Snow Leopard Survival Strategy - Panthera

FPV antibodies occurred in the highest prevalences in
older age classes (P = 0.027) and in panthers living in the
dense mixed hardwood swamps in the western portion of
their range compared to the open cypress and sawgrass
prairies to the east (P = 0,096). Because 99% of the biomass consumed by cougars in
November-April. All ungulate species found within the
study area were taken by cougars. Predation on bighorn
sheep varied greatly from year to year; cougars were
known to kill 0-13% of the November sheep population,
and 0-57% of over-winter sheep mortality consisted of
known cougar kills. Of 29 bighorns killed by cougars, 13
were lambs. The remainder ranged in age from 1 to 17
years and included 9 ewes and 7 rams. Cougar predation
on bighorn sheep appears to be largely an individual,
learned behaviour; most cougars rarely killed sheep, but
some preyed heavily upon them. One female killed 9%
of the population and 26% of the lambs over a single
winter. For mountain-dwelling ungulates that occur in
small groups, the presence of one or a few individual
specialist predators may strongly and unpredictably
influence demography and behaviour.
Ryser-Degiorgis, M.P., A. Ryser, L.N. Bacciarini, C.
Angst, B. Gottstein, M. Janovsky and U. Breitenmoser.
2002. Notoedric and sarcoptic mange in free-ranging
lynx from Switzerland. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 38:
228-232.
Between March and December 1999, five free-ranging
lynx (Lynx lynx) affected by mange were found dead or
shot by game wardens in the Swiss Alps. In the first two
cases, Notoedres cati was isolated from the skin; in the
third and fourth case, Sarcoptes scabiei was the cause of
the infection; and in the fifth cased it mixed infection
was diagnosed. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) affected with
sarcoptic, mange and domestic cats infested with N.
cati. are likely to be the sources of infection. It seems
improbable that mange will occur as an epidemic in
lynx in Switzerland, but losses due to infections with N.
cati and/or S. scabiei may have an impact on this small,
geographically limited lynx population. This is the first
report of notoedric mange in a free-ranging lynx: and the
first report of mange in lynx front Switzerland.
Sanderson, E.W., K.H. Redford, C.L.B. Chetkiewicz,
R.A. Medellin, A.R. Rabinowitz, J.G. Robinson and A.B.
Taber. 2002. Planning to save a species: the jaguar as
a model. Conservation Biology 16(1):58-72.
In March 1999 the Wildlife Conservation Society
sponsored a priority-setting and planning exercise for
the jaguar across its range, from northern Mexico to
northern Argentina. Field scientists from 18 countries
reached consensus on four types of information: (1) the
spatial extent of their jaguar knowledge, (2) the known,
currently occupied range of jaguars, (3) areas with
substantial jaguar populations, adequate habitat, and
a stable and diverse prey base, and (4) point localities
where jaguars have been observed during the last 10
years. During the exercise, these experts also conducted
a range-wide assessment of the long-term survival
prospects of the jaguar and developed an algorithm
for prioritizing jaguar conservation units occurring in
major habitat types. From this work, we learned that the
known, occupied range of the jaguar has contracted to
96 | SNOW LEOPARD SURVIVAL STRATEGY