News Briefs for the Week of January 6, 2003
By Marcella Durand for Cat Facts
- Santa's Booty in Britain
What kind of presents did Britain's kitties wake up to this Christmas? According to research conducted by The Blue Cross animal welfare charity, at least one cat got a fishing rod.
Pets in the island's north were more likely to receive food treats for Christmas, while pets in the south were more likely to get a new toy. Londoners are apparently Grinches when it comes to their pets, with the lowest number (46 percent) of pet owners buying a present for their cat or dog. The most generous pet owners were between 25 and 34 years old. Most of this group not only bought their pet a gift, but spent more money while they were at it.
While women were more likely to buy a present for kitty, men who bought gifts spent more money. Over a quarter of men spent 10 British pounds (almost $20) or more -- more than twice the national average, which was 4 British pounds.
Some pet owners got specific in describing what they bought their pet. In addition to the fishing rod, some lucky cat got a "little mouse that sticks on the wall," another got a guitar, and an unidentified (species-wise, that is) animal got a paper mache dog cocking its leg. Now that's something to sink your claws into!
- Understanding the Elusive Mountain Lion
Stories about often-deadly human-mountain lion confrontations in California have become more and more common, as human development pushes even farther into traditional mountain lion territory.
In an effort to understand the complex relations between mountain lions, humans, deer, and bighorn sheep, the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is coordinating the first study of how the four species interact. Researchers from UC Davis will work with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and the Zoological Society of San Diego in an area in southern California that covers about 100 miles, including Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, which has been the site for a number of human-lion confrontations the past few years.
As part of the study, radio collars will be put on mountain lions and deer so their movements can be tracked (bighorn sheep in the area already have radio collars). Researchers will also set up infrared and 35mm cameras near trails and campgrounds to observe lion behavior near areas of human activity. The researchers hope to get an idea of how many mountain lions are out there, as well as how big their home ranges and what their seasonal movements are. They also hope to find out how often mountain lions prey on deer and bighorn sheep.
"Southern California, with its diverse wildlife and rapidly expanding human population, is the ideal spot to look for answers for how people and wildlife can co-exist," says Walter Boyce, co-director of the Wildlife Health Center at UC Davis. Apparently, such answers are sorely needed. Says Steven Torres, the senior wildlife biologist for the CDFG, "As more and more people move into mountain lion habitat, we would expect to see increased lion-human encounters... For that reason, the data we're gathering here will have applications elsewhere."
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