role until at least 2016 which is fantastic news. It also means of course than I can continue to send 100% of all donations from ALTA supporters to our projects in the field as administration costs continue to be covered. These additional funds have made it possible for us to start running some exploratory population modelling work. This needs to be done in preparation for the reintroduction plan being approved so we can ensure that despite removing leopards from the captive population we can still keep it viable, as well as ensuring the newly released population is viable. I will be doing this work alongside a population management expert from CBSG and we will be using Vortex and PMx for the actual modelling. Although there still isn t formal approval of the plan yet, there has been recent communication with the Russian authorities and things are looking hopeful so we re keeping everything crossed. Later this year I will be travelling out to the Russian Far East in order to meet some of ALTA s partners and see first hand the incredible work they are doing. I m hoping to be there for the annual Tiger Day so I can join in the festivities as well as meet up with representatives from ZSL, WCS and Phoenix Fund to learn about all their activities including the anti-poaching and firefighting projects, leopard and tiger monitoring and the practicalities of the reintroduction plan. It will be an amazing experience to see just how ALTA supporters are really making a difference to their work. The most obvious immediate change this funding has enabled however will be the launch of the new ALTA website. Below is an early draft of our new homepage. It will be much brighter, easier to use and will have all you need to know about Amur leopard and tiger conservation. I will also be sending out newsletters in an e-news format. You will all be added automatically to the new mailing list and I am hoping to get the new website live in the summer so WATCH THIS SPACE!!

3 Wildlife Health Monitoring At the end of 2011 a team comprising vets and experts from ALTA partners ZSL, WVI and WCS amongst others, carried out a three month field trip to monitor the health of animals living within the Amur leopard range. To do this the team needed to capture the animal and then anaesthetise them to carry out a full health check and to take blood samples for further testing. They were particularly hoping to see leopards during the trip but unfortunately they didn t strike lucky this time. There were however signs of leopard activity: Leopard paw print Leopard scat containing badger remains Amur tigers and Asiatic black bears were less elusive and the vets were able to carry out health checks and gather invaluable data from them: It is essential to monitor the health of wildlife living in this region as the Amur leopard population could be especially vulnerable to any disease outbreak. We are happy to report that all the animals examined were in very good health and were all released safely once their examinations were concluded. The blood samples which were taken at the same time have also all proved to be clear of disease.

Since 2002, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been monitoring Amur leopard and tiger numbers in Southwest Primorskii Krai in the Russian Far East.

In 2011, 156 Amur leopard photographs were recorded and a total of 17 individual leopards were recorded in the study area. This is the most that has ever been seen during the nine years of study.

4 Since 2002, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been monitoring Amur leopard and tiger numbers in Southwest Primorskii Krai in the Russian Far East. This has been done by using camera trap photography and using the unique pattern on the pelages of each animal to identify individuals. In 2011, 156 Amur leopard photographs were recorded and a total of 17 individual leopards were recorded in the study area. This is the most that has ever been seen during the nine years of study. Although some of these are transient leopards it is a good sign that the population is reproducing and maintaining itself. There were also 12 leopards reported in an area adjacent to the study area bringing the total minimum number of leopards to 29, suggesting the total number of leopards is currently greater than 30. Amur leopard numbers in study area Amur tigers in study area The number of tigers seen is in the study site is more stable with 3-4 adult tigers seen each year apart from 2010 when two new females arrived. The larger number seen in 2011 is due to a litter of three cubs which were photographed twice by the camera traps. Like the leopards, the tiger population in this area appears to be sustaining itself. Good news!!

5 Another busy year for ALTA partner Phoenix Fund, 2011 saw them accomplish many varied projects including anti-poaching, firefighting and education and outreach. Below are examples of their many achievements, many of which benefitted from funds raised by ALTA: Tiger Day continues growing in popularity with 9000 people taking part in the celebrations in 2011.

6 Monitoring Amur tigers in Lazovsky Nature Reserve and Zov Tigra National Park The camera-trap monitoring of Amur tigers has been ongoing in Lazovsky Nature Reserve since This last autumn / winter season there were three different litters of cubs caught on camera which is brilliant news. This cub below is one of three born to Sabrina this year. Sabrina has been regularly seen in Lazovsky for the past five years and we hope we will see her raise many more cubs! What was even more exciting was the discovery in February 2012 of signs of the first recorded litter of 3 cubs in Zov Tigra! The family was photographed again in March and April and their tracks were also found providing the reassuring proof that they are still alive and residing in the protected area. When the family group walked around the back of the camera trap one of the curious cubs decided it didn t want to pass up on the photo opportunity so made sure it s picture was taken. This is really encouraging news for both Lazovsky and Zov Tigra and we hope to get many more images of all the tigers in the project area. In 2011 there were enough resources to expand the monitoring work and the first ever tiger monitoring project in Zov Tigra National Park was launched. This is an area where nothing was known about tiger numbers or distribution. In winter 2011 a male tiger was photographed, the first to be recorded there and he had never been identified before on either Lazovsky or the adjacent hunting base so excitingly he is a new tiger to the study area! We have also seen the presence of several tiger prey species including deer (red, roe and sika), wild boar and badgers. This is surprising as the park has only had federal protection since 2008 and previously was heavily used for natural resource extraction.

7 Thank you Helsinki Zoo!! Their main fundraising event is Cat s Night held on the first and second Friday of September. This exciting event, when the zoo remains open until midnight, attracts 10,000 visitors each night. There are performances by the zoo s theatre group, live bands playing, enrichment activities for the big cats, workshops for children to participate in and items for sale to raise more funds. ALTA would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Helsinki Zoo for their fantastic fundraising efforts during Through various means they managed to raise an incredible 45, 000 to support the conservation of Amur leopards and tigers. Above is taken at the theatre production during zoo night while to the right an Amur leopard enjoys some enrichment. As well as the awareness and the funds raised during the two Cat s Nights, the Amur conservation program is also brought to the attention of their 500,000 annual visitors, the 600,000 website visitors, and the 15,000 readers of their newsletter Zootiset. In total, 67% of the 45,000 was raised by zoo visitors. The remaining amount was generously donated by their main sponsor, the confectionary company, Fazer Makeiset.

All members of the puma species carry their kittens the same way domestic cats do, and they can purr like housecats too.

All members of the puma species carry their kittens the same way domestic cats do, and they can purr like housecats too. Florida Panther In spite of many, many attempts, I have not been able to discover let alone photograph a majestic Florida panther in the wild. The tawny cat is an endangered species. The panthers I have

Newsflash, June Marianne Leone

In what month of 2012 did the new ALTA website launch?

Who carried out health checks on the Amur leopards?

Who did I meet with on Tiger Day?