In the spotlight: Sony Alpha 900 Canon EOS 5D Mk II Nikon D700 FX Download Nero for free

Some of our pets can become heroes or -at least- be more unusual than we would think. The Pet Blog collected a series of astonishing histories about cats high moments, like:

• Oscar a.k.a. “Unsinkable Sam”
• Simon, of the Royal Navy
• The Alamo Cat
• Fred, the undercover secret agent
• Tama, train station master

Source: The Pet Blog.

Did you ever see cheetah cubs? Here are six of them in one single video.

I recently noticed (in the ads appearing in my web site; some are quite good) the web site of the Jaguar Research Center. I went in October 2007 to Brazil, in Pantanal, at the heart of the Jaguar Research Center. So, I wanted to give a small feedback about this experience.

This is certainly the location where it is easier to find jaguars, these large felines from South America. If you want to see these very discreet animals, you’d better contact the Jaguar Research Center or one of the travel agents that can send you there (like Objectif Nature, my preferred French travel agent for photo-nature trips).

I have to admit that the jaguar being very shy and despite the high concentration of these big cats in Pantanal, it is somewhat difficult to find them: In October 2007, our photo group did not see it once in three days (even if the trackers and a boat of the supporting organisation saw it nearly every day).

All in all, it’s not so desperate even for a photographer like me who was really willing to catch a few fur spots on the digital sensor of my camera. Along with the flagship feline of the South American continent, this zone is a marvellous water paradise, with the Cuiaba, wide Brazilian river, and many calm locations to observe birds and other animals.

So, I heartily recommend the Jaguar Research Center and I will probably return to JRC -with the hope of finally meeting some free jaguars. And their web site is very nice.

Found on Tretrapod Zoology, a series of articles about prehistoric felines among which one can find big cats like lions, pumas, jaguars, cougars, cheetahs or leopards on continents where they totally disappeared later.

• Europe, where the sabre-tooths, lions and leopards are
• Pumas of South Africa, cheetahs of France, jaguars of England

The Marwell Zoo in Hampshire (United Kingdom) is proud to be the location of birth for a marvelously nice kitten: 14 weeks, already some impressive teeth and not yet a name.

It was just a few days ago that the small big cat has been autorized to go out (under the attention of its mother Asha) and to be seen by the public.

The event was even more significant because this is probably the feline whose disparition is the nearest. Originating in Eastern Siberia (near the Korean border), the species seems to only have 35 females left (and a few more males) and that will certainly not be enough to ensure the survival of the species in the wild.

Source: Daily Mail.

It’s really sad, but jaguars are on the brink of extinction nearly everywhere in the American continent. Normally, this should justify to start a few positive actions to protect them. But not for the American administration. According to Nature:

The US government will not attempt to save jaguars from extinction within the formal system of the Endangered Species Act… [Cats seen in the US in recent years] do not justify a formal “recovery plan”. The agency says that it will instead work on behalf of the endangered cat with other countries south of the border that comprise the rest of the animal’s range.

Thanks G.W.Bush ! The future will remember this too.