14 DAY TRIAL // Biologists and naturalists have recently determined that big cats, which include the tiger, the leopard, the cheetah, and many others, are very fussy about their environments, and don't take nicely to changes. The new study, which was conducted on cats living in Tanzania, determined that the mammals actually avoided certain areas at all costs, based on their individual preferences, LiveScience reports.
The research hints at the fact that converting forests into farmlands may have a serious, adverse effect on the health of the big-cat populations in the African nation. Surveys of large felines in the area have shown that they avoid farmlands and croplands at all costs, oftentimes traveling for miles to get around them. In several countries in the region, this type of conversion is growing to be more and more common, as people attempt to ensure at least their daily bread. In the process, however, they are inflicting severe damage on the big cats, and environmentalists say that a compromise must be reached.
“Carnivores are generally thought to be relatively tolerant to land conversion, yet our study suggests that they may be more sensitive to development than previously thought, and that protected areas need to be sufficiently large to ensure that these charismatic animals will roam in Tanzania for the decades to come. All species were affected by rivers and habitat[s], and the analysis provides important information relevant to the examination of future impacts of climate change,” Zoological Society of London scientist Nathalie Pettorelli explains.
Keeping track of a large group of animals that is very mobile by definition can be extremely cumbersome, so the researchers have opted for a non-intrusive method. About 400 cameras have been installed at specific locations, along the paths where the animals are known to roam. The instruments could also be operated at night, which has helped scientists infer numerous pieces of information about the felines' nocturnal habits. Details of the team's finds appear in the latest issue of the respected scientific journal Animal Conservation.