Although at the top of the food chain, “apex predators" such as tigers, jaguars, and mountain lions face threats as varied as poachers, habitat destruction, and climate change. We’ll sit down with a leading expert to talk about this, how his efforts tie into a broader conservation movement, and the big cats in our own backyards.
GUEST:
- Alan Rabinowitz - a zoologist, conservationist, field biologist, and the CEO of Panthera, an organization devoted to preserving big cat and their ecosystems around the globe.
*Alan will be speaking at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center's Summer Celebration event this Saturday. More details and pre-registration information can be found here.
LINKS:
- Check out a photo slideshow of Alan Rabinowitz's work herefrom On Being.
- Introductory video about Panthera:
Big cats are surprisingly able to share landscape w/ humans: how many people have seen the bobcats living in our backyards? @DrRabinowitz
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014
Although the E Mtn Lion is extinct, mountain lion populations from out west have very likely been spreading east @DrRabinowitz @PantheraCats
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014
On a practical level, saving big cats & their ecosystems protects human life as well- @PantheraCats Alan Rabinowitz. http://t.co/Lo984tD3K3
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014
Despite threats to their livelihood, local populations are supportive of saving big cats: part of culture, landscape http://t.co/Lo984tD3K3
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014
Even if people aren't hunting big cats themselves, they often hunt the animals cats depend on for food- @DrRabinowitz http://t.co/Lo984tD3K3
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014
Of all the big cats, #tigers are in the most dire shape: 3K left in the wild, w/ only 2% of their historical habitat. http://t.co/Lo984tD3K3
— The Exchange (@NHPRExchange) August 7, 2014