The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of r... more The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of recent and on-going armed conflicts in important parts of the potential leopard distribution range, no studies were done that could have proved the presence of the species. We report here 10 confirmed and 2 unconfirmed leopard records between 2001 and 2014 from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. All records for which the gender of the animal was identified were of males, which could be hypothesized as long-range dispersers from Iran. However, the long distances between our records and the nearest known breeding populations in Iran suggests that a so far unnoticed reproducing population nuclei may occur along the north-western part of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.
6 7 Abstract. Cat News, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group's biannual newsletter, covers 8 Ori... more 6 7 Abstract. Cat News, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group's biannual newsletter, covers 8 Original Contributions, Observations and News related to the conservation of cat species 9
A lynx recovery programme started in Switzerland in 1970. From 1970-76. at least 14 lynx were tra... more A lynx recovery programme started in Switzerland in 1970. From 1970-76. at least 14 lynx were translocated from the Carpathian Mountains into the Swiss Alps. Another re-introduction took place in the Jura Mountains, but no corridors exist as a connection between these two popula- tions in Switzerland. The devclopmcnt of the populations was not monitored at first. In 1980 sys-
Seventy-two lynx, found dead in the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains (Switzerland) from 1987-99,... more Seventy-two lynx, found dead in the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains (Switzerland) from 1987-99, were evaluated to determine the cause of death. Seventy-two per cent (52/72) of all animals died because of noninfectious diseases or causes such as vehicular collision and poaching. Eighteen percent (13/72) died from infectious diseases, including some which could have been transferred to the lynx from domestic animals or other wild animals such as panleukopenia and sarcoptic mange. If only radio-tagged animals (included in a monitoring program) were taken into consideration, the percentage of mortality caused by infectious diseases rose to 40%, indicating that infections might be underestimated in randomly found mortality events. We hypothesize that even a few cases of infections in a small population like the lynx, which are additionally threatened by noninfectious causes, may threaten the long term survival of the population.
... Spatial organization and recruitment of lynx (Lynx lynx) in a re-introduced population in the... more ... Spatial organization and recruitment of lynx (Lynx lynx) in a re-introduced population in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Urs Breitenmoser 1 ,; Petra Kavczensky 2 ,; Michael Dötterer 3 ,; Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten 1 ,; Simon Capt 1 ,; Frank Bernhart 1 ,; Martin Liberek 4. ...
The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Usi... more The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.
The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of r... more The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of recent and on-going armed conflicts in important parts of the potential leopard distribution range, no studies were done that could have proved the presence of the species. We report here 10 confirmed and 2 unconfirmed leopard records between 2001 and 2014 from northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. All records for which the gender of the animal was identified were of males, which could be hypothesized as long-range dispersers from Iran. However, the long distances between our records and the nearest known breeding populations in Iran suggests that a so far unnoticed reproducing population nuclei may occur along the north-western part of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.
6 7 Abstract. Cat News, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group's biannual newsletter, covers 8 Ori... more 6 7 Abstract. Cat News, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group's biannual newsletter, covers 8 Original Contributions, Observations and News related to the conservation of cat species 9
A lynx recovery programme started in Switzerland in 1970. From 1970-76. at least 14 lynx were tra... more A lynx recovery programme started in Switzerland in 1970. From 1970-76. at least 14 lynx were translocated from the Carpathian Mountains into the Swiss Alps. Another re-introduction took place in the Jura Mountains, but no corridors exist as a connection between these two popula- tions in Switzerland. The devclopmcnt of the populations was not monitored at first. In 1980 sys-
Seventy-two lynx, found dead in the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains (Switzerland) from 1987-99,... more Seventy-two lynx, found dead in the Swiss Alps and the Jura Mountains (Switzerland) from 1987-99, were evaluated to determine the cause of death. Seventy-two per cent (52/72) of all animals died because of noninfectious diseases or causes such as vehicular collision and poaching. Eighteen percent (13/72) died from infectious diseases, including some which could have been transferred to the lynx from domestic animals or other wild animals such as panleukopenia and sarcoptic mange. If only radio-tagged animals (included in a monitoring program) were taken into consideration, the percentage of mortality caused by infectious diseases rose to 40%, indicating that infections might be underestimated in randomly found mortality events. We hypothesize that even a few cases of infections in a small population like the lynx, which are additionally threatened by noninfectious causes, may threaten the long term survival of the population.
... Spatial organization and recruitment of lynx (Lynx lynx) in a re-introduced population in the... more ... Spatial organization and recruitment of lynx (Lynx lynx) in a re-introduced population in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Urs Breitenmoser 1 ,; Petra Kavczensky 2 ,; Michael Dötterer 3 ,; Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten 1 ,; Simon Capt 1 ,; Frank Bernhart 1 ,; Martin Liberek 4. ...
The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Usi... more The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.
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