FOR KIDS and YOUTH The Future Protectors of the World s Wild Cats Sep/Oct 2011 Volume 1, Issue 4 Sections: Feline Conservation Federation News and Events.... 2 FCF Member Zoos and Sanctuaries to Visit... 3 Learning about the Cats... 4 Efforts to Save the Wild Cats...5 Feline Fun... 6 Captive Conservation This newsletter is the start of a new series about captive conservation or breeding animals in captivity to preserve them. Captive conservation can provide many rewards gfa in many different ways. It not only includes direct rewards such as providing a healthy population of unrelated animals, but also indirect rewards such as providing education and awareness about cats in the wild. You can read more about captive conservation on page 5. There are two important FCF classes coming up where you can learn in person about captive conservation. One is a husbandry course in Missouri on October 29 th to learn about proper care and handling of cats. The other is an Educator s Course for older youth at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio on November 5 th for those who want to do educational animal shows and present animals to the public. In support of captive conservation, a list of FCF member zoos and sanctuaries that are open to the public has been included on page 3. If your family is planning to go on a trip, encourage your parents to check out some of these facilities. Feline Conservation Federation P.O. Box 31210 Myrtle Beach, SC 29588 www.felineconservation.org The Feline Conservation Federation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the conservation of wild felines through preservation, education and research. 1 Thai and Sammy
FELINE CONSERVATION FEDERATION NEWS AND EVENTS Produced by the Youth Education Committee Chair: Debi Willoughby Caroline Alexander Lauren Bean Rob Carmichael Toni Carmichael Deeanna Croasmun Dawn English Amy Flory Ann Kelly Tamara Latorre Pam Sellner Dave Sol Ashton Spears Sandi Spears Chantelle Webb Basic Exotic Feline Husbandry Course What: An 8 hour class where you can learn all about caring for and handling exotic and native felines. When: October 29, 2011-8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Where: Wild Animal Safari 124 Jungle Drive, Strafford, MO 417-859-5300 www.goanimalparadise.com Cost: $110 FCF Members ($145 non-members) Where to Stay: Holiday Inn Express Marshfield - $81/night 1301 Banning Street, Marshfield, MO 1-800-315-2621 www.hiexpress.com/hotels Other Information: On October 30 at 10:00 a.m., students will return to the park to take a tour. Wildlife Conservation Educator s Course What: An 8 hour class for those who want to learn how to pick and train cats to use for educational shows. Who: Recommended for older youth who have already taken the husbandry course. When: November 4, 2011 Meet at the front gate on Vine Street at 3:30 p.m. to be led as a group to Puma show November 5, 2011 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meet at the entrance gate for the Educator s Course Where: Cincinnati Zoo Cost: $110 FCF members ($145 non members) Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Cincinnati/Uptown-University 3024 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 513-281-2700 use special code CHXFCF To find out more or to register for a class, visit www.felineconservation.org (click on class name on right). 2 WILD CATS: African Golden Cat Andean Cat Asian Golden Cat Bay Cat Black-Footed Cat Bobcat Canada Lynx Caracal Cheetah Clouded leopard Cougar Eurasian Lynx Fishing Cat Flat-Headed Cat Geoffroy's Cat Iberian Lynx Iriomote Cat Jaguar Jaguarundi Jungle Cat Kodkod or Guina Leopard Leopard Cat Lion Marbled Cat Margay Ocelot Oncilla Pallas Cat Pampas Cat Rusty-Spotted Cat Sand Cat Serval Snow leopard Tiger Wildcat
FCF MEMBER ZOOS AND SANCTUARIES TO VISIT Alligator Adventure 1891 Colony Drive Surfside Beach, SC 29575 Animal Junction 146 Frog Hollow Road Churchville, PA 18966 http://www.animaljunction.com/ Collins Zoo 2900 Hwy 49 Collins, MS 39428 www.collinsmszoo.com Cricket Hollow Zoo, Inc. 1512 210th Street Manchester, IA 52057-8951 www.crickethollowzoo.com Dade City's Wild Things 37245 Meridian Ave Dade City, FL 33525 www.dadecityswildthings.com Heaven's Corner Zoo & Animal Sanctuary 385 Quinn Rd West Alexandria, OH 45381 www.heavenscorner.net Hernando Primate Inc 14495 Chicanic Road Brooksville, FL 34614 www.hernandoprimate.com Hesperia Zoo 19038 Willow St Hesperia, CA 92345 http://www.thehesperiazoo.com/ Natural Bridge Zoological Park 5784 S Lee Hwy Natural Bridge, VA 24578 http://naturalbridgezoo.com/ Olympic Game Farm 1423 Ward Rd Sequim, WA 98382 www.olygamefarm.com Out of Africa Wildlife Park 4020 N Cherry Road Camp Verde, AZ 86322 http://www.outofafricapark.com/ Phillips Park Zoo 1000 Ray Moses Dr Aurora, IL 60505 http://www.phillipsparkaurora.com/ Safari Zoological Park 1751A CR 1425 Caney, KS 67333 http://safaripark.org/ Sierra Safari Zoo 10200 N. Virginia St. Reno, NV 89506 http://sierrasafarizoo.org/ T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station 6000 S.W. 118th Avenue Miami, FL 33183-1728 www.tigerfriends.com Tanganyika Wildlife Park 1037 South 183rd Street West Goddard, KS 67052 www.twpark.com Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge 17552 FM 14 Tyler, TX 75706 www.tigercreek.org Tiger World 4405 Cook Road Rockwell, NC 28138 www.tigerworld.us Wild Animal Safari 3246 E Seminole Springfield, MO 65804 http://www.goanimalparadise.com/ Wildwood Wildlife Park 10094 Hwy 70 West Minocqua, WI 54548 http://www.wildwoodwildlifepark.com Zooville USA 4702 Cooper Rd Plant City, FL 33565 www.zoovilleusa.com Note to FCF members: If you would like to be included here, please contact the committee. Answers to Fun Page: 1. Bobcat 2. Cheetah 3. Lion 4. Caracal 5. Snow Leopard 6. Canada lynx 7. Pallas cat 8. Ocelot 9. Wildcat 10. Tiger 11. Jaguarundi 12. Kodkod 13. Margay 14. Fishing cat 15. Serval 16. Flat-Headed 3
LEARNING ABOUT THE WILD CATS Bobcat Lynx rufus * A bobcat gets its name from its short (or bobbed) tail. Weight: 10-34 lbs Body Length: 26-43 in Tail Length: 4-7 in Habitat: forests, coastal swamps, deserts, scrublands Range: continental United States, Southern Canada, Northern Mexico Diet: mainly rabbits and rodents; will also eat lizards, snakes, fish, birds, squirrels, and deer Behavior: solitary, good climbers and swimmers Breeding: February March Gestation: 61-65 days # of Babies: 2-4 Sexual Maturity: 1-2 yrs Lifespan: 12-13 yrs Status: IUCN Least Concerned; CITES Appendix II * The bobcat is one of just a few wild cats that live in the United States, and it has the largest population of any species of cat in the United States. * Even though there are many bobcats in the wild, people rarely see them because they are really good at hiding and blending in with their surroundings. * Bobcats make several different noises, including yelping, growling, meowing, purring, and yowling, and because a bobcat s growl is so deep, it is often mistaken for a mountain lion. * Bobcats are also losing their habitat like so many other species. They are also eaten by predators such as mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, and wolves. * A male bobcat s territory (total area that an animal lives and travels within) are often up to 5 times larger than females. Male bobcat territories may overlap with females, while female bobcat ranges rarely overlap each other. * President Calvin Coolidge owned a bobcat at the White House along with several other animals. References: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat/ Kobalenko, J. (1997). Forest Cats of North America. Kingston, Ontario: Firefly Books. For more information about the bobcat, visit the FCF website. 4
EFFORTS TO SAVE THE WILD CATS Captive Conservation By Lynn Culver Conservation is using habitats, resources, animals, and plants wisely so as to save them for future generations. Much of the abundance of life in our natural world has been lost, possibly forever, because we have not practiced good conservation. Captive conservation of wildlife is managing our captive reared animals carefully and wisely so that they will not be inbred, or go extinct. When we practice good captive conservation of wildlife, the animals will continue to survive and breed in the habitats we provide for them, for our benefit, as well as for the benefit of the animals themselves. Wild animals that live in captivity are separate from animals that live in nature. Almost every captive animal will spend his or her entire life in our human world. They will never know their natural environment, and so they will never miss it either. Exotic felines born in captivity learn entirely different skills in order to be successful. They learn to not be afraid of people, to be comfortable with our sights, and sounds, and smells. We help them learn this by bottle raising the kittens and giving them love and helping them build confidence. Wild felines that are born in zoos, preserves, and nature centers live a different life from those in nature. They do not have to learn how to be efficient killers in order to eat and survive. They have their meals brought to them by their human caregivers. They do not have to be sick or injured and suffer all alone. They will have the benefit of medicine and veterinary care. They do not have to search for a mate in order to reproduce and continue their species. Humans who manage captive wildlife will pick out the best mate for them so that the offspring will be strong and healthy. This is all part of captive conservation. Exotic cats in captivity need to be bred so that each species will always be available for all the roles they will fill in our lives. Some are important for education. These cats are on display at zoos or nature centers. Some are trained for movies and TV and for photos. These cats allow people who might never travel far from home, see the wonders of nature from their living room. Some of the small wild cats are kept as pets, such as servals. These servals get a lot of love and attention, and give people the opportunity to learn and experience their special personalities. Some captive cats are raised in pairs so that they will mate and produce the next generation of their species. By raising and breeding wild animals in captivity, we save the animals living in nature because we do not have to capture any more of them to fill our needs. In nature, wild cats are born in one place, and grow up with their mother s help. When they reach adulthood, they must move away to find their own place in the world. And after they settle in, they want to breed. Male cats will wander far from their territories looking for a female. The environment we build for our captive cats is called captive habitat. Each person or facility creates special habitats for their cats. Captive cats travel from one habitat to another with the help of humans. When cats are sold, or traded, they move around the country in cars or planes, and arrive at new captive habitat to live or breed. When we take a wild animal out of the natural world and bring it into our human world, we owe it a good life, and we are responsible for everything that happens to that animal in its life. We must feed it a good diet, and give it good health care, and build it a nice environment to live in. When we do that well, we are practicing captive conservation. 5
FELINE FUN WILD CAT WORD UNSCRAMBLE 1. TCBOAB 2. HTCEHEA 3. NLOI 4. LRAAACC 5. WNSO DAPLERO 6. DANAAC YXNL 7. LSALPA ACT 8. OTOLEC 9. LICTADW 10. GEITR 11. UNUAJGARID 12. DKOKDO 13. YMGAAR 14. GISHIFN TAC 15. AVRESL 16. LAFT EDHADE 6