Snow Leopard Survival Strategy - Panthera

familiar with the clinical signs, diagnosis, and clinical
management of this disease.
Degiorgis, M.P., C.H. Segerstad, B. Christensson and T.
Morner. 2001. Otodectic otoacariasis in free-ranging
Eurasian lynx in Sweden. Journal of Wildlife Diseases
37:626-629.
An infestation with Otodectes cynotis, the ear mite
of cats and dogs, was observed in three free-ranging
Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) killed in Sweden. The ear
canals were obstructed by waxy secretions and exfoliated
epithelium. Histologically, there were hyperkeratosis and
acanthosis, and the epithelial surface was overlained
by hyperkeratotic and parakeratotic crusts with mites,
mite detritus and cerumen. In the subcutis there was
a slight to moderate infiltration of lymphocytes and
macrophages. The ceruminous glands were hypertrophic
and hyperplastic, and there was also an hyperplasia of the
sebaceous glands. The lesions seemed to correlate with
the degree of infestation. To our knowledge, this is the
first report of otoacariasis in free-ranging lynx.
Dexel, B. Snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan:
enforcement, education and research activities by the
German Society for Nature Conservation (NABU).
Pages 59 – 63 in T. M. McCarthy and J. Weltzin, editors.
Contributed Papers to the Snow Leopard Survival
Strategy Summit. International Snow Leopard Trust,
Seattle, Washington, USA.
NABU has been active in nature conservation in
Kyrgyzstan since 1993 and helped develop a snow
leopard conservation strategy for the country in 1998
with the aim of stemming poaching which supplies the
illegal bone and hide markets. NABU established a 5
member team known as Gruppa Bars (bars meaning
snow leopard in Kyrgyz) to seek out and undermine
illegal trade. Through the terms of a bilateral agreement
with the Kyrgyz Ministry of Environment, the team
conducts undercover operations and maintains a countrywide
network of informants. Between 1999 and 2002 the
team dealt with 178 wildlife offenses and confiscated 14
snow leopard skins, 1 live snow leopard, 162 firearms,
and more than 300 traps and snares. An education
component was added to the project in 2000 with a
traveling exhibition that visits communities in snow
leopard habitat. Educational activities are aimed at both
adults and children. More than 10,000 children and 2,000
adults have been reached in the years 2000-2001 alone.
The proximity to markets for skin, live specimens, and
bones in China makes enforcement of trade and poaching
laws a key issue for Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian
states in the coming years.
Draulans, D. and E. Van Krunkelsven. 2002. The impact
of war on forest areas in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Oryx 36(1):35-40.
This paper provides a review of data on the effects of the
civil war on forest areas in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Only a few of these effects were beneficial, the
most important being the collapse of the wood industry.
However, the war has increased the number of people
that rely on wood for fuel and bush-meat for protein. The
presence of soldiers and refugees aggravates this pressure.
When people hide they do not necessarily refrain from
hunting, because goods, including ivory, can be stocked
to be traded when the situation improves. War seems
beneficial to the environment only if it keeps people out
of large areas. It could be useful to extend the concept
of peace parks to war zones. The idea of an international
‘green force’ to protect biodiversity hotspots should be
given serious consideration. Awareness is growing that
political instability should not preclude conservation
efforts from being continued.
Ferreras, P., J. F. Beltran, J. J. Aldama and M. Delibes.
1997. Spatial organization and land tenure system of
the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Journal
of Zoology 243:163-189.
The spatial organization of the endangered Iberian lynx,
Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827), was studied in Doaana
National Park, south-western Spain, between 1983 and
1992. Thirty-six individuals (19 males and 17 females),
including 24 adults (13 males and 11 females) were
radio-tracked, providing 13,950 locations during 17,111
radio-tracking days. Iberian lynxes were essentially
solitary (95.9% of simultaneous locations apart) and
interactions were restricted to rearing activities by
females. Adult associations were uncommon. Seasonal
(four months) home ranges were larger for adult resident
males (10.3 +/- 1.9 km 2 ; n = 5) than for females (8.7
+/- 2.4 km 2 ; n = 5). Lynxes used a central portion of
the home range intensively (‘core area’, 50% Harmonic
Mean) with similar size for males (3.7 +/- 0.7 km 2 ) and
females (3.2 +/- 0.8 km 2 ), representing, on average, a
37.6 +/- 1.5% and 36.6 +/- 4.5% of male and female
home ranges, respectively. Intrasexual home- range
overlap was usually low between same-sex neighbours
(15.1 +/- 6.6% males and 22.1 +/- 3.3% for females),
but some instances of high overlap (>25%), both among
males and females, were recorded, corresponding to
spatial interactions between neighbours which usually
ended with the displacement of one of the contenders.
Core areas were mainly exclusive except during these
spatial interactions. Actual fights resulting from these
interactions seem more frequent than previously
reported for other medium-sized solitary felids, likely
promoted by high competition for optimum territories
due to saturation of the population. The Iberian lynx
spatial organization in Doaana works as a land tenure
system, as described for other solitary felids. Although
the mating system tends to monogamy, with male home
range overlapping mainly that of one female, individual
variations to polygyny were also found.
76 | SNOW LEOPARD SURVIVAL STRATEGY