# Wikijunior:Big Cats/In danger of extinction

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## Extinction is Forever

!A photo of an extinct Bali
tiger Some big cats
throughout history have become extinct because they were replaced with
newer species better suited to the environment. The Sabretooth
(*Smilodon fatalis*) is one example of a large Ice-Age predator that
died out because the large prey it needed retreated with the glaciers.
Pumas and jaguars now roam where the mighty Sabertooth once ruled.
Natural extinction is part of the grand drama of life on Earth. However,
many more cat species are in danger of dying out due to unnatural
extinction, the killing of an entire species by man for reasons having
nothing to do with fitness for survival. These species are not replaced
with newer ones, their death merely leaves a hole in the fabric of life
on Earth.

## Predation

Many big cats have been killed because they either compete with humans
for the same prey animals or because they occasionally attack
human-raised livestock. Some big cats that become too weak to hunt their
own natural prey find domestic livestock much simpler to acquire. Other
big cats develop a taste for livestock out of sheer opportunity. There
are times when control of individual predators, through moving or
killing, appear to be justified. However there is a much more dangerous
approach to predator control where an entire population or even an
entire species is classified as a \"pest\" and open to *extermination*.

Extermination is an attempt to kill every last individual of a
population or species. There were times when pumas were targeted for
extermination in large areas of the American west. Bobcats and jaguars
have also been targets of extermination. These days most governments in
the world agree that extermination is not a good way to control cats,
but sometimes local peoples ignore laws designed to protect species from
extermination.

## Sport Hunting

The majority of people in western countries no longer give big game
hunters the same respect they once held in the writings of Ernest
Hemmingway. The cheetah, which was once abundant in India, was hunted to
complete extinction there. The Mughal emperor Akbar killed nearly 1000
cheetahs during his lifetime when the number of cheetahs was already
declining. The Asian lion met with the same fate.

Most outdoorsmen no longer seek trophies for their mantles and entrance
halls. However, a number of people still consider locating, outwitting,
and defeating large predators to be the ultimate test of courage and a
satisfying form of enjoying the out of doors. This practice is losing
popularity, though. In all fairness, it should be said that sport
hunters support laws and practices that benefit wildlife.

In the United States, wildlife populations have increased within the
past century. This is largely due to funds generated via an excise tax
on hunting equipment known as the Pittman-Robertson Act. In addition,
sportsmen contribute hundreds of millions of dollars each year to
wildlife conservation through sporting organizations that benefit all
wildlife.

## Poaching

People who defy existing laws to kill predators for money, animal parts,
or personal reasons are called poachers. As outlaws, many poachers are
dangerous people who are willing to protect their livelihood through
violent means. Famous conservation leaders George Adamson and Diane
Fossey were killed by poachers who saw them as a threat. Stopping
poaching is very difficult because most big cat habitat is remote land
that is difficult to patrol and exists in some of the world\'s poorest
countries without many law enforcement resources. The most effective way
to curb poaching is to reduce the demand for the products they provide.

## Folk Medicines

A number of people believe, without any scientific evidence, that folk
medicines made from parts of big cats can treat or even cure certain
illnesses and conditions. Belief in sympathetic magic, that
like-causes-like, leads people to seek the attributes they most admire
about big cats by using parts of their bodies. People seeking courage,
strength, or a greater capacity for physical intimacy attempt to acquire
those things through eating, drinking, applying or wearing parts of the
animals that are supposed to possess those traits. For nearly everything
supposedly treatable with feline folk medicines, there are effective,
safe and proven remedies available in modern medicine.

## The Fur Trade

The soft, warm, boldly patterned *pelts* (skins with fur) of big cats
were long considered the ultimate expression of fashion and
extravagance. Even today, most fashion items made with real fur come
from carnivores such as bobcats and mink. Those legal for sale are
produced from animals raised on fur farms rather than taken from the
wild. The vast majority of natural leopard, ocelot, lynx and jaguar furs
are banned on the international market by laws protecting endangered
species.

## Habitat Loss

!Habitat loss is the silent
killer Habitat
loss is the silent killer. An animal\'s habitat is an area where it can
live, and for most large predators that means cover, adequate prey,
freedom of movement, and water. Due to their predatory lifestyle, most
big cats require large areas of land without many manmade barriers where
they can hunt and raise young unmolested.

Uncontrolled development of wild areas, including such wasteful
practices as slash-and-burn agriculture, reduce the number of places
where big cats can survive and thrive. To some degree protected areas
known as Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries help preserve endangered species
habitat.

However in many poor countries there is not adequate law enforcement to
prevent poaching or illegal development of land inside park boundaries.
In addition, animals need more land than the human race can afford to
protect in parks.

More enlightened use of habitat by man can increase the number of big
cats and preserve their genetic diversity. For instance, a timber
plantation can provide both high quality wood and habitat for predators
and their prey. Using *sustainable management* techniques, land can
provide a never-ending source of quality wood products while continuing
to preserve wildlife.

## It Is Up To You

As someone interested in big cats, you can make your love of big cats
known through the way you vote, your lifestyle, and your charitable
giving. Governments can only do so much to help stop extinction. For big
cats to be saved, they must be saved by all of us working together.
Learn what you can do about the challenges facing your favorite animals,
and get involved. Always remember: \"We appreciate what we understand
and save what we appreciate.\"

Cats
 de:Wikijunior Großkatzen/ Die Gefahr des
Aussterbens
