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Magical Summit Bengals, located in Canastota, NY, have a litter of silver spotted and brown spotted bengal kittens available. They will be ready to go to new homes from July 7 onwards. Kittens will be TICA registered and come with a health guarantee. They will also be dewormed and have their fist vaccination. See breeder listing for further details and photos.

We’d like to welcome JungleKatz Bengals as new advertisers to the website. JungleKatz are located in Lincoln, California, and currently have a brown rosetted female bengal kitten available. She has an excellent pedigree, will be TICA registered and will be able to go to a new forever home from June 28. See breeder listing for more photos, pedigree info and contact details.

In Kenya, environmentalists are worried that an insecticide is being used by farmers to kill lions and other big cat predators. Carbofuran is a very powerful and toxic insecticide. When spread in the soil, it destroys bugs in the ground and is drawn up by plants and kills insects which feed on the sap or foliage. It is so powerful and toxic that it has been banned throughout Europe. In the US, it can’t be used in granular form, and the US Environmental Protection Agency is seeking a total ban. But in Kenya, carbofuran can be bought across the counter without restriction. According to world-famous naturalist Dr Richard Leakey, it is being bought not by farmers wanting to control bugs and insects, but mainly by herdsmen who use it to kill lions, leopards and other predators.

Among the latest incidents two lions were poisoned and killed in the Maasai Mara game reserve after eating the carcass of a hippo that had ingested carbofuran. One of the lions was shot to bring a quick end to its suffering. Another lion died a few months ago from carbofuran poisoning on a private ranch in Laikipia. In November last year, a dead camel was apparently found laced with carbofuran near Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The result was the death of at least two lions and 15 vultures which feasted on the carcass. Also near Lewa, several lions from the nearby Samburu Wildlife Reserve were poisoned; again, it is thought carbofuran was responsible.

There are many other cases throughout Kenya of predators dying after eating meat contaminated with the chemical. Dr Leakey says carbofuran is “deadly poisonous” and he has called for it to be banned in Kenya. “It’s become known in rural communities in Kenya as an easy way to get rid of predators: lions, leopards and hyenas,” he says. Dr Leakey says his research shows that Furadan, the trade name of the biggest-selling carbofuran insecticide in Kenya, is being bought not by farmers but by pastoralists who do not have any land for growing crops, and use the chemical to kill lions and leopards which threaten their herds.

There is no record for the number of predators killed in Kenya by poisoning, but many naturalists believe carbofuran is responsible for thousands of deaths, not just of big cats but all carrion eaters.
Simon Thomsett, a world renowned expert on vultures, eagles and other birds of prey, says there has been a “dramatic drop-off in the number of birds of prey in the past few years”, and the finger of blame is being pointed at carbofuran. He gives the example of 187 vultures that died when they fed on a carcass of an animal that was apparently laced with the deadly poison in an area by the Athi River. Simon Thomsett says the poison cannot be detected when sprinkled on the carcass and is very fast to act. “I literally saw vultures dropping out of the sky just a few minutes after they had eaten the poisoned meat,” he said.

Carbofuran comes in granular form, tiny dust-like purple pellets. The container warns that it should be kept “locked away out of reach of children”, but there is not a word on the label about a potential threat to wildlife. Kenya’s Pest Control and Products Board is carrying out research into carbofuran’s dangers and toxicity, and say it is too early to come to a conclusion.

Dr Leakey says the evidence is there for all to see. His worries are shared by Thomas Manyibe, a vet with the Kenya Wildlife Service who carried out post-mortem tests on the lions that were killed in the Masai Mara. He says evidence shows that carbofuran is being used to target lions and leopards.

On the edge of the Maasai Mara a young herdsman, Ndigwa, said he lost many cows every year to lions and leopards, but he said he would never resort to poison to take revenge on the predators.Others do not hesitate. Carbofuran comes from a number of different overseas suppliers, but the main producer is the US firm FMC Corporation.

The company said in a statement: “We take stewardship of our products very seriously and condemn any intentional baiting misuse of carbofuran. FMC is very concerned about reports of carbofuran (Furadan) being used to bait lions in Kenya and we have offered our services to the Kenya Pest Control Products Board in their investigation.”

Concerns about the use of carbofuran are not new. Fifteen years ago there were a number of cases of mass killings of birds in western Kenya; what is lacking is a comprehensive record of predators killed by poisoning. There is lots of circumstantial evidence but few hard facts. Detailed information is elusive, affected animals often disappear into the bush to die, and the evidence is then eaten by other carnivores.

Vets and wildlife rangers were called to watch the pathetic sight of the lions staggering and weakened from the effects of the poison.

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to St. Mary’s Bengals as new advertisers to the website. St Mary’s are located in Brent Pelham in Hertfordshire. They currently have a litter of silver spotted and brown spotted bengal kittens for sale, which will be ready to go to forever homes on the 07th July. Kittens will be fully vaccinated, insured, registered etc.

We would like to welcome Village Cattery as new advertisers on the website. Village are located in Schaumburg, Illinois, and currently have a litter of brown rosetted and silver rosetted bengal kittens available. They will be ready to go to new homes in early August. For further details, photos and contact info, view  the breeder listing.

“Tiger bone wine” is still being made and sold by some animal parks in China, say campaigners.

The Environmental Investigation Agency says staff at two parks offered to sell the drink, made from carcasses soaked in rice wine, to its researchers.

The trade in parts of the endangered species has been subject to an international ban since 1987, and has been outlawed in China since 1989. Despite global conservation efforts, tiger numbers continue to decline.

There are an estimated to be 3,500-7,500 tigers left in the wild, compared with roughly 100,000 at the start of the 20th Century.

The UK-based NGO said its investigators found that the wine, deemed to be a health tonic to treat conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism, was being openly advertised at the parks. Staff said the wine was made from tigers that had died after fighting with other big cats at the venues. One park produced what they said was a government permit that allowed the sale of the tiger-derived wine on the premises, but the EIA researchers said it was not possible to verify whether the permit was genuine.

The EIA said a senior worker, when questioned by its researchers, said that she was aware that the tigers were a protected species and trading of any part of the animals “in the open market” was prohibited. But the agency said that she went on to explain that the permit allowed “closed market” sales of the wine; in other words, it could be sold from the park’s premises.

Debbie Banks, head of the EIA’s tiger campaign, called on the Chinese authorities to close down the illegal trade. “We want other parks with similar tiger attractions to be investigated to see how widespread this tiger-bone wine-making practice is,” she said. “We also want the authorities to give a clear message to the business community that this illegal trade will not be tolerated.”

Conservationists estimate that tigers now only occupy just 7% of their historical range, primarily as a result of habitat loss, hunting and poaching.
They believe that there are just 2,500 breeding adults left in the wild and without more resources made available to protect the animals, the cats face an uncertain future.

Since the 1980s, a number of “tiger farms” have been set up in China. These establishments are believed to house about 5,000 captive tigers, possibly more than remain in the wild.

During last year’s high-level summit of the global Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), the Chinese delegation raised the possibility of ending its domestic ban in order to allow the use of farmed tiger parts.

They argued that this would prove to be the most sustainable option because it would satisfy the demand from traditional medicine practitioners without threatening the wild tiger population.

Although this approach was supported by some conservation groups, others warned that it would undermine efforts by the Chinese government to curb poaching.

They said that it would be cheaper to kill a wild tiger than to rear a captive one, and it would be very difficult to tell the difference between the two.

“Lifting the ban would increase demand and lead to a surge in poaching,” said Ms Banks. “It would be far too easy to launder their skins, bones and parts among those from legalised tiger farms. This would effectively declare an open season on wild tigers.”

Northern Sumatra: Non-governmental organizations have recently alledged that the police and military are  systematically involved in the illegal trade of endangered species in northern Sumatra.

They said that police and military officers were involved in the transportation of animals such as the Sumatran tiger and anteater found in protected forests in Riau, North Sumatra and Aceh, via Medan and on to other countries.

A spokesperson for the Non-governmental organizations - (the International Leuser Foundation, Flora Fauna International, Leuser Ecosystem Foundation, Conservation International and Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Program) - said that transporting the animals was impossible without escort by security authorities.

He mentioned the arrest in late May of an Army sergeant major in Tiga Binanga, Karo regency, while escorting a consignment of Sumatran tiger skins to Medan, believed to be poached from the Leuser National Park in Aceh.

“Investigating police said the tiger skins were to be supplied to a local trader in Tiga Binanga for Rp 13 million each,”  he said, but this was foiled by local police with help from the general public. He added that NGOs have detected the long-term involvement of security officers in the illegal trade. “But it has been very difficult to arrest them because they are powerful,” .

He said the Sumatran tiger was found in the Leuser National Park but the population has drastically fallen and that the seaports of Belawan and Tanjung Balai were believed to be used to take tiger skins and parts out of the country to the international market.

Fitri, a staff member of the Natural Resources Conservation Center, agreed and said there were many hidden tracks in Belawan and Tanjung Balai which could be used to bring the endangered tigers to Malaysia and Singapore.

The intensive poaching of endangered species in Sumatra is prompted by high demand in the international market, Fitri said, “And we are running short of staff to supervise the protected forests which have been their habitats.”

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has frequently reported on the prevalent poaching of the Sumatran tiger to the annual meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, representing key wildlife protection stakeholders, but the trade has persisted due to increased demand in Southeast Asia for skins and parts.

It is thought that at least 66 Sumatran tigers have been killed in the last two years.

The tiger trade is flourishing in countries like Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. Local laws have been established to protect the animals but are not effectively enforced, the WWF said.

Over the past 100 years, tiger numbers have dwindled. At the start of the 20th century more than 100,000 wild tigers roamed the Earth. Now with poaching decimating their numbers and extensive logging destroying their habitat, fewer than 7,500 remain. Environmentalists fear that by the end of this century, no tigers will remain in the wild.

On Monday June 09th, The World Bank Group, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the International Tiger Coalition join forces with scientists and celebrities to increase international action to reverse the alarming decline in wild tiger numbers. This new Tiger Conservation Initiative will be launched at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C.

The symposium, Tiger Conservation - Moving from Lessons Learnt Towards a Winning Strategy, will highlight the work of many well-known tiger experts in a number of tiger range states from Russia to Nepal. It will focus on Lessons in Conservation and Development and Lessons in Trade, Governance and Finance. The afternoon will conclude with an expert panel discussing concrete next steps
towards a winning conservation strategy. These discussions will mark an important first step in outlining an action plan for the Bank and its partners to save wild tigers and their wild lands.

Basildon, Essex, UK: Cinnamonpaws Bengals have a snow spotted female bengal kitten for sale (high quality pet). She is described as having “beautiful markings and an adorable personality”. She will be ready to go to her new3 home on June 28th. Further information can be found on the breeder listing.

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom: Diana Mills has a kitter of snow spotted bengal kittens available for sale. They will be ready to go to forever homes at the end of July 2008 and will be registerede, insured and vaccinated.