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Sections:

Feline Conservation Federation News and Events………..…..… 2

Learning about the Cats…Andean Cat.... 3

Efforts to Save the Wild Cats……...........5

Feline Fun …........… 7

Wild Cat Fan Page……….….…… 8

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.

FOR KIDS and YOUTH

The Future Protectors of the World’s Wild Cats

July/Aug 2011 · Volume 1, Issue 3

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2011 FCF Convention Issue

This newsletter is all about the 2011 FCF Convention. This was a great event for animal lovers of all ages. Everyone there got to see and hold all kinds of animals from cats to monkeys to kangaroos. There were cats and monkeys that members brought with them to the convention. Then on Friday, everyone got on a bus to visit two animal parks where they got to see more animals. Some of the animals at the second park were even brought out for people to see. Then on Saturday, adults and youth learned about wild cats. To learn more about the convention,

see the FCF News and Events on the next page.

In this issue, you will find facts about one of the cats that were at convention: the Geoffroy’s cat. After reading about them, try answering the questions on the fun

page to read a special message.

You will also learn about one of the speeches given at the convention on Saturday while the youth were having their own class. The speech called “Don’t

eat the shrimp” given by Dr. Jim Sanderson tells about three wild cats: fishing cat, flat-headed cat, and Andean cat.

Also, see the entry for the Youth contest on the Wild Cat Fan Page.

Kids playing in pool

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The 2011 FCF Convention was held in Orlando, Florida June 9-11, 2011 and was an amazing time as always! There were old friends to catch up with and new friends to meet, including animals to see, play with and learn about. There were Geoffroy’s cats, Canada lynx, servals, a tiger cub and other animals.

Serval kitten

On Wednesday, many people took either the FCF Husbandry Course or the Wildlife Educators Course. Any kids or youth who haven’t taken the courses are urged to sign up.

Tiger cub

Kangaroo at Joel Slaven’s Li Quan holding Geoffroy’s kitten

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

FELINE CONSERVATION FEDERATION NEWS AND EVENTS

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On Thursday, adults and kids made toys for big cats that were given to the animals at the parks the next day.

On Friday, everyone visited two amazing local animal parks: Dade City’s Wild Things and Joel Slaven’s Animal Adventures! Animals were brought out at both the Sterns’ park and Joel’s place for everyone to see and touch. Making enrichment (toys) for big cats

Later Joel Slaven gave the FCF registered animal handlers (those who have been working with cats for at least a year) a special animal training session. While some watched the training, others gathered for a barbeque. Then they all took turns getting an air boat ride. Saturday’s line up of speakers for the adults was equally interesting! There was a good variety of topics discussed. One speaker was Li Quan, who is working to save the tigers in China.

Getting air boat ride While the adults were listening to the speakers, the kids all went to the Kids Club for the day to learn about wild cats and how they are different from domestic cats. They were given tee shirts to wear and had fun activities to do! Watch for the next issue to learn more!

Saturday night’s banquet proved to be an equally good time! Besides the good food and the auction, there was an African themed band that enjoyed getting people to go up to the front and making them dance in front of everyone! Everyone laughed at that! African themed band from Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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LEARNING ABOUT THE WILD CATS

Geoffroy’s cat Leopardus geoffroyi

Weight: 7-15 lbs Body Length: 24-44 in. Tail Length: 9-14 in. Lifespan: 18 yrs Habitat: woodland, forests, savannas, desert, grassland, marshes Range: SE Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Southern Brazil, Uraguay Diet: rodents, viscachas, hares, birds, fish and frogs Behavior: Solitary (live alone) nocturnal (up nights) Breeding: October - March Gestation: 72-78 days # of Babies: 1-4 Sexual Maturity: 18-24 mo

Status: Near Threatened; CITES Appendix I

* Geoffroy’s cats are great climbers and can climb any direction in a tree.

* Geoffroy’s cats are thought to be the closest relative to the guina.

* The Geoffroy’s cat is the only short-haired cat that can live so far from the equator.

* The Geoffroy’s cat can live or adapt to many different types of weather and places, making it more likely to survive in this ever-changing world.

* The diet of a Geoffroy’s cat varies depending on where it lives. They eat mainly small rodents and some birds in Argentina. In Chile, the main diet is rodents, viscachas, and hares, and in southern South America their main diet is hares since viscachas are extinct there.

* Threats include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation (dividing up the area where they live), and being killed in retaliation.

* They often stand up on their hind legs to get a better view.

* It is also called the Geoffroy’s ocelot (likely from its spots) or gato montes (mountain cat).

* The Geoffroy’s cat is named after Eitenne Geoffroy St. Hilaire, a French Naturalist (someone that studies animals and plants) who classified it as a new species of cat.

For more information about the Geoffroy’s cat, visit the FCF website.

Geoffroy’s cat © Jungle Encounters

Geoffroy’s kitten © Jungle Encounters

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“Don’t Eat the Shrimp” By Jim Sanderson, Ph. D

During the 2011 FCF Convention, Jim Sanderson of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation talked

about the fishing cat, flat-headed cat, and Andean cat and why we are in danger of losing them forever and what can be done about it. In order to save these cats, we must work to find out and reduce the causes for their declining numbers.

Fishing cat Flat-headed cat Andean Cat

Those at the FCF convention learned that the main reason for the decline of the fishing cat in Thailand is shrimp farms (ponds where shrimp are raised for food). Fishing cats are losing their homes because their swamps are being dug up to make these shrimp farms. New shrimp farms have to be dug every 6 years because they get so dirty that they can no longer be used. Then the old ones are left behind. Not only are fishing cat losing their homes due to the shrimp farms, but they are also being killed by people whenever they go near these farms. Jim also explained that while the fishing cat is losing its home due to shrimp farms, the flat-headed cat is losing its home due to palm oil plantations (farms).

Shrimp farm Palm oil plantation

What is being done to help save the fishing cat and flat-headed cat? First, conservationists (those working to save the cats) are teaching people about what shrimp farms and palm oil plantations are doing to these cats and why they need to stop buying shrimp that comes from Thailand and food with palm oil in it so there is no longer a need for these farms. They are also working to turn the shrimp farms that are no longer used back into mangrove swamps for the fishing cat.

At the end of the speech, Jim updated everyone

about his new Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center in Chile that is shown here which you learned about in the March/April newsletter.

All photos © Jim Sanderson

EFFORTS TO SAVE THE WILD CATS

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FELINE FUN - Geoffroy’s Cat Trivia Questions 1. Living among trees in the forest, Geoffroy’s cats are able to perform what activity well?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 1 2

2. Geoffroy’s cats prefer to live alone or are what?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 3 4 3. In Chile, the main diet of the Geoffroy’s cat is

hares, rodents and what?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 5 6 7 8

4. What is another name for the Geoffroy’s cat?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___’ ___ 9 10 11 12 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

13 14 15

5. In southern South America, the Geoffroy’s cat’s main diet is hares because the viscachas are ___?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 16 17 18 19

6. Geoffroy’s cats are classified as what under the IUCN?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 20 21 22 23 24

7. A Geoffroy’s cat sleeps during the day and is up during the night, which is called being what?

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 25 26 27

8. Threats to the Geoffroy’s cat include habitat loss and habitat ___.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 28 29 30 31

9. The Geoffroy’s cat can live or ___ to many different climates and places. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 32 MESSAGE: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ____ ___ 7 13 32 9 19 26 6 22 16 4 10 27 23 3 ! 1 15 18 5 29 25 21 2 11 31 24 14 17 30 12 20 8 28

Spirit the Geoffroy’s cat © Jungle Encounters

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WILD CAT FAN PAGE Entry for the Youth Class contest at the FCF Convention

Send your art, poems, and articles to: Email to Youth@FelineConservation.org

OR Fax to 508-278-4316

Answers to Fun Page: 1. CLIMB 2. SOLITARY 3. VISCACHAS 4. GEOFFROY’S OCELOT 5. EXTINCT 6. NEAR THREATENED 7. NOCTURNAL 8. FRAGMENTATION MESSAGE: Hope to see you at convention next year!

LENA TRAN 1st Grade