Lions from a can

More than 160 farms in South Africa legally breed lions to be hunted by wealthy trophy hunters in a practice called "canned hunting." In the practice of "canned hunting, a fully-grown, captive-bred lion is released from its pen into an enclosed area where it wanders, confused, before being shot by a hunter with a shotgun, handgun, or crossbow back the back of a truck. Hunters from North America and Europe flock to participate because of the high probability of a kill and because of the cost. They would pay $75,000 to hunt a lion in the wild in Tanzania but only between $8,000 and $40,000 in a captive facility in South Africa.

The industry relies on an efficient system of lion "factory-farming." The captive cubs are usually separated from their mother within an hour of birth by sounding a blowhorn to scare the mother away. Then they are bottle-fed by humans for the first 8 weeks of their lives. People in the industry claim to do this because the mothers often do not produce milk, and they must save the cubs from starvation. But animal welfare experts disagree. They say that lionesses rarely have problems producing milk and that breeders actually use this practice to increase the rate at which lions reproduce. When one litter is taken away, the mother goes back into reproductive season much faster than if she raised cubs. Five litters can by squeezed out of her within two years, a period over which she would naturally produce only two litters. And removal is not good for the cubs. By taking them away so quickly, they do not get to drink colostrum, the first milk from their mother that contains crucial antibodies and nutrients. Missing out on colostrum and the six months they typically spend nursing causes many cubs to develop ill health.

http://speakupforthevoiceless.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/hu789.jpg

Unfortunately this awful practice is increasing in popularity. From 2006 to 2011, the number of trophy lions exported from South Africa increased by 122%. Various charities and sanctuaries take in abused lions, but their capacity is limited. Legislation has been proposed to ban lion breeding, but powerful and well-supported lobbies from the industry have turned legislators in their favor. If hunters cannot be educated to withdraw support for this disgusting industry, then the public must voice their opposition in order to pass legislation against it.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jun/03/canned-hunting-lions-bred-slaughter

-MA

Gay animals!

Ali and I were talking over lunch and got on the subject of homosexuality in animals, which is a subject neither of us know anything about. We were wondering the extent of it in the animal kingdom, as well as how and why it happens, so I decided to do some research and write a post about it.

First a definition—homosexual behavior in animals isn't exactly the same as it is in humans. It's a bit more widely encompassing, including sex, bonding, courtship and parenting by same-sex couples. Most homosexual behavior is seen in addition to normal heterosexual activity; few species have members who engage exclusively in homosexual behavior, but a few (domesticated sheep for example) do seem to have a small percentage of every population that are exclusively homosexual.

A fundamental idea behind homosexual behavior in animals is that "not all sexual acts lead to reproduction"—which is to say, homosexual behavior probably exists not because animals think it'll help them reproduce, but because it helps lower stress levels or strengthens social bonds. Some male homosexual pairings occur after heterosexual activity has produced an egg or offspring, when male pairs take over care of the newborn. Young cared for this way often have a higher survival rate as male pairs can more effectively guard territory from potential predators. Bonobos frequently mount one another to diffuse tension arising in response to novel stimuli or conflict, while Amazon dolphins often engage in casual gender-blind sex in groups 3-5 members large.

Basis of homosexuality varies from species to species, but a few trends emerge: abnormal levels of sex hormones (either too high or too low) are correlated to homosexual behavior, as are differing gonad sizes and alterations of neurotransmitter levels. One of the dominant hypotheses about the cause of homosexuality in humans, exposure to differing levels of sex hormones in the womb during gestation, seems not to have been explored with other animals.

Interesting stuff—makes you wonder what leads to exclusively homosexuality in humans rather than the more occasional or functional same-sex encounters that seem more common in the animal kingdom.

More here:
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/20718.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals

Alec

Bil-what!?

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Every time I frequent a grocery store, I cannot help but notice the packaged meat in the check out aisle where candy and chocolate would typically be found in grocery stores in the United States. More often than not, the dark brown-black colored meat is labeled ‘Ostrich Meat’ or something repulsive. I have never had the impulse to try these… delicacies… but I was definitely interested in learning more about it and why people like it so much.

Biltong originated in South Africa and is a type of cured meat. “Many different types of meat are used to produce it from beef through game meats to fillets of ostrich from commercial farms.” It is very similar to beef jerky, but our Garden Route driver was very adamant in insisting that it is nothing, nothing, like beef jerky. The main similarity between beef jerky and biltong is that they are both spiced and dried meats. However, because the production processes are so different and biltong is thicker and has a slightly sweet taste that obviously makes the two nothing alike.

Biltong is a Dutch word literally translating to “rump strip/tongue.” Dutch settlers who needed a way to preserve their meat from decay and insects were the first to produce biltong. Since then, it has become South Africa's guilty pleasure.

PB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong

Lions and tigers and...small African wild cats?

The cheetah was the cat of the hour at the sanctuary we visited last week. But just off to the side were two very different species of cat: the serval and the caracal. I had heard of them, but they never really came to mind when I thought about African wildlife. They are smaller and less flashy than the cheetah and the other big cats, and many people on the trip had never heard of them before.

Serval at Cheetah Outreach.

Caracal eating an egg at Cheetah Outreach.

This got me wondering if there were other lesser-known cat species in Africa, and it led me on a little hunt (not across the savannah, but on Wikipedia)...

Turns out there are a bunch of cats in Africa that I never knew existed. Under the family Felidae, there are two subfamilies, Pantherinae and Felinae. We all know the cats in the relatively small Pantherinae family: the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard. But Felinae includes many more genera, many of which are lesser-known. Sure, you'll find the cheetah and the cougar there. But you'll also find species and even entire genera of lesser-known small/medium sized cats that look like your average house cat's sibling but live wild in Africa. Here are a few:

African Golden Cat - Profelis aurata
The African golden cat is the only member of the genus Profelis but closely related to the caracal and serval. It is endemic to Central and West Africa rainforests. It is are generally golden colored, but ranges from reddish to grayish tones. There are two subspecies and they have different spot patterns. The African golden cat is extremely reclusive and generally nocturnal, and little is known about its behavior. It is regularly bred in captivity, but captive behavior is not thought to represent that in the wild. The genus is thought to be near threatened.

African golden cat. http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/99/990FE63C-CD29-490A-AC49-E5AD49BCA721/Presentation.Large/African-golden-cat-female.jpg

Black-footed cat - Felis nigripes
The black-footed cat is the smallest African cat, weighing about 4 pounds on average and no more than 5.5 pounds. It is in the genus Felis, which also contains the common domestic cat. The black-footed cat is endemic to the arid regions of southern African like the South African Karoo (which we visited en route to the Garden Route!). Like the African golden cat, it is not well studied because it is nocturnal and solitary, making it difficult to find. It is thought to be a vulnerable species. It is also adorable and looks like my cat Molly crossed with a tiny cheetah.

A black-footed cat raised in captivity. http://kalaharidreamdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/41.jpg

Wildcat - Felis silvestris
I always thought the term "wildcat" was used to differentiate domestic cats from wild ones. But no, it turns out there is an actual species colloquially known as the wildcat. There are 22 recognized subspecies as of 2005, and there are spread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. The most common African subspecies are Felis lybica, found across Africa north of the Sahel, and Felis cafra, found all over Africa south of the Sahel. They are very similar; both are called African wildcats, are small, and look rather, well, cat-like in appearance. This similarity makes sense because genetic, archaeological, and morphological evidence suggest that the housecat was domesticated from the African wildcat in the Fertile Crescent region of Asia 9,000-10,000 years ago. Wildcats of all subspecies regularly interbreed with domestic cats across their ranges.

African wildcat. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40019000/jpg/_40019771_wildcat_science_203.jpg

These species may not be portrayed in The Lion King, but they're pretty cool. Just goes to show that the media only gives us a small slice of the true diversity of African wildlife.

-MA

What is imprinting?

That bird sanctuary got to me bad, I just looked up whether barn owls are suitable as pets... Apparently they can be tamed and make decent companions, but only if you separate them from their mother before  their eyes open (at about 12 days old) and hand-rear them thereafter. If you wait too long, they imprint on their mother and won't behave as tame birds. (More info in the link I tweeted.) That got me wondering—what actually is imprinting, and how does it work?

From what I could find, imprinting is a form of time-sensitive, instinctive learning. The most well-known type is filial imprinting, or young imprinting on their parents. The basic process is newly-born young forming a strong attachment to their parents and mimicking their actions, which quickly teaches them basic survival and social skills. Animals deprived of imprinting are frequently socially awkward and may not recognize other members of their same species, experience sexual attraction to them or engage in basic behaviors with them.

Oddly, imprinting is difficult to control—young will often imprint on the first moving thing they see, whether or not it's their parent. A researcher named Lorenz found that geese would imprint on him if he was present at their hatching, and he even induced one brood to imprint on a model train that moved around a track! Less discouragingly, wild raptors being reintroduced into nature were imprinted upon researchers with yellow coats and honking horns, and then learned migratory patterns by following the researchers as they flew ultralight aircraft (recorded in the documentary Winged Migration). Pretty amazing behavior!

More here: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-imprinting.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprinting_(psychology)

Alec

The Rhino Poaching Situation Could Cause a War?

We all know how bad the poaching situation is for the defenseless rhinos in Africa. Poni did an wonderful presentation on these magnificent creatures, and it seems like the entire animal world is in a frenzy, trying to figure out how to save them! I came across this interesting national geographic article about how rhino poaching is actually worsening relations between countries. Mozambique and South Africa share a border where Kruger National Park is located. This means that both countries are discussing potential solutions for this massive problem, and they need to come to an agreement....fast! These rhinos do not have much time!

However, international discussions are not simple, and tensions are rising quickly. One potential solution is to put up a high security fence between the two countries, to secure the border and decrease illegally trespassing poachers. I personally don't know if this will solve the problem, and it doesn't seem like it would be in the best interest of the animals. As we discussed in class, animals know nothing of country bounds...land is land.

The article also states that South African Officials feel like Mozambique Officials are not cracking down on laws enough to get the job done. Many officials feel as though they are not taking this rhino poaching situation as seriously as they should. Could rhinos actually start a border war between two countries? When I think about how much South Africa values its large African animals, I say yes, it is very possible. Let's hope it doesn't reach that point and that these animals are saved!

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/30/worsening-rhino-war-strains-countries-relations%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8/

Cheers,
Brittany

An Alien on Table Mountain

The Table Mountain fynbos flora is generally too poor in nutrients to support large fauna. Aside from the occasional Cape Mountain Zebra, the largest creatures you'll commonly find on the mountain are rock hyraxes and birds of prey. But there's one other large creature that has made it's home there...

The Himalayan Tahr. http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/images/tahr_3162.jpg

Meet the Himalayan Tahr. This mountain goat-like undulate is native to the mountains of Tibet, Nepal, and Northern India. It was introduced to Cape Town by way of the now-defunct Groote Schuur Zoo. In 1897, a lion enclosure was built just above the current site of UCT upper campus. Thirty years later it was demolished and replaced with the Groote Schuur Zoo, which included an even more grandiose lion dwelling and enclosures for other animals including a pair of tahrs from the Pretoria Zoo. One day in 1935, the tahrs escaped and found refuge on Table Mountain, where they singlehandedly populated the protected park.

The Lions' Den of the Groote Schuur Estate. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Lion's_Den,_Disused_Old_Zoo,_Groote_Schuur_Estate,_Cape_Town.jpg

The tahr has also been introduced to New Zealand and have adapted quite successfully. In both introduced regions, South Africa and New Zealand, the tahrs still breed in the winter like they do in their native Himalayas, even though the seasons are reversed. The have also acclimatized to different altitudes and flora.

On Table Mountain, the tahr is doing too well. It competes with and often out-grazes an indigenous klipspringer, a small antelope. It also causes erosion and damage to local vegetation. South African National Parks has culled many of the mountain's tahrs in an effort to eliminate the exotic species altogether, causing major public controversy. The species has been declared decimated on several different occasions, but small herds continue to be found by rangers and hikers. Many Cape Town locals and hikers are pro-tahr because they offer one of few wildlife sightings on the mountain. So next time you're up there, keep your eyes peeled for a creature that looks better suited to Everest!

Read more here:

• IOL News, February 2011. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/mountain-rangers-braai-tahr-1.1029020#.Uas625XtwVs
• Hike Table Mountain, August 2012. http://www.hiketablemountain.co.za/tag/himalayan-tahr/
• Intl Wildlife Encyclopedia, 2002. http://books.google.co.za/books?id=EBl7y_MX0xoC&pg=PA2613&lpg=PA2613&dq=groote+schuur+zoo+tahr&source=bl&ots=ZytzSuvD6v&sig=x78AnWCdfpXPDhuXIJV9GCM-qhc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8TerUfGjKajY7AaUioBg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=groote%20schuur%20zoo%20tahr&f=false