Calvin Klein fragrance could be used to lure killer tiger

Officials in India say Obsession cologne may help trap animal that has killed nine people

Michael Safi in Delhi

Tue 9 Oct 2018 16.17 BSTLast modified on Wed 10 Oct 2018 04.57 BST

Wildlife authorities in India trying to catch a tiger thought to have killed at least nine people say they are considering the use of an unconventional weapon: Calvin Klein’s Obsession cologne.

The six-year-old tiger, given the name T1, has been accused of preying on people in Pandharkawada, a town in Maharashtra state.

Rangers have thrown significant resources into their attempts to capture the animal. One of five elephants brought in to try to corral the big cat reportedly went rogue last week and trampled through a nearby village, killing a woman.

Sunil Limaye, a wildlife official involved in the hunt, said his team was still deciding whether to deploy the men’s fragrance, but it was an option.

The power of Obsession to lure big cats was first established by experiments at Bronx zoo in New York in 2003. The key ingredient is a synthetic version of the musk secreted by the civet, a small nocturnal mammal whose glandular liquid is prized for its powerful aroma.

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One of the World's Oldest Tigers Has Died

Nineteen-year-old Machli passed away in a wildlife park in India, saddening her many fans.

By Brian Clark Howard

PUBLISHED AUGUST 19, 2016

A tiger of unusually advanced age—19—died Thursday at a park in India, prompting an outpouring of support from the public.

The tigress, named Machli, had been the star attraction at Ranthambore National Park, a popular tourist destination in north-west India. She was one of the country's most famous tigers and has appeared in several wildlife documentaries (learn more about tigers there). Machli—whose name is the Hindi word for fish, due to fish-like markings on her face—was even sometimes known as the “Queen of Ranthambore,” in part because of her famous battle with a crocodile there, says Krithi Karanth, a National Geographic Explorer who studies tigers and other wildlife in India

Machli (also written as Machali or Machhli) reportedly died of old age. She had stopped eating or moving for about a week before her death.

Tigers in the wild usually only live 12 to 14 years, says Karanth, who saw Machli at her home in Ranthambore years ago. But the tigress lived to such an old age thanks to care by forest officials.

The famous tiger brought in a reported $10 million to the park every year, but Karanth says it's important not to get too distracted by individual animals. Tigers remain critically threatened in the wild, she says.

Read on  

Government to step in to help import tiger after PMQs plea to Cameron

Officials will work to transfer ex-circus tiger from Belgium to Isle of Wight zoo after topic came up during Jeremy Corbyn’s first PMQs as Labour leader

Adam Vaughan

Wednesday 16 September 2015 18.52 BSTLast modified on Thursday 17 September 201501.10 BST

Government officials have said they will work to help the Isle of Wight zoo import a tiger held in isolation in Belgium after David Cameron promised his support when the topic unexpectedly came up during Jeremy Corbyn’s first appearance at prime minister’s questions as leader of the opposition.

Andrew Turner, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, used the first question after Jeremy Corbyn’s PMQs debut to plead with the prime minister to aid the zoo in breaking through a “bureaucratic logjam” to import the tiger.

Simi had been a circus tiger in Germany but was taken on welfare grounds to a Belgian rescue centre two years ago, to be held at isolation. Turner told Cameron: “She was firstly cruelly treated in a circus and now has been kept in isolation for nearly two years despite Belgium being wholly free from rabies.”

Cameron said: “I do want to hear about the tiger. We will help with the Defra Animal and Plant Health Agency.”

A spokeswoman for the agency said: “Quarantine waivers are strictly controlled and only issued if certain criteria can be met by the premises of origin and destination. APHA will work with the Isle of Wight zoo to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.” She said certain criteria had not been met so far.

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India's 'man-eating' tiger to stay in Rajasthan zoo

3 hours ago 

From the sectionIndia

A court in India's Rajasthan state has rejected a plea to release a tiger who has been branded a killer and caged.

Nine-year-old Ustad was tranquilised and shifted from a national park to a zoo earlier this month after he killed three men, including a forest guard.

A tiger lover had petitioned the court, saying caging the tiger was against India's wildlife laws.

India's tiger population stood at 2,226 in 2014. The country is home to 70% of the world's tigers.

Ustad, who lived in the 400 sq km (99,000-acre) Ranthambore National Park, popular for its tiger safaris, was shot with a tranquilising dart and driven to a zoo 400km (250 miles) away earlier this month.

He had been declared the prime suspect in the killing of a 53-year-old forest guard on 8 May. He was also accused of killing a 23-year-old local man in 2010 and a 19-year-old boy in March 2012.

The tiger is now is caged in an enclosure smaller than a football field in a zoological park in Udaipur district.

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Zolushka, (the russian translation for Cinderella), the tiger, rescued and released back into the wild

Date:

January 21, 2015

Source:

Wildlife Conservation Society

Summary:

The Russian Far East is the setting for a Cinderella story. In this case, Cinderella is a tiger. An orphaned, starved, frost-bitten cub was rescued in the winter of 2012, rehabilitated, released, and now is possibly mating and re-colonizing former tiger territory, according to new research.

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Tiger shot dead after killing another woman

Forest officials had ignored warning that relocating animal who had lost fear of humans was a dangerous and misguided conservation strategy

Janaki Lenin

Monday 29 December 2014 11.16 GMT

A tiger released in a wildlife sanctuary in south India has been shot dead on Sunday after it killed a woman.

The animal was released in Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, on 19 November. The young tiger, suspected to have killed a woman in Pandaravalli village 186 miles away, was caught and released in the sanctuary. A large contingent of forest officials camped at Bhimgad to ensure it didn’t trouble villagers and also protect the tiger from people. Officials said the tiger did not pose a threat to human life. But tiger biologist Ullas Karanth had warned it was not safe to release the animal as it seemed to have lost fear of humans.

Despite the number of people keeping a watch on the tiger’s activity and the GPS transmitter around its neck, it remained elusive. The transmitter stopped functioning soon after the animal’s release, and tracking the animal using the backup VHF radio transmitter in hilly dense forests was difficult. 

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'Paris tiger': Big cat loose near French capital - report

13th November 2014 

Police, fire officials and a specially-trained hunting dog are searching for a big cat - believed to be a tiger - seen in a town outside Paris.

A woman alerted officials after spotting the animal in a supermarket car park in Montevrain, east of the French capital.

Officers armed with tranquiliser guns have been combing countryside outside the town, helped by a helicopter.

Residents of Montevrain and two other towns have been told to stay indoors.

As darkness fell, the Montevrain council said on its Facebook page that the search had been called off for the night but local schools would be secured by 08:00 on Friday.

During the day, children were kept in schools and collected by their parents by car.

It was unclear where the animal came from, though there is a big cat park near Montevrain.

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Diverse gene pool critical for tigers' survival, say experts

Date:

April 16, 2014

Source:

Stanford University

Summary:

Increasing tigers' genetic diversity -- via interbreeding and other methods -- and not just their population numbers may be the best solution to saving this endangered species, according to research. Iconic symbols of power and beauty, wild tigers may roam only in stories someday soon. Their historical range has been reduced by more than 90 percent. But conservation plans that focus only on increasing numbers and preserving distinct subspecies ignore genetic diversity, according to the study. In fact, under that approach, the tiger could vanish entirely.

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Tigers get asylum in the UK

Posted by: Kevin Heath / 2 days ago

Two tigers sentenced to an early death in Belgium have arrived at a UK zoo and wildlife park. the two tigers had been kept at a German circus and so badly treated that last year Belgium authorities seized the tigers while the circus was on tour and sentenced the tigers to euthanasia.

A campaign by animal charity Wildlife Re-homing services to save the tigers resulted in the Woodside Wildlife and Falconry Park in Lincolnshire agreeing to take in and look after the 2 tigers. For the last 6 months the wildlife park have been preparing for the tigers arrival including the building of an enclosure and training of staff in how to look after the big cats.

The tigers are an 18-year-old male called Tango – who starred in the Esso ‘tiger in your tank’ TV ad campaign – and an 8-year-old female called Julia.

It has taken over six months and £250,000 to secure their future, but Mr Mumby, the parks director, said that it had been worth the cost.

“There are no other tigers in Lincolnshire on view to the public, it’s great for the people of Lincolnshire to be able to come and learn about them,” he said.

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Proposed railway threatens Nepal rhino and tiger populations

February 2014: A plan to bisect one of Nepal’s most spectacular national parks Chitwan, which houses globally important populations of one-horned rhinoceros and the Bengal tiger, with railways and roads has caused alarm among conservationists.

Scientists from ALERT, the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers and Thinkers, have expressed great alarm about Nepalese and Indian government plans to bisect the park with a major leg of the East-­West Railway.

They have said that plans to push a major railroad and eight feeder roads into the park could be environmentally devastating, given the potential for increased fragmentation, disturbance and poaching of the park’s wildlife.

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IUCN and WWF forge tiger conservation agreement

November 2013: IUCN’s Global Protected Areas Programme and WWF have signed an agreement to develop the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas in a bid to promote tiger conservation through the WWF’s Tigers Alive initiative.

The IUCN Green List of Protected Areas aims to recognise successful conservation endeavours by providing benchmark standards for equitable governance and effective management of protected areas. It is currently being developed in collaboration with pilot countries and jurisdictions including Korea, Colombia – Amazonas, Kenya, Italy, France and New South Wales, Australia. A coalition of partners, represented by WWF, will in turn apply the IUCN Green List criteria in the accreditation process for high-performing tiger protected areas in tiger range states.

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Tiger Mauls Employee in Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma

Doctors are struggling to save the arm of an employee at the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Wynnewood, Okla., after a tiger mauled her Saturday morning.

An account issued by the Garvin County Sheriff's Office states that at approximately 10:27 a.m., witnesses saw the young female employee stick her arm in between cage bars, "to either place or remove a lock on a smaller cage where the tiger was located."

A later statement released by the zoo said the woman was wearing a "large goose down jacket" that got bunched and caught in the cage wire, and the employee was unable to retract her arm fast enough.

The more than 400-pound tiger bit and held onto her outstretched limb, while the unidentified employee struggled to remove it unsuccessfully. A fellow employee managed to help get the tiger off and rendered aid until help arrived.

The woman was airlifted to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City where she underwent surgery several hours later.

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Genomes of big cats revealed

International scientists have mapped the genomes of the tiger, lion and snow leopard, in conservation efforts to protect endangered species.

The research give clues to how big cats evolved to become top predators with superior muscle strength and a carnivorous diet.

The tiger shares 96% of its genes with the house cat, the study in Nature Communications reveals.

Taeguek

Until now, the only cat to have its DNA mapped was the domestic one.

A team led by Yun Sung Cho at the Personal Genomics Institute, Genome Research Foundation in Suwon, South Korea, sequenced the genome of a Siberian tiger.

The individual, Taegeuk, is a nine-year-old male from Everland Zoo in South Korea.

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Man trains tigers to attack him

Animal trainer Randy Miller reckons he's the only man in the world who can withstand a full-scale assault by a 400lb tiger.

Mr Miller, 45, has trained big cat Eden to leap 15 feet and pile-drive him into the ground in an inch-perfect fake tiger attack.

But it's all revealed to be part of their purr-fect double act - as Mr Miller, who trains animals for movies, walks away unharmed.

"If a stranger tried to do this, they would get seriously injured, mauled or even killed," he said.

The father-of-two rears his animals from birth and uses his lifelong bond with them to achieve wild things on the big screen.

At his special training facility in Big Bear, California, he has trained amazing creatures for roles in Transformers 2, The Last Samurai and many other big-screen productions.

"I like using Eden for the staged attack because she comes at me so fast and hits hard, so it's very convincing," he said.

"She's dependable and knows what she's doing, but you still need to be cautious and play your role."

The expert handler's act with predators is so convincing it landed him a top stunt award for his work on Russell Crowe blockbuster Gladiator.

They superimposed Crowe's face onto Randy for a famous scene when main character Maximus was attacked by one of Miller's tigers, Tara, 18, in a Colosseum battle.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Man_trains_tigers_to_attack_him

Cumbria Tiger attack: Sarah McClay dies of her injuries

A zoo worker who was attacked by a tiger has died of her injuries.

Sarah McClay, 24, was attacked by a Sumatran tiger in an enclosure at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, near Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, on Friday.

Det Supt Andrew Flattery from Cumbria Police said its inquiry was centred on "the management of dangerous animals".

David Gill, the park's owner, told BBC Radio 5 live there was "no reason" for Ms McClay to be in the enclosure with the tigers.

Mr Flattery said "systems and protocols" at the park were being investigated.

"At this stage it is not a criminal investigation," he said.

'Inexplicable reasons'

Mr Gill said Ms McClay was a "very experienced" staff member who had worked with big cats and was "proficient and passionate" at her job, but staff should have no direct contact with the tigers.

"We have very strict protocols and procedures for working with big cats, but it seems she failed to follow correct procedures," he said.

"For inexplicable reasons she opened a door and walked into the enclosure.

"We will never know why she entered without telling anyone. There was no reason for her to go in there."

Mr Gill described Ms McClay as a "bubbly, happy girl" and described her death as a "tragedy for her family and all the staff".

He said the attack happened at about 16:00 BST on Friday and he believed it was witnessed by one member of the public.

The park was closed early and all visitors evacuated from the area, but following discussions with investigators and staff a decision had been made to reopen as usual on Saturday.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-22664613

Tiger's Basketball-sized Hairball Removed By Surgeons (VIDEO)

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons in Florida when he couldn't hack up a basketball-size hairball by himself.

The 17-year-old tiger named Ty underwent the procedure Wednesday at a veterinary center in the Tampa Bay area community of Clearwater. Doctors said in a statement that they safely removed the 4-pound obstruction from Ty's stomach.

The tiger, which is cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Seminole, was brought to veterinarians after not eating for nearly two weeks. Doctors said they detected the hairball using a scope with a camera.

Vernon Yates, whose nonprofit group regularly assists law enforcement agencies with seized animals, says he's thankful the hairball was removed and Ty is doing fine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/tigers-basketballsized-ha_n_3322726.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Woman tells of encounter with jungle cat

By CHRIS HUNTER Salina Journal | Monday, April 22, 2013 3:08 AM 

Jenna Krehbiel's first trip to the circus with her family is one she never will forget after she came face to face with a jungle cat in the women's bathroom. 

Krehbiel had finished watching the large cat show during the 7 p.m. show at the Isis Shrine Circus on Saturday at the Salina Bicentennial Centennial Center when she decided to step out go to the bathroom but instead got a close-up view of a tiger she had just seen perform in the arena. 

"I went in to use the bathroom, and a lady came in to get her daughter out and said there was a tiger loose," Krehbiel said. "I didn't know it was in the bathroom, and I walked in the (open) door, which closed right after I had walked in. I saw the tiger; it was at most two feet in front of me, and I turned around calmly and walked back toward the door. Someone opened the door and said get out." 

Krehbiel said the tiger "wasn't the biggest one" performing, but she estimated it was more than 250 pounds. 

"It was the closest I have ever been to a tiger not in a cage," Krehbiel said. "You don't expect to go in a bathroom door, have it shut behind you and see a tiger walking toward you." 

Chris Bird, manager at the Bicentennial Center, said the tiger escaped during the show, and staff quickly barricaded off the concourse. He said the tiger veered off into an open bathroom and a security guard got people out, shut the door behind the tiger and barricaded the door. Krehbiel went in the opposite door. 

Continued: http://www.salina.com/news/tiger-in-bathroom-lady

How does a tiger cross a fence?

March 2013. There has recently been a debate about fencing some tiger reserves in India - Is it good or bad for wildlife? Whatever the debate, if the fences are no good, the debate is academic.

This tiger was seen and photographed leaping the fence that was built around part of Bandhavgarh National Park. It is thought that some tigers have been injured while negotiating this fence. The photos were sent to us by Satyendra Tiwari of Skay's Camp, prompted by the images we published last week of a lynx and kitten passing through a wildlife fence very easily.

In Africa, a debate has just started about the benefits of fencing in some lion populations for their own protection. A recent study seems to show that lions have a better future if separated from humans by fences - The fence keeps humans out of lion habitat, and vice versa, reducing conflict between the species.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-fence.html

Tiger Saved from Barbed Wire in India

by LiveScience Staff

A female wild tiger is recovering at a zoo in India after getting ensnared in a barbed wire fence on a coffee plantation last week. Wildlife officials are commending how the potentially dangerous situation was handled.

The tigress was found on Dec. 4, with its left paw entangled in the fence in the village of Nidugumba in the state of Karnataka. Community members called in authorities, who swooped in to tranquilize the adult cat, untangle it and bring it to the Mysore Zoo. Veterinarians at the zoo are assessing the tiger's injuries, age, and health to make decisions about its future.

Officials with the Wildlife Conservation Society applauded the happy ending, as big cats often injure themselves further when they get stuck and thrash about trying to break free. Such incidents also can sow panic among community members, who might harass or kill the trapped animal and put themselves at risk of injury before authorities are called in. 

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/25465-tiger-rescue-india.html

Tiger Shot Dead After Killing Zookeeper

A tiger has been shot dead after killing a female zookeeper in Germany.

Police said the giant male cat, called Altai, appears to have walked through a gate which was not shut properly at Cologne Zoo.

It got into an adjacent storage building, and mauled the 43-year-old keeper, who later died of her wounds in hospital.

The zoo's director Theo Pagel told how he used a rifle to shoot the four-year-old Siberian tiger through the building's skylight before it could make its way to the visitor areas.

"Today is surely the most terrible day in my career. We have lost a keeper today who was attacked by our male tiger," he added.

"As it appears, it was a question of inadvertence. Out of respect for the family, we will not name the person.

"I was not at the zoo at the time, and I only came later and shot and killed the animal so that we could enter the enclosure and take a look.

"But the employee was already dead."

Police said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the attack which happened at noon on Saturday.

Officers briefly cleared the area, but the zoo later reopened for visitors.

Cologne Zoo was founded in 1860, and is one of the oldest and best-known zoos in the country. It is home to some 10,000 animals from 700 species.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tiger-kills-keeper-german-zoo-120829386.html