Big cats face BIG trouble

People love their cats. From cute photos, to hilarious videos, Gifs and memes shared across social media, we can’t get enough of our favourite fur balls. And yet, life for their wild cousins couldn’t be bleaker.

Recent statistics on big cat numbers

The twenty first century has become an exponentially dangerous place for big cats to be. Of the 40 species of wild cats, roughly 80% are now in serious decline and 25 species are threatened with extinction. This includes some of our most iconic cats that are now in the midst of a desperate struggle for survival.

Lions are now extinct in 26 of the countries they once inhabited. In May 2018, 54 lions were killed in just a few days on a farm in South Africa. There are now more lions on captive farms in South Africa than in the wild there. Males are particularly popular for hunting in Africa and it is estimated that of the 20,000 left in the wild, only 4,500 are male.

Tiger numbers have plummeted by 96.8% in just 20 years

There are also more tigers in captivity in the US than in the wild – around just 3,200 with a 96.8% decline in the last 20 years. Their sharp decline has led the Asian tradition of drinking tiger bone wine to be substituted for lions from South African farms. As tigers become rarer, so more lions are used for their teeth and bones instead. Now the lion population has plummeted, concerns are rising that leopards could be the next substitute in this horrific practice.

When you consider there were more men on the pitch during England’s semi-final loss in the World Cup than there are Amur leopards left in the wild (30), this doesn’t bode well for the future of leopards in Africa and Asia either.

Amur leopards are one of the most endangered species today

Snow leopards are persecuted in their 100s each year and there are estimated to be fewer than 7,500 left in a range of 770,000 square miles in the high mountains of Central Asia, although more recent figures suggest it is less than 7,000. They are now listed as ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. 

Cheetahs are listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List. Searching for exact figures is difficult but popular estimates suggest there are between eight and twelve thousand left, with a small pocket of up to 200 in Iran. Whatever the figure, the fastest animal on land is sprinting straight into extinction. In 2016, numbers in Zimbabwe plunged from 1200 to just 170 in 16 years amidst calls for them to be listed on the IUCN Red List as 'endangered'. 

Cheetahs are sprinting towards extinction thanks to disease, 
the exotic pet trade, poaching and habitat loss

Recently, one of only two jaguars known to inhabit the US was killed and skinned. We are all aware that animals can’t reproduce by themselves. So, these quiet and elusive cats are creeping to extinction in the US in much the same way they move around what’s left of the fragmented rain forests they inhabit.

Key reasons for the demise of big cats

The challenges big cats face for survival have grown over recent decades, becoming more complex and yet just two words are necessary to describe them all: human intervention. 

Mankind has destroyed natural habitat for farming and development, fragmenting the areas big cats inhabit. Farming and deforestation in places like South America has led to sharp decline in jaguar numbers, particularly from soy crops.

The impact of this has created further issues: cats are cut off from their food sources; many are hit by vehicles used as infrastructure develops and routes are built to make farming and trade easier. The closer humans get to these cats, the more incidents of human-wildlife conflict occur. Big cats have large hunting areas and as these areas become fragmented and shrink, their hunting grounds also shrink, hence their available food sources shrink as well.

Human-wildlife conflict has also led to villagers committing retaliatory killings for the loss of cattle; poisonings are particularly popular. Unfortunately, carrion feeders then eating the carcasses are also poisoned, putting many other species at catastrophic risk of extinction, too.

The Asian market for animal parts used in traditional remedies, medicines and jewellery has popularised hunting. The lucrative trade tempts people struggling to survive themselves to turn to poaching. It has caused huge problems across Africa for many years. Yet, in 2016, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) approved the lion bone trade. If big cats can no longer rely on those who are meant to protect them, who can they rely on?

In 2018, South African Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, increased the lion bone quota from 800 to a whopping 1500 skeletons per year in a move that was appallingly avaricious and immoral. There are approx. 8,000 lions on farms in South Africa, used for canned hunting and selling to Asia. But with the quota increase, many more could soon be living in cages waiting to be shot and sold off.

How traditional can these medicines be if animal parts can be easily substituted to make the same products? Traditions can conveniently change to suit personal situations but they now need to change to benefit the cats instead. Medicines from animal parts don’t cure cancer. They are not status symbols. Perhaps the Asian market doesn’t care about scientific facts because if a species becomes extinct, they can charge more for whatever medicine or jewelry is left.

Canned hunting is legal in South Africa where farms claim to conserve the species. Unwitting tourists pay to pet, photo and walk with cats, who, once old enough and more than accustomed to human contact, are easy targets to paying hunters. They are farmed off, shot and their parts are shipped for trade.

In 2018, the lion bone quota in South Africa rose to 1500
skeletons per annum. 

Trophy hunting in Africa is worth millions per year, with thousands paid for just one animal as hunting concessions across Africa are handed out by governments. Whilst many argue that money is put back into conservation, others argue there wouldn’t be a need for so much conservation if lions were not being farmed and hunted to begin with. Recent evidence suggested that only a minuscule percentage of fees paid goes back into local conservation in South Africa.

Climate change has led some species to modify their behaviours as they struggle to cope with changes in their environment. With these apex predators being at the top of the food chain, any changes caused by climate change on other species, means food and water is becoming more difficult to come by, creating cascading issues throughout the chain.

Historically, much of the information we hold on these plummeting declines dates from the 1970s. With numbers deteriorating the way they are, imagine where our big cats be in another 40 years,

What can we do?

There are glimmers of hope for our big cats. Increasing amounts of groups are raising awareness for the big troubles our big cats face. Alicia La Russa of Jaguar and Puma Protection Organisation Facebook page is going to great lengths to bring the plight of big cats into the social media spotlight, but such groups also need your help. Without people taking the time to respond to calls to action, these groups cannot have the full impact they want.

Alicia hopes the words of famous wildlife conservationist, George Adamson, will resonate with us all:

“Who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves? Are there young men and women who are willing to take on this charge? Who will raise their voices, when mine is carried away on the wind, to plead their case?”

Giles Clark is Director of big cats at the  Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent. He has presented several BBC shows about life with big cats and is keen to preserve many species. Throughout 2018, our hearts were melted by the antics of Maya, a black jaguar living at home with Giles and his family. Giles helped to raise awareness of big cats everywhere and Maya is now an ambassador for jaguars. He now hopes to transform the sanctuary into a centre of global excellence for conservation.

Maya has become a poster girl for panthers, like the one pictured, everywhere

Giles is particularly concerned about illegal killings and said: “The illegal wildlife trade is threatening some of our most iconic species with extinction. Every single species plays a vital role within its ecosystem. We are not spectators - we are part of these ecosystems, we need clean air, we need clean water, we need healthy intact habitats. The world would not only be a poorer place without this incredible variation of wildlife, but our own existence could very much depend upon saving it!”

With our beautiful iconic cats in such dire straits - due mainly to human actions - it is now our actions that need to save them. Signing petitions going to governments is an effective best way to action the measures that are needed. Don’t believe you can’t make a difference because you can. You can also follow updates on social media groups, share notifications to raise awareness of issues and join organisations doing their utmost to save big cats. 

Now is the time for governments to be pressured into introducing new laws to stop unethical practices and maximise protection of all big cats. Otherwise, the time will come when the money made from killing our big cats will come to an end. There won’t be any left to kill.