TigerLi Blog

WHAT GOES AROUND…

2009-05-26T12:26:00.003+01:00

-Ruth Padel vs. Derek Walcott and Me
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8067432.stm

A few years ago, a nice young British college graduate who was volunteering at our Laohu Valley Reserve, asked me if I knew someone named Ruth Padel. That name rang a bell, but I simply could not place her. Then the young chap told me that this Padel person had written about me in her book, and showed me the book he was reading... Oh Yes, of course! The memories came back. My Goodness, she has written the book! I had totally forgotten about her and the book she was planning to write.

I told the nice young chap enthusiastically that I had not only met her, but had invited her home and cooked her a Chinese dinner, and that my husband and I talked to her extensively about our project, after she had contacted me out of the blue. I wanted to help her since she was writing a book about tigers, and I was delighted to be of service to her, also out of respect for Darwin, who appeared to be Padel’s great-great-grandfather, having been born a staunch Darwinian myself in China. I happily offered to help her making contacts in China, should she need, for her book research.

After that dinner at our apartment, I no longer heard from Padel, except one occasional message to ask my help in making contact for her in China. I wondered for some time what had become of her book but firmly believed she was no longer writing it, since I was convinced she would have let me know about it. And I certainly would buy a copy in support of her and the tigers.

Now, seeing Padel’s book in the hands of this volunteer, I was quite excited and asked him if I could have a quick read of the section about me. The young chap appeared reluctant but hesitantly said “yes”, adding somewhat embarrassingly that the book was not very positive about me. My heart dropped. What could I have possibly said or done to be written about negatively by Ms. Padel? All I had given her was kindness and generosity in support of her work, for the sake of tigers. I told the young volunteer that I really would not mind criticism, particularly constructive ones. And I am also used to malicious personal attacks on me, by the likes of Judy Mills of Conservation International, for example, in a Wall Street Journal article a few years ago. I am strong enough to handle whatever nonsense possibly written about me in Padel’s book.

The young chap reluctantly handed the book “Tigers in Red Weather” to me, adding that he had been in our project for the past few weeks and he loved it, and that he strongly believed what we were doing is not only fantastic, but the right thing to do for the South China Tigers. I was grateful for him, since what I subsequently read in Padel’s book made me seethe with anger.

Padel has not only misrepresented facts about our project, but attacked me with such sarcasm as if she held grudges against me personally. For example, she said in her book: “Li Quan’s ideas were inspired by captive predators trained to hunt to camera”. This could not be further from truth and at minimum was twisting of my words by Padel. She knew what I was trying to do was inspired by what China was already doing at Meihuashan Chinese Tiger Rehabilitation project. In fact, she asked my assistance to make arrangements to visit Meihuashan after I had told her about it. All I attempted was trying to do the same in a more professional manner in a country with more conservation expertise and more wildlife resources to give the South China Tigers a head start in their rewilding training.

Another example, she wrote: “Save China’s Tigers scheme seems glamorous. There is money and publicity in it”. I wonder where Ms. Padel had seen money and publicity? My husband and I spent millions of our personal savings on the project, without a single cent of return, all because we believe that saving the cultural symbol of China - the King of Beasts, is not only good for restoring the eco-systems, but also conducive to saving the traditional cultural values of China. To date, unlike many big NGOs, we have not spent a cent on hiring PR, either in-house or external, and we gained good publicity through our actions and dedication to our goal. Yet Padel saw money and publicity in her eyes.

She wrote that I “seemed to have ignored the world’s top scientific advice. She may release a few tigers in a closed reserve but this will have nothing to do with conservation and will never lead to a viable wild population. It seemed a terrible waste of enormous tiger funds”. Wait a minute, didn’t I tell you, Ms. Padel, we can not save the Chinese tiger as a whole, if we don’t save the first few to start with? Didn’t we tell you, the tiger funds came from our savings, not from other donor agencies since the big NGOs had already pronounced the South China Tiger dead or not worth saving? Didn’t I tell you the reason we are attempting this innovative conservation project is because the big NGO’s are doing nothing to save the South Chinese tiger except criticise the efforts of those who are? Didn’t I tell you we did not want to give our money to these big NGOs as we see little action from them in saving the tigers and see huge expenses on marketing, administration and PR?

She wrote that “Li Quan also wants to change the name of the South China Tiger to Zhonggauo Hu. Zhonggauo means ‘Middle Kingdom’, the formal name for China: that name would make it simply ‘Chinese Tiger’. Excluding China’s other tigers, the real wild tigers of China today.” And that “I had seen with Wang and Cao how effective that plan would be. (The Chinese tiger - of course!) Her English press releases have subtly switched from ‘South Chinese Tigers’ to ‘Chinese Tigers (also named the South China Tiger)’. I don’t want to be nit picking, but Zhonggauo should be spelled Zhongguo. Secondly, I don’t blame Ms. Padel for failing to know that Zhongguo is also Zhongguo in informal term, since it is Chinese for China. Third, but not last, despite her extensive research, it is sad to see that Ms. Padel still has not learned that the term of the “Chinese Tiger” is not my invention, but has been used by the conservation community to distinguish it from other tigers, such as the Indian (Bengal) Tiger.

She also called our goal to release rewilded tigers back to China’s natural environment during the time of the 2008 Olympic Games and my effort to get the tiger adopted as its Mascot “a sick joke”. Never mind how much this sounded like what Ms. Judy Mills said in the Wall Street Journal Article, branding our effort “a circus side show”. It also goes to show how little she really cared about conservation, since in my opinion, anyone who wants to do something for conservation (never mind those who are spending huge amount of their own savings to do so) and any effort by any person to help the planet should be encouraged, particularly when there are only a small percentage of people who are taking actions to protect nature, and when the species are disappearing at a far greater rate than at any other time in history.

I bought Ruth Padel’s book upon returning to London. I looked at it from time to time. I wanted to keep on reminding myself that our project had not been easy and will continue to face challenges, particularly political ones like this. I will have to grind my teeth, bear the humiliation and continue fighting for the tigers and prove the nay-sayers wrong, as I cant afford to engage in a costly legal battle to get Padel’s publisher to withdraw her book from the shelf despite her misrepresentations of our project.

All these old memories resurfaced today, when I saw the news on BBC “Oxford poet 'sorry' over vote row”. Guess things do come back around?!

Why Why Why?!

2009-05-21T11:48:00.006+01:00

It puzzles me more and more that Cathay has still not come into estrus. Over eight months have passed since she was separated from her sons JenB and Coco. We have been informed by various sources on the estimated time it would take for a tigress to come into estrus after separation from her cubs. Shanghai Zoo, with one of two largest breeding population of South China Tigers in China, said it normally takes two to three months after cubs are taken away from her, usually when the cubs are three months old. Other source says records taken from captive cats show a range of 75 to 592 days. Still another says it takes seven months.. It is very difficult to observe such events in the wild, so our project could be an ideal platform for finding out the situation with a wild tigress.

Anyway, we have done all we could. We moved her far away from her cubs so she could not see them for quite a while. We let her hunt for a few months to "forget" about her cubs. Having exhausted all available strategies, we decided to separate her from TigerWoods for a while, and putting her next to 327. I recall how excited she was when she first met 327 two years ago, chasing him around in the most enticing posture, and it might just take 327 again to excite her system. Some tigers seem to need just the presence of one potential mate. But other tigers are more like cheetahs, who would only come into estrus when there are more than one male present.

Cathay is such an intelligent cat. She seemed to know what we had in store for her and it was easy to get her leaving TW behind, and crossing three gates into the camp adjacent to 327 on April 29. New smells abound, as Madonna and her cubs spent quite a while here. Cathay was absorbed by the smells, busily sniffing and spraying.

May 4th, we let Cathay into 327's camp. We did this with much trepidation, as I still recall how 327 was terrified of Cathay and how they might end up fighting if he defends himself. To my complete surprise, 327 was extremely friendly to Cathay! All this year and half of life in the wild and in solitude may have served him well that he certainly became more of an gentleman. The two played a few games of hide and seek. Seeing nothing harmful happened to them, we decided to let them overnight together. Next morning, we came to see if anything dramatic had happened and were pleased all remained calm.

TigerWoods, however, are not very happy to be left alone. For several days, we heard him roaring, either calling for his mate Cathay, or complaining to us about being left alone. He refused to eat any food. Isn't this an expression of love by TW for Cathay? I don't want to be accused of endowing human emotions and values on animals but our evolutionary paths were the same throughout most part of our development. We must share similar emotions with other mammals. In the end, after a few days of hunger strike by TW, we did not have much choice but to decide to switch Cathay back and forth between TW and 327.

Meanwhile, King Henry and Princess are getting more comfortable in the 42 Ha camp, exploring further afield from the riverside area. For two days, after they made two kills, they even refused to come out. I was beginning to worry that the antelopes might have done damage to them. I was also worried that I might not see them for a while before I would leave Laohu Valley on May 10th. In fact, I made a bet of 50 US dollars with my friend Hector who came to visit during the weekend of May 8th, that they would not come out during our last afternoon drive. The sun was setting and I was about to drive out of the hunting camp and win my bet, when Vivienne spotted the silent appearance of King Henry! His demeanour had changed. Instead of making grandious announcement for his appearance, he quietly approached, as if stalking us. This made me more convinced that he made at least one kill this time, and was continuing to practice his successful hunting techniques now. I was relieved to see him, and to see he was intact.

Then, as if to grant my wish, Princess also peeped her little shy head from behind the tree branches, just when I started my truck's engine again. I was pleased that I had lost my 50 dollars completely by now, to say the least!!

I left Laohu Valley happy, but looking forward to my next visit again in a few months. So I still find no answer to Cathay's estrus mystery, except to say that she may be needing a rest after carrying two litters of cubs so close to one another. Madonna mated last year around this time. So if tigers do mate seasonally, as some say, Cathay should be mating now. May be soon? May be never? Maybe she will just keep me wondering why!!!

-TigerLi from SA, May 11 2009

Old Young Man & His Rhinos (Trilogy 2)

2009-05-11T12:35:00.009+01:00

I visited the second Old Young Man I am going to talk about at his farm in Howick (SA) recently. He is also my idol, that is, if ever I do have celebrity worship. Dr. Ian Player is a controversial figure, who was instrumental in saving the white rhino from extinction in South Africa by selling them to open parks around the world in 1970s. By establishing gene pools outside of the country this ensured that even if the rhinos suffered due to political instabilities of the country at that time, the animal could be reintroduced when the country becomes stable again. Almost all the white rhinos in the world are descendents of the rhinos that he brought out of KwaZulu Natal's game reserves. Ian also led the long political battle to get some additional land added to the Umfolozi Game Reserve in order to save the rhino.

Two years ago we celebrated his 80's birthday in London. Two years on, he is still fighting tirelessly for conservation of the wild, despite that his left eye has lost sight, and his left leg has given in. A search of his name on google yields many results so I won't go into details about all the remarkable work he has done throughout his life, such as his pivotal role in making St. Lucia wetlands the first wilderness areas to be zoned on the African continent; establishing the Wilderness Leadership School and Wilderness Foundation, etc.

What I would like to say about him, is that he is a man of many talents and iron wills. For example, he was credited for having pioneered the great Dusi Canoe Marathon in December 1951. Although eight men participated, only Ian finished the 140kilometer journey between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in a time of six days, despite having being bitten by a night adder during the race. The canoe that he used to complete the race, in this fierce water where Umgeni River meets the Umsundusi River, was made from wood and canvas and weighted roughly 70 pounds. It also held all the supplies he needed to complete the race.

He is a wonderful writer with six books to his credit, such as "Zululand Wilderness: Shadow and Soul". I have learned a great deal about conservation in South Africa, and about his great Zulu friend - Magqubu Ntombela.

He is an eloquent speaker, full of humor and wisdom. He is a generous soul, lending a hand to newcomers to conservation such as myself.

I feel inspired by him, particularly when I face challenges and difficulties. I know how he would encourage me and what he would say to me: "Tiger, go for it! You are a fearless tiger!"

During recent visit, he said to me and my friend & advisor Dr. Hector Magome: "Do you know when you feel old? When people give their seat to you. Traditionally it is men who give seats to women and children. I now know I am old".

But Ian, I would like to say to you, "You are an old Young Man, and a great one! You continue to inspire people around the world to become conservationists. And we will see you around for a long time to come!"

-Li Quan at Laohu Valley Reserve
Photos Credits: (top left) Dr. Ian Player (top right) Wilderness Foundation UK

Old Young Man & His Lazarus (Trilogy 1)

2009-04-28T07:04:00.001+01:00

I am not sure if this is a Chinese thing, or Chinese thing from by-gone era. But I have always had a thing for old people: I enjoy their company, their wisdom, and their conversation. I have had the good fortune to get to know some remarkable old men over 70 years of age, and I am kinda in love with several of them now.

You must wonder what kinda old men attract someone as "young" as myelf. So here, I am going to start with the first one. The only reason I am starting my eulogy with Richard, is because I have just visited him in Philipolis this afternoon, where he offered me my usual Belverdere Vodka.

Richard is an English Gentleman from the old school. Here I would like to quote an article in the Times:

"Richard Proctor-Sims runs a bookshop and an art gallery in Philippolis. More than a half-century ago, Richard was a roving features writer for Panorama, the only travel magazine around at the time. In 1972, driving down from Joburg to Cape Town in his little Fiat at no more than 70km/h, he left the N1 somewhere near Beaufort West and found himself on a network of farm roads. He stopped the car and climbed out. “I smelled the clean air and listened, hearing silence for the first time in my life. And then I decided: the Karoo is where I’ll spend my last days... ”

Richard, to summarize his long and interesting life in a few quick lines, is a jack of all trades: once a diplomat, publisher, journalist, and now a restauranteur, bookshop owner, gallery owner, bar owner, and soon to be a shop keeper. Richard's love of books is inspiring and he is full of sense of humor.. I love spending time with him to acquire a few gems of wisdom for free each time, often accompanied by a signature house vodka cocktail.

Today, after arriving back at Laohu Valley, I paid an afternoon visit to Richard in town, delivering a few Chinese leafy vegetables that he showed interest last time he visited me at Laohu Valley. To my surprise, I saw his black and white cat, wandering past me with great ease and with a nice clean coat of fur. I was really pleasantly surprised and wondered if this was the same cat that I saw last time, with a matted fur and scared looks. Ricard had to tell me a story of this cat, now named Lazarus, before I could believe his transformation.

Lazarus, one of two cats inherited from Richard's sister who past away last year, was very shy and avoided any contacts with humans, including Richard, for quite a long time. A couple of months ago, Lazarus was diagnosed with an incurable immunal deficiency, which caused the loss of his coat. The vet recommended euthanising him, and his brother, who although not ill would suffer for the loss of his life-long companion (we know cats do!) if Lazarus is dead.

Lazarus' brother was easily given an lethal injection. Lazarus, being so timid and difficult to catch, was eventually given poison in his food. He was then dead. Richard had him and his brother buried in the ground, with great sadness, being a softy for cats of all kinds.

Next morning, a black and white cat appearred outside Richard's restaurant "Oom Japie se huis" (Uncle Japie's House). Richard could not believe his eyes when he saw this Lazarus look-alike, since it was Lazarus proper!

Since then, all sypmtoms of mange disappearred from the cat, and his personality has also changed - no longer terrified of those scary human beings. Hence, "Lazarus" got his new name, after the man whom Jesus raised from the dead - "Lazarus".

Richard, as if inspired by this miracle, worked wonders on his garage, soon to be turned into a shop selling organic local produce.

I confess that I feel, men like Richard, are old in age, alright, but they are young in mind and spirit.

-April 28, 2009 Li Quan from Laohu Valley Reserve

The Truth About Cats- Revelations from Taming Sisi

2009-03-02T17:18:00.010Z

Some people say, cats come to anyone with food. The implied meaning is that cats use humans for their survival and are not really our friends as much as dogs are. Millions of humans who enjoy the pleasurable company of these intelligent beings of cats would beg to differ. Being the proud parent of quite a few cats, big and small, wild and domestic, particularly having "tamed" the little wild cat-"Sissy" on our reserve in the past few years, I have come to a new understanding of cats.

I wrote in my blog before how I have tamed several semi-wild cats which I inherited after acquiring our land in South Africa. "Maow" was already tame. His mother Mommy cost me a bit of effort but did not take that long before she slept affectionately on my face. It was the ultra shy little Sissy who took me a couple of years and much drama to befriend.

The transformation, however, is remarkable. It goes to show that shy cats will become extremely bonded with humans when they come to trust you. Waking up in the middle of sleepless nights to find her little body curled against mine, hear her tiny miaows of greeting and feel her furry little cheek against my face, are among the greatest wonders I behold. Her acknowledging miaws for her punctual return in the evening upon my call is always consolation to me. Her little playful games brighten up my gloomiest moments.

How on earth could this wild cat, with at least three-quarters of genes from black-footed cat, become so trustful of a human so many times of her size, who could easily inflict serious damage on her?

Not food! Though food contributed to the initial bonding process. She had always been fed by others, but she allows no one else to pick her up - stubbornly refusing any other human's offer of friendship. This is very similar to our South China Tiger Madonna, who, despite that I never fed her, still accepts me as her only human mate.

A zoologist once said to me about tigers, that you can't buy friendship from them with food, as they regard food as their rights. They would take food from anyone in case of survival, but you will not necessarily be allowed into their lives.

Perhaps, Sissy feels the love I give and appreciate the care I provided for her? Perhaps, she could sense that I worry about her safety when I am away? Perhaps, but perhaps, it is just because she needs a mother which I have become, after her own mother rejected her, after her younger siblings were born? Maybe this is something we humans have missed -as independent as cats are, they still only have the mental age of a 2 year old human, and don't two year old human children have emotional need of mothers??? Food, cats can obtain from practically anyone, but it is really the love and care that a human showers on a cat that can truly make her your faithful child.

-Li Quan at Laohu Valley Reserve, South Africa

Hulooo The Leader

2009-02-18T12:57:00.004Z

It is Feb 8th and has been a week since Hulooo & brothers entered into the 40 hectare camp. It proved to be a major adjustment for the young tigers to suddenly find themselves in such a large area, particularly for JenB & Coco.

For the most part, they stayed in the area near the half hectare, or along the fence. Due to Hulooo's intense interests in being together with his human parents, we could only drive into the 40 hectare after putting him temporarily into the half hectare camp. However, our one attempt to guide JenB &Coco to other parts of the camp only managed to lead them to the edge of the tree area.

After my guests were all gone, I had more time today to dedicate to the youngsters. Hulooo, as it appeared to me, has taken a leading role among his brothers, being the older of the three. Because of his intimate bond with humans, why not lead him who will lead his brothers to explore the rest of the large camp?!

I drove slowly along the fence along the open area of the hunting camp.
Indeed, Hulooo, then JenB followed me on their side of the camp, with Coco trailing behind. It seemed to me that Coco had become more independent since entering 40 hectare camp, as I noticed him to be more often on his own. Even now, JenB was more closely following Hulooo, chasing him and jumping on top of him, while Coco kept a distance.

In the far corner of the camp, I saw the 6 remaining blesbok. Cathay and TW had hunted all the other 33 since last October. These six blesbok are not easy prey. They are clever and experienced, after surviving the last few months. They will be a huge challenge to the young tigers who have had no hunting experience up to now.

I turned around the corner of the fence, while Hulooo and JenB made a short cut to catch up with me. I was trying to slow down a bit, in order not to disturb the blesbok ahead in the distance. The blesbok saw my vehicle, and must have judged from their experience that I was still too far to pose any danger, so they just watched. As I drew nearer, they saw the tigers trailing behind, and experience must have told them it was now time to run, and run they did! This caught the attention of Hulooo who, with no hesitation, dashed off in a straight line towards the blesbok,

It was clear to me Hulooo had yet to learn. He was too obvious running in a straight line. This reminded me of his mother and Hope, when they first entered the 60 hectare camp. Time will come when Hulooo figures out the stalking techniques. Surely, there was no match between tiger and blesbok in long distance running, particularly in such an open area, so Hulooo gave up after the first failed attempt. He went behind a small bush, seemingly understood that he was too obvious. Then his attention was caught by that big herd of blue wilderbeest on the outside of the camp, whose grazing was disturbed by the presence of tigers, and who stood there making their threatening noises.

JenB caught up, and launched a chase of the blesbok too, before setting his eyes also on the angry wilderbeest. Just when Hulooo and JenB were focusing on the blue wilderbeest, Coco embarked on his chase of the blesbok. First he also ran a straight line towards them, but as he got closer, he must have gotten, for he went behind one of the two only little bushes. I could only see him sniffing the ground through my binoculars.

For me, this was certainly an exciting moment to witness. This is the start of their hunting training. They now know there is game around. I hope as they get more comfortable in this camp, they will start to understand the link between these "running toys" and food.

Feb 10. It rained overnight, and today was mostly cloudy and cool. Having been fed two days ago, Hulooo and his brothers were still lazy this morning.

In the afternoon monitoring, I drove along the 40 hectare fence, half heartedly expecting Hulooo & brothers to appear from the trees. Having driven half way when no one showed up, I reversed my truck to head back the way I came. When I was nearly at the gate, I saw Hulooo's lone figure walking towards me.

He followed my truck on his side of the fence in his own leisurely pace. I tried to direct him towards the blesbok, but Hulooo was in no hurry, sniffing the ground as he moved. The rain gathered its intensity and lightening and thunder moved closer and closer. But Hulooo did not seem bothered. At one point, he raised his head and saw the blesbok, and made a cheetah style run at it again. A failed attempt of course.

Lightening was now directly over our head, followed by ever louder thunders.
It reminded me that our neighbour-the big game breeder John Hume, lost 6 precious buffalo from lightening last year. The buffalo were under a tree which was struck by lightening. I worry that such things could happen to our tigers too as they take shelter under the trees from the heavy rain.

Hulooo, however, insisted following my truck, despite the rain nearly blinding his eyes. In a way I am glad since the lightening could not get to him without the trees. I drove slowly and at times Hulooo would take a quick dive into the little bushes nearby to get a bit relief from the downpour.
After a little while, he would emerge again, shaking off the water on his fur, and continued to walk with my truck. Thunders got louder and louder and exploded right above. Suddenly, one cracked right on top of my head, shaking the ground as well as my heart.

Hulooo, as if struck also by electeicity, launched into a gallop and ran on the open grassland in the middle of the rain. Eventually, through my binoculars, I saw his head among the little group of bushes, continuing to follow my truck with his eyes...

A couple of days later, the youngsters made more attempt at the blesbok, under the leadership of Hulooo. Their techniques seemed to have improved some what, using the little bushes to hide from time. But there is a long way to go before they could catch any of these experienced game!

King Henry's First Witnessed Hunt

2009-02-13T11:15:00.007Z

It was a memory day on Jan 27th. I witnessed King Henry's first witnessed hunt! It was 6am in the morning and I heard distressed bird cries coming out of Madonna's camp. I could not see anything from the side of the fence I was, so I rushed over to the other side. At the far end of the camp along the fence, I saw King Henry plucking a feather off something though my camera lense. Then I saw some thing ran off and KingHenry went after it. Then I lost sight of him.

Some time later, I saw a little cub in the branches under the big tree next to where I saw them first time and saw something was dangling off King Henry's mouth. I tried to get closer, but in an effort to protect his hard earned bread, KingHenry started eating the birdlike creature, with noises of bone being crunched. I was so excited. I hd witnessed Madonna's cub's first witnessed hunt in the wild! I feel like congratulating King Henry, but he took it in such a stride that he just wandered off as a matter of factly, as if he does this everyday. Maybe he does!

It was overcast and cool next morning and all the tigers were cheering and played happily in the wind. A whole Springbok carcass was given to Madonna and her cubs as a normal feeding process. The carcass was laid down for Madonna inside the small feeding camp, from where she normally would carry it back into her camp for her cubs. To our surprise today, instead of carrying it all the way back, she left the carcass just at wrong side of the gate, where her eager and curious son King Henry nearly made a quantum leap into this fearful unknown camp to get the food. Madonna was teaching her babies to get the carcass on their own!

King Henry's full attention was dedicated to getting his mouth on the right place to be able to drag the carcass across. He gave up after a few minutes of unsuccessful tries, and joined his mother and sister in the trees to play. But his heart was still on the carcass, so he went back to his food again after a few minutes. A king he must be! The all powerful little cub, to my great surprise and admiration, eventually managed to drag the 30 kg carcass across! What an achievement that was! I am so proud of her and I am sure so was his mother!

However, opening the carcass to eat was another challenge and Madonna was determined to let her baby learn this on his own. King Henry tried and tried, standing at one stage with all fours on top of it but sprinbok skin was tough leather. King Henry ended up only eating the eyes of it. He then joined the play between his little sister and mum and they dashed off merrily into the trees.

We know that tigers never learned from their teachers -the small cats- how to climb but our cubs proved the traditional wisdom wrong! Because soon after, I saw King Henry high up in the big tree under which they were first seen by me, with Princess at the lower side of the tree. For a moment, I though King Henry was not able to come down the tree as he tried every position to find a way down. I was worried he might make a desperate attempt by jumping down, injuring himself. Again I underestimated his intelligence. King Henry figured it out quickly and with head down, he climbed down the tree safely.

Having given her son enough opportunity to try, Madonna eventually came and dragged the carcass into the ditch..

Jen-B & Bros Enter 40 Hectare Camp

Jan 30th came. We were about to let Cathay's cubs go into a new stage in life, by introducing them into the 40 hectare camp, where they would learn to hunt, as there are still 6 blesbok left from the hunts made by their parents in the last few months. But first we must pull their parents back from 40 hectare into the Tree camp, where Hulooo used to live. To get to the tree camp, Cathay and TW have to pass through the 9 hectare camp. The afternoon before, we opened the connecting gate to the 9 hectare. Haven't been here for a while, Cathay and TW refused to go further, sniffing around the new fence under construction to establish a new camp within the 9 hectare camp. They must be wondering what this new fence was for, since it did not form any enclosure of any kind.

After a while, I decided to let them stay in the 9 hectare to explore for the night, confident they would be hungry and ready to be enticed into the Tree camp. Indeed, it was peacemeal to do so in the morning of Jan 30th.

Afterwards, we let JenB and Coco out into the 9 hectare camp, leaving Hulooo in the quarantine camp for the moment. The two were having a field day, chasing one another merrily in the grass and stalking one another in the bush and trees. They were also interested in their parents, thus refusing to go any further. Eventually, we tried using the food truck to seduce them, but even food could not compete with the new smells of the 9 hectare camp, even less the appeal of their mother and father. They ended up back in the area next to the Tree Camp, watching their parents with great interests. As the sun shone on with great intensity and it was time for day dreams,I left the young tigers there for the day.

Afternoon was also no success to get them into the 40 hectare camp. As we tried ways to lead them on the right track, the young tigers must feel as if we were playing a game of hide and seek, and ended up stalking me and our staff. It was certainly great fun but no objectives achieved. I also discovered that they were scared of the pool of water collected in the little stream that ran through our camps, although they had submerged them in water trough before. They snarled at the dark water. Was it because the water looked too dark and they feared the unknown??

I started to through little stones into the water. As the circles from the fallen stone expanded, they became very interested. I also asked our team to cut some pieces of meat to throw into the water. The cubs seemed more interested. Coco at one stage got into the edge of the water, and must have liked the feel of the coolness of water, as he searched for the piece of meat. I start to strategize more ways to get them into water in the near future.As the sun started to set, we left them to explore the 9 hectare camp for the night.

Next morning, we embarked our endeavor to get the cubs into the 40 hectare again. As Jen-B and Coco showed some sign of hunger, Cleve tied a blesbok to the truck and the cubs followed, stopping to explore the environment from time to time. It was not too much of an effort to get them enter into the half hectare camp connecting to 40 hectare. They have never been here before so the millions of new smells attracted them to explore. Eventually, we left the carcass on the 40 hectare side of the fence that they could see from the half hectare and let them make their moves at their own pace. 20 minutes later when Cleve went back to check, both Jen-B and Coco had successfully entered into the 40 hectare camp!

In the afternoon heat, when we saw them again, the two brothers were walking along the fence, probably exploring, but probably also looking for Hulooo. When we got closer, I saw Jen-B's belly was wet, which meant he might have gotten into the river somewhat. However, when he tried to cross the river, I saw that he was still very cautious, tiptoeing as if afraid to touch the river water. Clearly, they need Hulooo to show them that the darkish looking stream contains the tiger's favorite essence of water.

It was time to get Hulooo into the 40 hectare camp. Being very bonded with humans, it was an easy job to get Hulooo through the 9 hectare camp to the half hectare camp. He simply followed us along his side of the fence, rolling and jumping in the long grass, tree-climbing and running wild merrily, along the way. When he reached the half hectare camp, however, he was also fascinated by the thousands of fresh smells of various grasses and sniffed around and around.

Jen-B and Coco came over to greet their elder brother, which prompted Hulooo to make a speedier move into the 40 hectare camp. Hulooo, despite a slight hesitation, jumped into it and joined his brothers. It was as if they hadn't seen each other for a long time. They embarked on a game of merry chase and disappeared into the trees.

Feb 1, 2009 Laohu Valley Reserve

New Year at Laohu Valley

2009-01-28T16:57:00.013Z

My little Sisi cat was waiting for me when I arrived at Villa TigerLi around 7pm, on 22nd, and after a full day on the road from London. She showered me with welcoming affection throughout the night-rubbing her pretty little head against my cheeks & my hands, and leaning her lithe body against mine. 2008 was not a very good year for me, except that the tigers bred extremely well. I was looking forward to 2009, the year of the bullish Ox.

Our new Project Manager Cleve and his wife Bernice came on board a couple of weeks ago. Cleve worked in conservation for 30 years, including Kruger National Park. He will be in charge of our tiger project and our reserve management. Like his predecessors, he has not worked with tigers before, but is not shy to taking up the challenge.

Madonna's babies are just adorable! To my surprise, King Henry came very close to the fence checking me and my guests out, and then snarled at us. The next morning, when we were filming him, again he nosed up to about two meters from me where I was squatting down, and giving me a little snarl before turning away. I am very pleased with his progress of getting food out of the cage. We want our cubs to be wild and able to hunt on their own, but not too scared of humans so they get stressed in case we need to intervene for treatment, etc. Princess is still very shy, much like her mother when Madonna was little. She would run away to hide as soon as she hears noises from us, although her curiosity made her also nosing around us a little.

King Henry impressed me a great deal. He seems to take everything in stride and behaves like a little wise body, reminding me of Oliver Twist. Jen-B and Coco have overcome their shyness a great deal and become a lot more confident. Coco even dared to push his steps towards me when I was taking his photos. Hulooo has grown into a big boy, but still thinks he is a baby whenever humans are present, whining for attention and affection. As long as there are humans around, he would dedicate all his attention to us. Nevertheless, he and his brothers now live in complete harmony and it is such a delight to see them playing beautifully together!

Cathay has still not come into eostrus after five months of separation from her cubs and this is very strange. Zoo experts told me that once the mother is separated from their cubs, she would come into oestrus within two to three months. In the wild it is harder to observe the mating, pregnancy and births so it is difficult to tell the cycle. This means that no one can tell us why Cathay has still not come into eostrus after having been separated from her cubs. I could only presume this may be due to the fact that she could still sense the presence of her cubs in the vicinity, even if she could not see them.

The weather on Chinese New Year Day (Jan 26th) was cool and overcast, threatening with rain. Sadly there were only a few rain drops through the day. This was ideal hunting weather so I went to observe Cathay and TW. Since a few months ago, they have been put into the 40 hectare camp off and on, and they have reduced the number of blesbok from 20 to the current 6. At the beginning, they were found to have made 5 kills in just a few days. Now that the prey density has become very low, it has become very difficult to make further kills. Yet, I was hopeful based on past experiences.

I was disappointed, however, to find both tigers like sculpture guards at the gate, waiting for us, surely for food. I had to apply some strategies to lure them away so my and my staff's vehicles can enter the camp. Cathay and TW simply followed our trucks like shadows. I drove across the open grassland and the remaining 6 blesbok got skittish, starting to run. Cathay, raising her head from blind following, suddenly saw the prey and in a split second, her whole demeanour changed into hunting mode -body into stalking position, heading towards the antelopes. In the distance, I saw her galloping, trotting and walking amid the long grass. The scene was simply spectacular.

While Cathay continued for nearly two hours with her hunt, TigerWoods attempted only a couple of times and then laid down. In the end, Cathay was exhausted and took her frustration of a failed hunt out at TW and lashed out at him with all fours. TW did not want to submit and fought back, so the two had a Tango dance under the golden sunlight, in the long and lush grassland. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Quan Li

THANK YOU MR. SHI JUN, THANK YOU MR. GUANG BOYANG; AND THANK YOU ALL, MY SUPPORTERS!

2008-12-31T06:11:00.002Z

I got a New Year surprise present. It came at the right time again. I say it is the right time because I have not been feeling very upbeat lately. With the holiday season coming, yet still so many worries looming over both the world at large and our own project, I got a flu which attacked my weak throat and bronchi, causing throat infection and severe cough again. So my ski holiday in Chamonix was spent buying medicines and seeing doctors. I did not have any rest due to the incessant bursts of coughs at night but still managed to do a few rounds of skiing so that my holiday was not entirely wasted, though I did not get my money’s worth.

It was just during this "down" time that I received a message, from non-other than the known Chinese Gongbi(工笔) tiger painter Mr. Shi Jun(史君). He has completed a painting for and dedicated to me named "Buddhisava Saving Tigers", with a prose by the Chinese Liao-Jin History (辽金史) Scholar Mr. Guan Boyang (关伯阳 ). Above all, I feel extremely flattered. But I definitely do not deserve to be likened to Boddhisattva.

According to Wikipedia: "In the Buddhist context, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened (bodhi) existence (sattva)" or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one (satva) for enlightenment (bodhi)". Another translation is "Wisdom-Being". The various divisions of Buddhism understand the word bodhisattva in different ways, but especially in Mahayana Buddhism, it mainly refers to a being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others.

As much as I feel embarrassed and even guilty that I am far from the image that this painting and prose portray of me, I am also extremely honored to know there are people of such high calibre who support me and my cause. I am extremely grateful that such support comes at a critical time, just when the world economy is spiraling down and financial market crashing that I start worrying if we might be able to feed our increasing number of tigers. It brings me great comfort to know there are people who care about the tigers, about the cultural symbol of China and Asia and about nature and environment - even during this time of uncertain futures.

I am a mere mortal, who admires the qualities of bodhisattva. Although I can not aspire to be one in this life, I am indebted to those who put their faith in me to save the Chinese Tiger and will therefore try my utmost to give them as bright a future as can be, which, fortunately, is limited only by what will-power we humans have to save them.

Happy New Year to You All!

Dec 31th 2008, Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France

History in the Making - Hulooo Meets His Mother

2008-09-21T05:25:00.004+01:00

I had the chance to see Madonna's little cubs at close range a few days ago, when Reuters came to report on our project. What a privilege to see them again! Their eyes were now fully opened but still with a blue film. They were quiet and gave us an initial silent hiss, but calmed down even trying to sleep when they saw we were quiet too.
The following couple of days were cold cold - with temperature dropping to minus 5 and then a mighty wind blew day and night. I wonder if Madonna's pacing with her cub in her mouth was due to her showing off to 327, or to the cold, or to the wind? Or a combination of all? She did move the cubs yesterday in the cutting wind, so wind was certainly a factor.
Cathay still has not come into oestrus! So I decided to use this window of time to introduce her to Hulooo. Since she never suckled Hulooo, this meeting should not affect her natural oestrus cycle. This step was supposed to be a dangerous faux-pas again. Many people had warned me not to introduce Hulooo back to Cathay, warning me that she will kill Hulooo. Even Nick Marks believed so. However, this is a necessary risk to take, for Hulooo's benefit and for his future rewilding training. I was also confident that she would not harm Hulooo for a number of reasons. First, she did not harm TigerWoods and Madonna when they were introduced to her which was also unconventional and on the contrary took them under her wings. Secondly, I have been observing her similarly and found she would chuff at Hulooo whenever she saw him. There was never any maliciousness, as TigerWoods would display, for example towards 327.
Despite what I believe, I got our team well prepared so we would be in a position to pull Hulooo into another camp in the event of trouble. We shut JenB and Coco into quarantine camp and left Hulooo in the 9 hectare. Hulooo would of course be attracted by the food in the quarantine camp so would not wander too far away so he is always close to our gate which we can open up to let him in.
We were ready, and Cathay was let into 9 hectare camp from the half hectare at the other end. She certainly took her time, calling while moving at leisure through the 9 hectare camp in our direction of the quarantine camp, as if knowing what was coming. I had anticipated much tension and potential game of dominance and submission, as with Cathay and TigerWoods when they were put together, so I got all our camera gears ready to record this unprecedented event.
Cathay came closer and closer, still looking absent minded when she approached Hulooo. Hulooo did not seem to smell her or hear her, crouching over the small piece of bone that we gave him earlier. Cathay went close to Hulooo and I anticipated anxiously what was to come. Would she challenge Hulooo? Would she hit him? Would she roar at him? Would she attempt to harm or even kill him? She is after all a tigress who has quite a bit of temper and who is extremely protective of things that are hers. For example, she hit her own cub when he tried to chuff at Madonna and tried also to crush him under her body so he could not greet Madonna. Therefore, I had anticpated at least potentially a game of dominance with Hulooo as well.
Cathay was now towering over the crouched Hulooo. Just when she lowered her head, actually to chuff at him, Hulooo got startled. Jumping, he turned around emitting a little roar at his mother! Cathay looked a bit lost, looking at us blankly, pretending nothing happened. Then she walked to her favourite big tree about 20 meters away and started another of those love affairs with it, even meat could not entice her away.
Then, she wandered off, sniffing the grass as she went. Suddenly, as if making up her mind, she ran towards Hulooo in a jolly gait, chuffing at him. For a few moments, Hulooo sniffed Cathay and lightly pawed her. Then, as if remembering something, Hulooo suddenly hitted out at his mother. Strangely, or not, all Cathay did was to chuff at him . What followed next was most unthinkable and probably never observed! Hulooo stood up and pushed his steps aggressively towards Cathay, pawing his way. Cathay continued chuffing at Hulooo while walking backwards. Hulooo alternated between sniffing and pawing his mother but his light pawing would turn into nasty strikes. He even stood up on his feet at one time arms spreading, as if fighting. I got to say he looked much like a spoilt child lashing out at his parents.
Cathay, large hearted, allowed her son to make these aggressive moves towards her without any slight sign of anger or complaints. She just retreated and returned Hulooo's meaness with kind chuffing. Her behaviour made me think that she must know this is her son! How could she be so tolerant otherwise? She has always been very maternal and she must know! Hulooo's behaviour on the contrary made me feel as if he was getting back at Cathay for something. Maybe he was getting back at her for not rearing him at birth?! Maybe he also knew Cathay is his mother? Otherwise why was he so unafraid of this much bigger tiger, while getting terrified of his younger and much smaller brothers? He got to know the truth! (And cats have to have their own language!)
After a few rounds, Hulooo decided to call it truce. Cathay, as if nothing had happened, wandered back to her favourite tree and lay down next to it, admiring the setting sun..

I have realized why Hulooo was not scared of his mother but quite playful and rough with her. He was used to big animals… humans! So when he sees another big animal - his mother, he was just doing the same playing and challenging, as he does to us! These results are amazing as it contradicts the conventional zoo wisdom of how a mother and cub would interact when reintroduced. Another first for our project!
What a great and generous mother Cathay proves to be, yet again!

All That Excitement at Laohu

2008-09-17T09:54:00.005+01:00

Sept 15, 2008 Another Step

Back to Laohu Valley again and so many things have to be completed in next few weeks. I always miss the tigers when I am away so I looked forward to seeing them. I got a surprise this morning, for good and for bad! Madonna was pacing with a cub in her mouth along 9 hectare fence this morning, almost as if showing off to Cathay who was watching her lying in the grass on the other side of the fence. Every time Madonna passed Cathay, she would chuff at Cathay - the cub in her mouth did not seem to stop her. I was dead worried. Another cub was crying in the grass too. I told Vivienne to get Cathay and TW into the 40 hectare today so Cathay stops being a nuisance to Madonna.

Meanwhile, it looks like our experiment of putting Hulooo with his younger brothers has been a complete success. The three of them were now living together, playing together and resting together. The only time we must separate them is when they feed. Hulooo, very much like his dad, seems to have a bottomless stomach and would steal his brothers' food if he has the chance.

I made a decision to let Hulooo and his younger brothers go into 9 hectare camps tomorrow, given the good relationship of the three and in preparation for Cathay to be reintroduced back to all her sons after she has mated.

Sept 16, 2008. Foray Into 9 Hectare

An exciting day awaited the cubs though morning was with a freezing cold breeze.

Hulooo was waiting for us in the breeding centre; we walked in to greet him and startled a pigeon in the rafters. Hulooo’s attention was immediately drawn away from us and he contemplated the best way to reach it and decided that the most direct route was up the mesh. That didn’t help very much and he returned to terra firma and the pigeon took off. Having lost his meal he moved outside to pester the youngsters and ended up being chased by JenB, followed closely by Coco. Round and round they ran until Hulooo was tired out.

We opened the gate connecting the quarantine and 9ha camps and laid a piece of old meat to attract the attention of the cubs. Contrary to expectations, Coco was first to go through the gate; sniffing as he walked. Unsure of what his next move was, he retreated into the quarantine camp. Gathering his nerves together with both hands he again ventured into the 9ha enclosure. This time he was positive that he was on the right track he disappeared into the long grass full of fresh new smells, forgetting about the meat all together.

JenB had also plucked some courage together by this time and also made a move. Just as unsure as Coco he sat down in the gateway to ponder; deciding that if Coco could come out of it unscathed, then so could he! He hopped through following speedily in his brother’s footsteps. Next it was Hulooo’s turn and unsurprisingly he ran through eager to explore. All three of the cubs enjoyed themselves tremendously running around, stalking one another and investigating every blade of grass.

Hulooo stole my camera bag and we all chased him around trying to get it back. It was a challenge! At one point he took to the edge of a rock with residual pool of stream water underneath and I was so sure that my bag with all its content would be lost there! Thankfully, the bag was caught in some branches when Hulooo jumped down and we managed to salvage my bag, now firmly carrying it across my shoulder so not to give Hulooo any chance again. I was so pleased to see how happy the three were.

Hulooo found a bird in the afternoon and went first after it but lost interest after the second squawk. JenB and Coco took advantage of the hiatus and stole the bird, running off to parts unknown and fighting intermittently. Eventually all was quiet in that sector. As dusk began to settle we returned to the breeding centre with Hulooo in close attendance. We fed him, to his delight, but saw no sign of the other two; so we left the gate open should they wish to return, content that this move had proven a popular one with the young tigers!

Sept 17, 2008. Microchipping the Young Tigers

It has been a month as of yesterday since we separated Cathay from her cubs. Last time she came into oestrus after 22 days, which is longer than other tigresses as observed in zoos - normally between 5 to 10 days. Madonna had the same post partum oestrus cycle as well so I wonder if this is a characteristic of the South China Tigers, or a result that they live in natural conditions?! No one can tell me. Cathay's normal oestrus cycle is about once every month, but now, a month has past there was still no sign. Is this also because she lives like a wild tigress? I had planned, based on her post partum’s oestrus cycle, or normal monthly cycle for her to breed now so she could give birth in the hottest time of the year - January. I also wanted to supervise the reintroduction of her back to her cubs - including Hulooo (which is supposed to be a risky step) before I head back to London to look after the increasing number of affairs awaiting me. So I feel anxious.

It was going to be another important day, as we prepared for the microchipping of the three Cathay cubs. Hulooo was in the quarantine camp when we arrived and ambled into the breeding centre without any coercion and we closed him in. We had to entice JenB and Coco (who got his new name recently through a contest ran by one of our sponsors, Asian Tigers Group) back into the quarantine camp and into the breeding centre by dangling some meat up-wind from them. Madonna also smelt the meat and came galloping up to the fence to see if she was perhaps going to be treated to some, when she saw that she wasn’t going to receive any she walked away into the long grass; back to her hidey-hole.

The micro chipping turned out to be much more challenging than I had expected. When Madonna was treated for her dehydration at the age of 7 month, wild as she was, we easily caught her with a blanket. However, the two younger brothers proved to be truly wild! They were together in the outer section of the breeding centre ensconced in a breeding box, anticipating the upcoming events.

When our Vet Joseph arrived, I assigned tasks and chose a number of the bravest personnel to enter the cage armed with a blanket and a spade. JenB shot out of the box like a bat out of hell, growling ferociously as he was herded into a corner. He leapt up, ripped the blanket out of their hands, and retreated back into the box.

A second failed attempt and we retreated in good order to re-plan our strategy. Joseph asked if we had any cages and I was so relieved to let him know that not only we do, we have also been training them to use it, thank goodness! The cage was carried up to the sliding door and positioned it in such a way as to be the only escape from a gang of pursuers. JenB found himself deprived of free movement and, Joseph also decided, received a small amount of tranquiliser. This dose proved to be too small and when Dr Van Heerden dragged him out by his tail he spied a gap and took it; bolting around the cage and into the open.

He ran outside the breeding center, half way down the length of Hulooo’s old camp with all my staff members after him. Realizing that he was now in unfamiliar territory he turned around and was herded into the tiny camp in front of the quarantine camp. Here we witnessed to what lengths a cornered cat will go to, to escape! He climbed up the fence and through the electrified wires at the top -all the while being shocked by the current. However he was impervious to their throbbing and dropped down into the camp. Taking advantage of his predicament; the vet, himself in a lightening speed, was able to dose him with a slightly stronger sedative. This had the desired effect and he fell asleep, allowing the good doctor to implant the microchip. Three minutes after the sedative had been reversed JenB woke up.

Hulooo was next and the only trouble was he just wanted to play. Given the excitement surrounding him, he was even more hyper, again picking up my camera bag as a trophy! He had to be given a blanket to play with and the vet quickly injected the microchip under the skin of his neck. He whined for being grabbed at his neck but fortunately it was soon over.

Coco was last and we now had more experience. He was also chased into the crush cage and received a full dose of the sedative, putting him to sleep in a matter of minutes. He was also dragged out, the chip implanted and the sedative reversed. Realising how stressed they must have been we left them to recover.

The Cheetah Country of Namibia

2008-09-09T12:15:00.003+01:00

We were honoured to be invited to attend the council meeting of a new but dynamic organization in Namibia. This organization is called Leadership For Conservation in Africa (LCA) and was started in August 2006 by South African Parks and aims to involve business leaders across African countries in wildlife conservation, not only financial support but also in business practices. It has quickly grown to such influence in such a short period of time due to the support of many governments and businesses across the continent.
The delegates from 26 countries were high caliber to say the least. I met the Congolese Minister of Economics, Forestry and. Environment - Mr. Henri Djombo, who just returned from Beijing where he led the Congolese team to attend the Olympics, for example. Congo was in world news recently due to discovery of a "new population" of Western Lowland gorillas numbering 125,000. Minister Ojombo will host next year's council meeting in the Odzala-Kokoua National park in Congo, again in September.
We were honoured with the speech by the Namibian president at the Presidential Breakfast during the first day of the council meeting. Namibia is another country that takes conservation seriously and this showed through the President's speech as well as those of other local business leaders, both black and white. The enthusiasm shown by all clearly demonstrates that Africa leads in conservation, both in attitudes and in practice. Also wildlife conservation is regarded by Namibians as crucial in the country's economic development, where the two are intricately linked. How I wish this kind of relationship can be understood by important government and business leaders in China! China should be at a stage to understand that further economic development would not be possible for China without conserving whatever is now left of its natural heritage. Development without conservation will destroy the very foundation on which we, as a member of this planet, have thrived.
After the Presidential Breakfast, we flew in small chartered planes to Etosha National Park, where the council meeting continued. I can't believe that it has been 4 years since I came to Etosha in August 2004 - so much had happened in the past four years....
I continued to be impressed by the representatives from many African countries for the work they have done. Rwanda stood out. It wasn't that long ago, in our memory, that Rwanda was torn by internal ethnic conflicts, but now Rwanda stands as a model for us all in its revival-the remarkable job it has done to conserve its mountain gorillas and make it sustainable for both the gorillas and local communities through eco-tourism. How I wish representatives from Chinese authorities could be present to experience this passion flowing in this meeting of the minds. Given the achievements it has to date, I have no doubt the the LCA will achieve great conservation deeds in Africa.
After the council meeting, Stuart and I flew south to visit Namib Naukluft National Park and the famous Namib sand dunes in Sussusvlei, since this was Stuart's first visit. Nine years ago I came here and it was in this Namib desert that I encountered my first "wild" cheetah. The fate of that abandoned cheetah provided sound proof for our Rewilding strategies for the South China Tigers later.
The desert is still beautiful and the Sand Dunes magnificent. There might have been changes in the shapes of the dunes in the past nine years but the changes were certainly minor compared to the changes I have experienced in my life in the past 9 years, since that cheetah encounter. Then, I had control of my life, but now my life is controlled by the South China Tigers. It was hard for me when I found out that my blackberries did no work here so I could not communicate with our team easily on what's going on. I worry. I could not wait to get back to SA to be at work again. My work is my life and my work, luckily, is the South China Tigers.
I do look forward to next year's Council meeting in the Congo, a place I had always wanted to visit due to my interests in the pygmies, who still live in the forests there...

History Has Been Made!

2008-08-29T00:33:00.009+01:00

Aug 25, 2008 - I Saw Madonna Moving Her Baby!

There were a lot of noises this morning. We put the cubs all together again and Hulooo did not give his little brothers any chance before he caught a guinea fowl. We also had to fix the corner of the quarantine camp with chicken wires etc. Suddenly, we heard baby tiger cries again. I saw Madonna standing next to the trees where she normally hides her cubs. Then, she carefully picked one up in her mouth and started walking with caution. She was moving one of her cubs! I asked staff to quickly leave the camps since she was clearly feeling unsafe again.
Hulooo whined the whole day wanting to be together with humans. It is for his own good that we limit contact with him. JenB tried sneaking close to Hulooo a couple of times, being very friendly and lying calmly next to Hulooo. However when he touched Hulooo in a playful act, he got roared at by Hulooo. I feel so bad for little JenB who has now accepted Hulooo but Hulooo still thinks we are his only playmate - problem of being the lone cub without any other tiger to play with! It will be quite a while for Hulooo to learn to play with his kind but we must try!

Aug 26, 2008 - Scary Sight - Madonna Pacing with Baby Tiger in Mouth!

It was so cold this morning when I stepped out of the door that I immediately worried about Madonna. It was minus 6 last night - the coldest since Madonna gave birth. I arrived at the camps around 7.30am, and Vivienne reported bad news. For the past 10 minutes since she and Yolande (our new hire) got here, Madonna had been pacing with a cub in her mouth. She was not sure if the cub is live or dead.
My heart dropped. This is what I was dreading! Cathay did that - pacing with her cub in her mouth when she felt unsettled. I had a look through my binoculars - she was far, but it looked like the cub was curled up. If it were dead it would normally be limp. What about the other cub, if there was another?
I am torn and on the one hand wanted to intervene. But on the other hand, felt like this is a step that many supporters expect us to take. There are always risks and we have to take this risk. In the wild, normally only one out of a litter of tiger cubs survive. We have to take this risk.
I asked staff to leave the camps immediately, trying to leave her alone. I went to a hill where one could have a view of some sections of her camp. It pains me to see her pacing with the cub. All the other tigers, Cathay, TigerWoods and 327 were watching her from their side of the camp. My heart went out for Madonna and I wish I knew why she was doing this. Then I decided to have Cathay and TigerWoods enticed into the half hectare camp, so they won't be watching Madonna. Cathay has been doing well, with no signs of mastitis, which is an infection developed in suckling mothers who have too much milk.
TigerWoods came to the half hectare very quickly, knowing some food must be waiting for him. But Cathay did not come for a long time. Our predator whistle which is supposed to imitate the distress calls of prey animals and normally attracts the attention of predators also did not work. It took quite a bit of persuasion by Vivienne and Yolande with piece of meat to get her come to the half hectare camp.
Thank heavens Madonna was not seen pacing any more after 9:45 or so. I asked all staff to leave the site and not to return until two hours later for a remote check, in order to leave Madonna quiet and peace.
I was pleased that during late afternoon monitoring, when Madonna came out to feed and stroll, baby cries were heard again.
Is that one baby tiger or two baby tigers?

Aug 27, 2008 - Madonna Sunning with Baby

What a sight! Through binoculars, I saw Madonna lying under her favourite big tree sunning, with a baby tiger.
I quickly left in order not to disturb her, even though I relished this scene so much and wanted so much to have a better look.
Hulooo is still scared of his young brothers and would growl if they tried to play with him, but he seemed to be getting along better with the cubs, sleeping under the same pole shelter during the day. Unfortunately, we must harden our heart to not to succumb to his begging whines to play with us.

Aug 28, 2008 - Mystery Solved

It has been 10 days since Madonna gave birth and I have been looking forward to today. The first 10 days were crucial for the cubs' survival so we made a rule to not to disturb Madonna to decrease the chance of her abandoning her babies. I had been dying to know how many there are and their gender but I had to refrain myself from interfering, however painful it may be!
Today their danger period passed, I anxiously waited for the late afternoon feeding time for the tigers. We planned to go into her maternity camp - over one hectare in size and check on the details of her baby tigers when she would be eating.
I had everything prepared: drawing Madonna's attention to other things so she would not pay attention to us entering her camp; feeding her less the previous day so she would spend more time and focusing more on eating today; clean towels for touching the babies when checking on their gender so no human smells would be left on them; etc etc etc.
All went according to my plan. Johnny and Yolande were left next to the feeding camp so Madonna would not pay attention to me and Vivienne. We used another gate in the far end, next to 327's camp to enter Madonna's camp.
My heart was racing, even though I treaded carefully in the grass and bushes, fending off thorned branches, while all the time trying to select a route that had trees as shield from the sight of Madonna.
I briefly checked the bush where we saw her through the branches some days ago and there was nothing. We continued to the big tree where I believed the babies should be. That was also approximately the direction I saw her disappearing into when she was about to give birth; that was also where I observed her diving into through my binoculars while I was spying behind a bush. That was also where I saw her sunning under the tree yesterday morning.
I had a sense of guilt, as if I were about to steal Madonna's babies from her. I could hardly breathe. My legs felt heavy and it seemed such a long trek to me. But finally we managed to walk to that area without any accidents, neither tripping over nor gotten bitten by thorns. I was convinced that the cubs would be in the ditch under the big tree.
But there were nothing in that part of the ditch under the tree! I was worried - did Madonna know what was going to happen and had moved her cubs? She did seem more impatient today when we were opening the gate to let her into the feeding camp. I looked around over the ditch and still saw nothing.
"Oh there!", Vivienne hushed. I looked up, and to my great joy, I saw there are two (our guess was right) little baby tigers - curled up on the bank of the ditch, both very much alive!
I was overjoyed! So many worries, so many sleepless nights, since the day she lost her first litter of cubs. So much preparation, so many repeated instructions that I was fearful my staff regards me as a paranoid old woman! So many phone calls and so much advice I sought, that I was fearful of imposing on people! And so much help and so many standby supports I have enlisted, to prepare for every eventuality! However, Madonna defied my underestimation of her and proved me wrong - that she could bring up her own little baby tigers, the second time round!
I battled to overcome my emotions and stayed calm, while taking a few quick photos of the cubs. The cubs gave me silent hisses to protest my intrusion but without loud cries, which would attract attention to them from their enemies. They were just adorable and I felt so privileged to see them.
Now time to check their gender! All previous births were boys, how I and our supporters had been praying for girl cubs! We used clean towel to carefully part the leg of the first cub - a boy! My heart stopped beating... Now the second cub, but it was crouching so I could not turn it around. I picked it up using our towel and saw, to my great relief and excitement, it is a baby girl!
I felt like crying out, but I never cry...
We laid down the cub and they calmed down quickly as soon as we distanced ourselves by a couple of meters. I took a few more photos and quickly left by the route we came.
We went back to the camp where Madonna was feeding, still frenzily, as if nothing had happened. She was calm and I am relieved, thinking our escapade had escaped her notice. But Johnny said that she saw us going in (as quiet as we were!) but did not seem to mind. Funny! So maybe she wanted me to check? Maybe that was why she was pacing with a cub in her mouth the other day? After all, she has a special bond with me... Maybe maybe..

But History had been made!

Stranger Came

2008-08-26T06:34:00.004+01:00

Tonight something strange happened. My cat Sissy, the wild one that I tamed (see my blog on Cat Clan from a year ago), normally shows up at my door when I return after sunset from the tiger camp. She is always punctual except a couple of times when she showed up slightly late. On such occassions I always call out her name and I worry if she is not there. Farmers outside Laohu Valley put out baits to poison jackals and caracals and often domestic cats and dogs are victims.
I began to worry that no Sissy showed up after an hour. This is unusual. When I called her name, I seemed to vaguely hear some grumbling noise of a cat. However, in the darkness of my veranda, I could see nothing.
Almost 8 pm, I was so happy to hear my call got answered, though somehow not very much like Sissy's sweet high voice. Out of the darkness came a cat, but a Ginger one! For a moment I thought this was Mao, a Ginger cat that is also the son of Mommy but now lives with Mommy between Johnny and Viviennes' house. Ginger cat was also lovely and affectionate as Mao and Sissy and not the least shy. But one thing that got me wonder if it was Mao was his tail - which looked like it had been cut at the tip!
I fed him biltong, and he devoured two little plates as if he had not eaten for days. He wanted my affection so much that he would call if I was not paying him attention, like Mommy cat, Mao's mother and the source of all cats at Laohu Valley.
I called Johnny who confirmed Mao is still around, so this Ginger must be a stranger, so I shall call him now by that name. Where did Stranger come from? Does he have a owner? I now worried that there might have been a fight whereby Sissy was injured? Or killed? I went out to my Veranda outside my bedroom and called her again. To my relief, I heard Sissy! But I could not see her...
I looked around and through the dim light emitted out of my bedroom, I saw Sissy perched on the column of the veranda! I now understand! Sissy has been observing Stranger quietly and followed all that have happened. Fortunately, I took precautions to shut Stranger in the living room so Sissy won't hesitate to come into my bedroom. She did hear the meowing somewhere. After a short while she came inside.
I now did not know what to do. Stranger was meowing inside the living room, wanting attention. So I decided to let him inside my bedroom anyway. Sissy saw him and went forward to smell him. I was relieved that the cats seemed to have no animosity towards each other. However, Sissy went under the bed after the sniffing. Stranger jumped on my bed, which he seemed to have no fear of, and wanted to eat the biltong I had laid out for Sissy, so I took the dish and stuck it under the bed where Sissy was hiding. Stranger jumped off the bed and went under the bed, Sissy had another sniff but ran under the bathtub in my bathroom.
I took Stranger into my bathroom and the cats had another mutual sniff. I then sat on the floor checking if Stranger might have flees, etc any parasites. He looked very clean and must have been a domestic cat. There were however some ear mites on his ears, which I began to take off wherever I could. He was very good natured and did not struggle much for most part, even though he frumbled about the pain. In between I let him and Sissy have a sniff again. In the end, Stranger was fed up, just after I picked up a tiny live mite from his ear lobe. Stranger tried to bite me, though not hard. He tried to claw me, but also just symbolic.
I was satisfied for the moment that he wouldn't pass any disease to Sissy and let him loose. I carried Sissy to my bed, who did not seem to have trouble with occupying it. Stranger followed her and was just about to jump onto my bed too, when Sissy suddenly swapped him with her paw! Stranger was stunned and could not move for a while, looking at Sissy, puzzled. Sissy clearly regarded my bed as her sacred territory!
He gave yet another try but was met with same harsh treatment. He ended up whining miserably, not knowing which next step to take. I am glad at lease Sissy seemed otherwise relaxed, not angry at me for bringing a stranger in. She even ate a couple of pieces of biltong. However when I tried to have a head rub with her, she seemed to retreat, unlike her normal self, and even reached out a paw almost as if to claw me, but stopped short of doing that. She was not as happy as normal.
Stranger made another attempt to jump on the bed but was scared off by Sissy lunging forward at him! After that Sissy curled up and narrowed her eyes. Stranger whined some more and then made a daring move-he jumped onto my bed from my right side whereby I had been lying on my stomach recording all that is happening on my blackberry, with Sissy on my left.
Anticipating a cat fight and without wanting to be caught in the middle, I left my bed. Sissy looked at Stranger through her narrowed eyes, which must have made Stranger feel uncomfortable, for he jumped off my bed out of his own accord. He crouched down under my sofa chair miserably and I had to give him some consolation strokes.
Sissy meanwhile seemed to be dozing off, with right eye closed and left eye a sliver open, no doubt vigilant at all times. I am going to have a "peaceful" night no doubt!
(End Note: the night was relatively peaceful, with Sissy staunchly defending her territory - my bed. Stranger kept on grumbling about his "on the floor" status but no war broke out between the two).

Cathay Leaves Cubs, Hulooo Meets Younger Brothers

2008-08-23T02:04:00.008+01:00

Cathay seemed to know what was happening this morning and did not need any convincing before she dashed into the 9 hectare camp, where TigerWoods was eagerly waiting. Having been apart for so long, the two showered each other with affection - chuffing, rubbing heads, hugging, chasing one another and more.We separated her from her cubs so Cathay could mate again in a few weeks and she can give birth in January - during the hottest time of the year, so we won't have to worry as much about cold weather interfering with rearing her babies and therefore also reducing human intervention. She could still see and interact with her cubs but the termination of suckling would make her come into oestrus again in a few weeks.

Cathay sniffed around the 9 hectare camp from which she had been absent for a long time. Cathay loves TigerWoods so much and had wanted to be with him for a while. In the past weeks, she got more and more impatient when the cubs disturbed her peace of being alone and often would get up and leave when the cubs drop themselves on top of her. Still, she is a fantastic mother and loves her cubs. After frolicking with TigerWoods for a while, she would go back to the commonly shared fence from time to time checking on her cubs. I am relieved that she seemed to be just checking to make sure her cubs were ok, instead of wanting to get back with them. I am torn as I just love to see them being together, but we had to do this for the big goal of the project.There were a lot of distractions for her besides TigerWoods. Once the potential threat by two Hadida birds to "take" the ostrich leg away (we had given to TigerWoods yesterday) made her rush to protect her food and she carried it into the dense trees next to the river.

Another important event was to take place today: we will put Hulooo in with his younger siblings - JenB and Jix, so Hulooo will acquire company and possibly also get re-accepted by Cathay in a few weeks. None of these had been attempted before so we must be both cautious but daring at the same time. It requires close monitoring, supervision and control. Thank Heavens Hulooo is so easy to work with and just followed our "directions" into the quarantine camp where he was going to meet the cubs physically at their home territory.

As soon as the iron sliding gate of the breeding center opened, the cubs dashed out of the breeding center to show Hulooo who are the boss! My concerns were gone when I saw it was Hulooo who was the weaker of them! JenB and his brother bared their teeth emitting threatening growls and rolled on the ground picking a fight with Hulooo. Poor Hulooo! His only resort was to avoid them. From time to time Hulooo would come to his human parents giving us a cuddle or a rub, as if to receive some courage in order to face those menacing cubs, or to beg us get him out of here and away from the cubs.

The cubs would not let Hulooo alone and followed him wherever he went. They roared menacing roars at Hulooo who would just lower his head as if showing submission. Cathay came over to check what was happening and cubs only remembered her absence when she showed up. Cathay seemed to be satisfied that the cubs were not alone and would disappear again after her regular checking.

Hulooo seemed to have fallen in love with the same pole of the pole shelter, just like the other adult tigers, and rubbed affectionately against it, hugging and smelling it (we always wondered what it is about that section of the log!)... To avoid the growling JenB, he even developed affection for another pole just opposite the usual one. After a while, he even ignored the menacing growls and continued with his love affaires with the wooden poles almost oblivious of the bullying growls.

JenB was the one that carried his threat through by trailing Hulooo whereas Jix went to follow Cathay and continued following her from his side of the fence whenever Cathay showed up. However the cubs in general seemed to forget Cathay's absence as long as she was out of their sight. Cathay, as if not to arouse further attention from her cubs, would quietly slip away into the trees after making sure her cubs were in good hands. It seemed that having Hulooo around also occupied the cubs' minds so they did not whine about their mother being on the other side of the fence too much.

Hulooo discovered the smells of the other tigers on one of the tree trunks. The Amazing thing he did was to "spray" it too. Funny that he was not yet mature so the "spray" that came out of him was not the normal transparent white sticky matter, but rather his Pee, which shot horizontally across onto the tree trunk. It is incredible that at this tender age he knew to cover the other tigers' smells.

Things were going well as the cubs and their older brother getting more used to one another. The day was getting hot-time for the tigers to have naps. So I decided to rather leave Hulooo in the cub’s camp and Vivienne and I would monitor them alternately. Hulooo just wanted someone around, preferably human. So I decided to go away a bit around at one stage and see what would happen. While I had walked "away", suddenly, I heard roars and commotion coming out of the far corner of the Quarantine camp where several other camps meet. I ran close and saw Hulooo being bullied and even pawed at by the cubs. Hulooo had probably wanted their company and had gone over to the cubs when he saw me going away... He seemed a lost soul being also shocked by the electric wires a couple of times as well. Both Cathay, who had been lying in the shade on the other side of the fence and Madonna who came out to investigate the commotion, watched with interests.

I called Hulooo's name out, and he saw me and quickly ran across the camp towards me. He came into the breeding center, where he chuffed at me non-stop, grateful I was back! I had no doubt he would have hugged me if I were inside with her, wanting consolation. Thereafter, no matter how I called him to come out, he wouldn't, fearful of the bullies. After a while, he would only come out briefly and chuff at me, but returning inside the Breeding Center immediately as if that his refuge.

Hulooo was enticed out of the breeding center in late afternoon, to spend more time with his younger brothers. JenB, though growling on the one hand, actually wanted to play with Hulooo. He tried to stalk Hulooo and even reached out to grab Hulooo's hind leg to play. However, it is apparent to us now that Hulooo, having only played with humans, has no idea how to play with other tigers. He was so scared of his little brothers, while he was four times their size. It will be one of our main tasks to get Hulooo re-socialized as a tiger and learn to interact with other tigers.

Low and behold, Hulooo did demonstrate he was a tiger when it came to food! When two pieces of wildebeest meat were brought in, Hulooo embarked on eating his immediately. However, when he saw, from the corner of his eyes, another nice chunk being eaten by his brothers, he ran over to it in a lightening speed and grabbed the meat, pawing one of the cubs and escaped. His speed took his brothers by surprise to say the least. However, he forgot the other piece of meat, which was promptly stolen by JenB. Before we knew it, Hulooo staged another coup - he ran over to JenB and stole his meat back, carrying it to where the other piece of meat was lay, wanting to monopolize both. We scolded him, and picked up the second piece of meat to give to JenB, who carried it between the Pole shelter and the tree trunk next to it. Jix tried to use the same trick on Hulooo to get his meat, but Hulooo was on good guard. Jix went to JenB, only to be growled at. JenB did not know how to protect his meat from being stolen by his brother and tried all he could: lying on top, hugging it, dragging it to the top of the tree trunk, etc. But Jix would not give up and managed to grab hold of one end of the meat.

Hulooo had finished his food in no time and sneaked up to the cubs, wanting to also steal theirs again. We had to stop him and he seemed to know he was behaving badly, showering us with head rubs. JenB finally let go the food and let Jix have his way. He went to look for Hulooo. He was part playful and part threatening. Hulooo just did not know what to do. How I wished he would just play with his brother as if he was playing with us! How I was afraid he might become another 327 when he grew up! Hulooo seemed to improve a bit at one point, lying down on the ground just like JenB, growling - the right way of facing it. However his nerves wavered very soon and he would go away again. He went inside the breeding center, but JenB followed and continued growling at Hulooo. Hulooo sniffed around other sections of the breeding center, but I am not sure if it was out of curiosity or just pretending to find something to do.

The sun was setting and I thought Hulooo had enough today and we started calling him to get out of breeding center so we could take him back to his Tree camp. Hulooo was eager to get out but the terrorist JenB was guarding the gate. Hulooo paced inside not knowing want to do. He tried another time, only to be bullied back inside again by JenB. We continued to call Hulooo, who became more and more anxious that he eventually threw himself down on the floor and cried in a helpless voice. It was both comical to see him terrorized by a little cub and heart breaking to see him cry like that. We continued to encourage him: "Hulooo, Hulooo, come on! Get out! Don't be bullied." Hulooo understood. He got up and in a determined stride, walked past the growling JenB, who suddenly stopped growling, probably perplexed by Hulooo's courage. Hulooo needed a cuddle as consolation, and was rewarded with it. He ran back to his little tree camp with excitement. He is such a sweet natured cat but now it is time we build him up as a tiger.

Worries, More Worries

2008-08-21T01:48:00.007+01:00

Thunder woke me up from my dreams at 3.30am and rain poured down. It surprised me as it looked nice and pleasant before I went to bed. I worried about Madonna and her babies. Should we intervene and move the babies (if we can!) to drier ground? Nick Marx had advised against it, saying the tiger mother will know to keep them dry. Does Madonna know how to keep them dry? They could get pneumonia in damp and cold conditions! Then I thought of my cat Sissy, who had raised several litters of kittens successfully in the wild, praying that Madonna would do the same.
As the lightening struck more and thunder continued, the rain seemed to be heavier. Even my wild cat Sissy hid herself somewhere and would not come out to answer my calls. I couldn't stop worrying, cursing why it chose now to rain but glad at least the temperature was not that low. As I listened to my watch ticking away, I asked Heaven to please stop raining but my pray seemed to go unanswered. Now going back to sleep became a challenge for me, as I listened to the rain dropping, worrying sick for Mother and babies in this foul weather…
It rained for several hours. How I prayed that mother and cubs managed to survive the rain...
The morning was windy and Madonna had a brief appearance before disappearing again. I wondered how the cubs were. No cries - were they alive or dead? I could only guess that they were fine, since Madonna had gone back to them after a stroll.
In the afternoon, I had wanted to get there before Madonna came out for afternoon walk so I could peep her hiding place. But when I arrived about 3.40, Madonna had already come out and I quickly had Cathay enticed into the breeding center (Cathay is incredibly smart and as she saw food in Vivienne's hand, she would go into the breeding center voluntarily to be shut inside so we can place the food for her wherever!). Out of direct sight of Madonna, so Cathay would not be able to challenge her. We let Madonna come into the adjoining camp where we have been feeding her and she looked visibly a lot more relaxed without Cathay's mean looks.
I felt guilty hiding in the distance behind a small bush to observe her. In between feeding she rolled around in the grass enjoying the wind. At about 4.30, she decided to head back to her camp. Through my binoculars, I could see her being extremely cautious, looking back and forth and left and right, only disappearing into the dense bush in the ditch after she had made "certain" that no one was observing her where she was heading to. I noticed that she seemed to also take a roundabout way of getting to her cubs, should there be others around.
What a Cat Mother! This reminded me of the little cat mother I ran into in 1999 on my land trip from Kenya to Tanzania. We had stopped at a Curio shop on the potholes filled road and not wanting to buy any stuff, I went for a walk around the shop. This tiny cat was walking clumsily in the distance so I caught up quietly, finding her carrying a tiny kitten in her mouth. When she arrived under the bridge, she laid down the kitten where there were already two other kittens there. She turned around seeing me looking and emitted a warning "hiss". I took the cue and left, not wanting to disturb her. However, half an hour later, before we left, I went to have another look to make sure mother and kittens were alright. I was surprised that mother and kittens were all gone -the little cat has moved all her babies away yet again, seeing that someone (me!) had seen their whereabouts...
Now Madonna seemed to be following her cat instincts and I am proud...

Madonna Seen Licking Baby Tiger!

2008-08-20T00:06:00.000+01:00

During night monitoring, Johnny saw through the dense bush that Madonna was licking one baby. This morning Vivenne heard one cry. We saw Madonna coming out to stroll more often and was out for about an hour. I was worried. Cathay never spent this much time out during the first few days and always stayed close to her babies. Cathay saw Madonna and immediately became hostile, looking at Madonna with a menacing and threatening look. I am sure she would have bitten Madonna were it not for the fence. Cathay was even angry at her cubs for being friendly to Madonna, swapping one at one stage and lay on top of another to prevent the cub getting close to Madonna, when Cathay saw Madonna approaching. Cathay also kicked the second cub at the same time.
Such was the temper of Cathay - a true protective tigress, but also a jealous one!
Madonna eventually she went back to her camp but only paced along the fence, instead of going back to her cub. Fortunately, a lot of crying came out of the trees and we saw her dashing back to the dense bush... I was relieved, for the time being.. I must say I am so proud of Madonna - she proved me wrong! I had thought that she would not rear her cubs this time and had gone out on a limb to prepare for that eventuality - sending staff to train, calling handrearing experts to standby just in case... But here you go! She is rearing her own cub/s! I am so grateful to her as well!
During Madonna's afternoon stroll, Cathay became more vicious with her cubs - biting, clawing and crushing one or another under,and the cubs cried and whined under her crushing weight that I was fearful she might hurt her cubs so I scolded her: "Cathay, don't be nasty!". She seemed to comprehend and looked at me with a stealing look, perhaps feeling guilty. However, she hated that the cubs chuffed at Madonna. She stared at Madonna with malice...
Just when Vivienne and I were about to leave the camps about 6.10pm, loud baby cries came out of Madonna's camp. I wondered what was happening? Where was Madonna? Was she not feeding the cub? Was she disturbed by Cathay's malicious attitude? I thought of shutting Cathay in the breeding center so Madonna could not see her but being so well fed Cathay did not even come close to the breeding center and her attention was focused entirely on Madonna too.
I was really worried, the baby cries contuinued even louder as time went on. I could vaguely distinguish two voices so believed there were two cubs. I rushed back to Villa TigerLi and called Eddie. How long should we allow the baby to cry before we intervene? Eddie said the cubs would not make it through the night without mother suckling. Not much else Eddie could offer at the moment except to make a report after my 8 o'clock monitor.
At 8pm, I went back to the camps, afraid of making any noise or using any lights which might disturb her. The moon had not come out so I literally walked in the dark on tiptoe, occasionally using my cellphone light to re-orient me in case I ran into the electric fences, or hit myself against the breeding center wall.
I was relieved that all is so quiet, with just the sound of frogs and crickets. Even birds have gone to sleep. No sound of baby tiger cries.
I believe that when darkness fell, before the moon comes out, even tigers don't see that well, which had calmed Madonna down.
I stood under the milky way and it feels so close as if I can just reach out and grab one of those beautiful shining stars. The sound of the crickets soothing in this wilderness.
I left as quietly as I came. Tomorrow, we must try to shut Cathay inside when Madonna comes out taking fresh air!

Madonna Getting Close to Giving Birth?

2008-08-19T07:54:00.002+01:00

It was 105th day for Madonna's pregnancy. She looked still very relaxed and only had a bit of sign in the afternoon when she whined a few times. But it was not as frequent as last time before her delivery. Is it because she knew better? Is second time less painful? Cathay certainly was very relaxed in her second birth. Maybe Madonna would be the same? Would she give birth quietly this time?
Dinner was of no interests to Madonna, which would normally be a sign that her delivery was close and could be tomorrow. So 24 hour monitoring started.
Aug 18, 2008 Madonna Gave Birth???
Madonna's pacing and whining increased, much like her pre-birth condictions last time, but unlike Cathay's second time birth-giving. I am worried as I observe her now, fearing that she might not have learned from her first time birthing experience. My heart goes out to her. I am glad the clouds seems to be clearing up a bit due to the wind and it becomes warmer when the sun shines through. Madonna needs all the help from the weather to give her time to suckle the cubs. But if the weather is cold, she needs to suckle the cubs iummediately or the cubs could die.
I had Cathay shut inside the breeding center, as two tigeresses can't tolerate one another, especially during birth. Madonna has the tendency to want to be close to Cathay, which makes it even worse - if she could see Cathay, she might want to get close to Cathay, thus abandoning her own cubs. However, despite the tricks we used, Cathay refused to go into the inner quarters (where she would be completely out of sight of Madonna) of the breeding center, for fear of that dreaful gate which would shut her inside. We gave up in the end - at least it is better that she is not walking about distracting Madonna.
Now for the patient waiting...
At 10.30, she seemed to be trying to make a "poo", which should be the first sign of contraction-birth giving. I saw something tried to get out of her but did not come out. Immediately after this contraction, Madona dashed off into the drainage full of grass, trees and bushes that I could no longer see her. I radioed Vivienne to join me. Madonna was nowhere to be seen through either my binoculars or the monoscope. She might know to lie down giving birth this time? Cathay did so the second time. I prayed for Madonna.
Vivienne arrived but we still could not see her from anywhere. I also did not want to disturb her by checking as it would mean driving into her camp in a vehicle. We will just have to wait.
Madonna kept us in the dark. It is now 4pm and we have not seen or heard any sound from her or the baby tigers that might have been born. Were I to judge it according to her first time, she should be whining and pacing nervously if she had not given birth. But now 5 hours have passed without her showing up. How I wish this means that she has learned the trade of giving birth and has been quietly suckling her babies! I am anxious..
My last resort would be to wait till feeding time and see if she comes out to eat. If she does, we could possibly walk into her camp and have a peep in the grass and see what is there!
Now it is feeding time but she did not show up. She would be pretty hungry by now since she did not eat her food last night. There is no way I wanted to disturb her by driving into her camp. I am now convinced she has given birth since 7 hours have passed. I believe she is doing her job as a good mother, as I heard no baby cries, except a couple of birds crying which I briefly mistook as baby tiger cries. Although I am not completely sure, by all signs she is suckling her cubs, unless of course they are dead.
Our team has to do the 24 hour monitoring again just in case. If we hear any cries, she must not be suckling, or running out of milk. At 8pm, I still did not hear any cries. The full moon is coming out so fingers crossed the weather is not too cold tonight!
Aug 19, 2008 Madonna Appeared
At 9.10 this morning, she was out briefly to drink water and then disappeared into the trees again. I am pretty certain by now she had given birth. I am so anxious on the one hand, wanting to know how many babies, and worry about disturbing her on the other hand. We left her alone. At 4.10 she came out, having such a relaxed and confident demeanour about her. It was as if to say: "I am now a proud mother!" She rolled on the ground bearing her belly, as if to give us opportunity to check her nipples, which did look a bit red-suckled! Well at least two of the nipples!
When she went back, we traced her route and saw her going into another bush. We saw through the binoculars that she was there and I seemed to have even heard a baby tiger cry! She must have moved her cub/s from the ditch to this dense bush while we were away....
I must bear this mystery of how many babies until I can find out safely... For now, I am content that she has become a mother and given birth in the wild, in the true sense of the word!

Erasing the Tiger, Losing the Habitat

2008-07-14T14:31:00.007+01:00

Below is my posted comments to the World Bankblog titled "Hot passion, tigers --and shoe shops" by Tony Whitten, about its new Tiger Initiative which reports the South China Tiger “extinct in the 1990’s”.
Please visit the blog to see other comments:
http://eapblog.worldbank.org/content/hot-passion-tigers-and-shoe-shops

Erasing the Tiger, Losing the Habitat
Submitted by Li Quan (not verified) on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 06:12

As founder of Save China’s Tigers I welcomed the World Bank’s decision to support conservation of the world’s endangered tigers. It was with profound shock and regret that I saw South China tiger listed as ‘extinct’ in your report.

It has become apparent in this blog that certain participants well-known to this organization have influenced the bank to disregard the opinions of organizations such as IUCN and other respected conservationists on the status of the South China Tiger. It is also apparent that undue importance has been attributed to a single study by Ron Tilson et al. in which Tilson concluded the tiger was ‘functionally extinct’ in the wild.

We selected Ron Tilson, invited him to China and co-funded his survey in spite of advice of many individuals from large conservation organizations who told me that Tilson was not suited to do the survey job. However, I choose Tilson because he wrote a paper in 1998 "The Impending extinction of the South China Tigers in the wild", and concluded that he had some interests in helping China resurrecting the South China Tiger.

After completion of the study he promptly declared the South China Tigers extinct in the wild in the Vancouver Sun paper, prior to the release of the Oryx report. This conclusion was disputed by the Chinese conservationist who conducted the field study and issued their own report. I have not understood Tilson’s motivations for his unsupported conclusions and rejection of anecdotal evidence. However, his motivations become obvious with his planned "South China Tiger/Indochinese Tiger Reintroduction Project". If, may we ask, he declared the South China Tigers extinct, where would he get the tigers to be introduced to Hupingshan? According to IUCN guidelines, one cannot introduce a species or subspecies unless the local population is considered extinct. Coincidence?

I’d like to reprise Tilson’s conclusion from his 1998 article: “The captive population, for better or for worse, may be all that is left against total extinction of this subspecies. To paraphrase the words of a noted environmental philosopher (Leopold, 1953), the first rule of intelligent tinkering is not to throw away any of the pieces.” A premature declaration of extinction for the South China tiger is unconscionable and I strongly urge the World Bank to reassess this unfortunate declaration.

2008-07-11T17:05:00.016+01:00

RUSSIAN WEDDING

Russel: English, successful lawyer, doting father of three grown children, kind supporter of charitable causes such as ours, fun, humourous, adventurous (in his own words), and Jewish.

Irina: Russian, successful private banker, kind, charming, adventurous, and of Orthodox church.

Adventure in Africa brought them together. They got married.

Wedding was a fairy 3-day celebration in Moscow. My husband and I were among the over 100 guests that flew from over the world to Moscow to wish the couple well.

July 2nd: Arrival in Moscow in Domodedovo International Airport.Construction is still going on at the airport. Moscow is changed from my memory of 10 years ago when I visited Russia in October 1998. Our bus journey took 3.5 hours from the airport to our Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel (within walking distance of the Red Square), which would take less than an hour by train.

Moscow changed! Ten years ago it was drab in every respect, with little food in store and the country on the verge of economic collapse.. Now, even the air is full of wealth. Every western brand in the world seems to have its shop here: clothes, cars, etc etc. Cheap Chinese goods are no where to be seen, though I suspect that they must be somewhere serving the Russians who are not yet so well off.

July 3rd: Cocktails and Dinner at the Sky Lounge of the Russian Academy of Science. This building of Soviet Era looked kind of unfinished with its bizaar exterior. The restaurant is on its 22nd floor with a modern feel and most important of all, it has a 360 degree breathtaking view of Moscow. I forgot to take my camera! My vodka drinking skills impressed the Russian Waiters, who willingly provided me more whenever they saw me at the bar.

July 4th: Wedding day!

Our two and half hour trip in heavily congested traffic to the Morozovka Park hotel was well vindicated when we reached this other-worldly resort..

Live music welcomed 150 festively dressed guests.

Drinking started early, waiters poured vodka generously and cheerfully into my fruit cocktails.

Bride and groom took their vows.

Groom promised to peel patatos and not to snore.

Bride threw her bouquet to unmarried girl friends.

Delicatessen, fruit cocktails, more vodka...

Walk to the pond in the forest..

Dinner, abundant dinner, wonderful dinner, lively dinner, big dinner, 15 tables of dinner!

Russians are famed for their artistic talents. Russian singers can also act very well. I enjoyed quite a few Kirov operas in London. I can not describe to you how incredibly good they were when this Most Wonderful Eight-men choir started singing and dancing! Their performance was a eleclectic and innovative mix of opera arias and popular songs. Opera trained, their voices covered the full range of notes from base to suprano. Bear in mind- It is not easy for a male voice to sing in the highest ranges of the female voice!

The Evening ended with the most fabulous display of fireworks by one of the ponds....in the early hours of next morning.

July 5th: Party Continued.

I skipped the day tour and went to see the landmarks that were there ten years ago. Hotel Metropole was a happening place then. Having tea under its famed stained glass ceiling was a must. Now, it looked abandoned, although the building still evoked its glamamorous past.

Gum (Meaning General Department Store) got to be the most beautiful shopping mall in the world. Built at the end of the 19th century, it exulted now over the array of famed western fashion outlets....

Dinner at an atmospheric Uzbeki Restaurant themed after the famous Russian film of the same name "The White Desert Sun" was fun, with a caged peacock occasiionally echoing the sound of its comrades in the movie, shown on the TV screen of the restaurant.

July 6 to 10: St. Petersburg.

I remember how beautiful the city was but it is now more beautiful! The city seemed to have gone through a major changeover in the past ten years. Many historical buildings have been restored and many more are under scaffoldings.

Ten years ago I battled to find any place for dinner, but now there are more cafes here than anywhere else in the world. Clearly Russia's new found prosperity does come with a price! I won't be surprised if it is the most expensive country in the world now! A tiny bottle of water at the lobby bar at the Grand Hotel Europe was nearly 90 yuan. A modest meal at a Ukrainian restaurant was 70 pounds! But the reward for me was to try the "illegal" Samogon-home brewed vodka. Russians now find it 50 to 60 percent cheaper to go on holiday overseas!

The reason I wanted to come back to St. Petersburg was due to a very beautiful church-Our Saviour built on Spilt Blood. It was closed and under restoration ten years ago. I made a vow to come back to SP just to see this church. And the church definately deserves every praise heaped on it!

Larrissa, who used to look after us and my cats in London, came all the way from her home town of Kraznadar in the South to see us. We haven't seen one another for 4 years! She was like an old sister to me and I love her dearly. She is a fine example of Russian

women-cultured, hard working, honest and kind..

Many like her are the reason

why I believe Russia will continue to rise.

-End-

Missing the point, missing the tiger.

2008-07-09T11:23:00.002+01:00

Below is a supporter’s posted comments on a World Bank blog about its new Tiger Initiative which reports the South China Tiger “extinct in the 1990’s”
Please visit the blog to see other comments:
http://eapblog.worldbank.org/content/hot-passion-tigers-and-shoe-shops

Misinformation in Initiative's Report
Submitted by Gary Verstick on Wed, 07/02/2008 - 07:19.
Many involved in tiger conservation welcome the Bank’s ‘passion’ for saving the tigers. However, it is with sadness and amazement that I find that the subspecies of tiger -the South China Tiger is declared “extinct in the 1990’s” in the Initiative’s report. The South China tiger (panthera tigris amoyensis) is critically endangered and faces many challenges such as genetics, limited numbers, loss of habitat and a major conservation organization that has declared them ‘functionally extinct’. Thankfully, in spite of these challenges, the ancestral stem subspecies of all tigers is still very much alive.
There are 67 in Chinese zoos and there are many scientists who believe there are still 20 or 30 roaming the wilds of China. The Chinese government has been trying to rescue this subspecies working with an International organization. Three South China Tiger cubs were born recently in South Africa under a special program. However, it makes the efforts to save this tiger much harder when a large prestigious organization such as the Bank has unilaterally declared it extinct.
You mention the planning was subjected to infighting, misinformation and bitterness – and this is well documented in Cory Meacham's book "How the tiger Lost its Stripes". You also mention certain groups decided not to associate themselves. Well, I am sure that the Chinese government and the organizations working on the South China Tigers would have appreciated any support from the WB. I only hope that as the Initiative moves forward, your ‘passion’ will help fix some of the misinformation and injustices remaining in your report.

Missing the point, missing the tiger.
Submitted by Gary Verstick on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 13:50.
Moss and Roubaix have missed the point entirely. I know of no scientist or conservationist (including Tilson) who declare the South China Tiger extinct. Some regard it as “functionally extinct” or “extinct in the wilds” and certainly “critically endangered”, “extinct” no. The World Bank is the first to unilaterally declare the species extinct, and not only that, “extinct in the 1990’s”!
I will not argue how many South China tigers exist in the wild. I do know that Tilson's much quoted report is highly debated. It took 1000 trap nights to catch one tiger in Burma where the density is much higher than in China. Tilson also recognized the need for more study: “While no direct sightings have taken place, this evidence suggests that South China tigers may still persist in a number of localities but where and how many are not scientifically validated yet. The potential distribution area covers 11 natural geographical units and is about 90,000 km2, with six of the 11 units covering about 18,000 km2.”
Thanx Moss for your Tilson quote, maybe you should read it: “We conclude that continued field efforts are needed to ascertain whether any wild tigers may yet persist, concurrent with the need to consider options for the eventual recovery and restoration of wild tiger populations from existing captive populations." Roubaix’s godlike judgement that “the necessary habitat conditions no longer exist for a viable recovery” is nonsense – even Tilson has proposed habitat reclamation using Indo-chinese tigers and restocked prey.
Further, it is generally considered bad conservation practice (by the IUCN) to declare a species extinct when the numbers are very low, because it takes away incentives for local people to conserve the habitat and gives commercial interests an excuse to access the area, since the "disappearance" of a keystone species signals the habitat need not merit protection anymore. Regardless of the wild population, a responsible organization like that of the World Bank should be helping the Chinese government’s initiative to restore habitat and reintroduce tigers to the wild, instead of unilaterally condemning the last remaining South China tigers to extinction, simply because it is expedient. This goes against all the grand words in the Tiger Initiative, or is the initiative just some sort of conservation lip service?

Two Polar Bears Killed

2008-07-07T03:17:00.004+01:00

It saddens me to read this news: "The Second Polar Bear to reach Iceland within two weeks only to be shot dead by authorities prompted further outcries from wildlife advocates. Both animals appear to have made a grueling 300-km swim from Greenland to the North Atlantic island nation".
I have been to Iceland some years ago. I wanted to see whales. But the Icelanders were debating to re-open whaling (kill whales for commercial usage). They are now whaling. Now they shot the two poor polar bears who have lost their homes and swam such a long way from the arctic to Iceland asking for help....
Are we Chinese more large hearted to accomodate these poor homeless animals if ever they swam to the shore of the Yellow Sea? I cross my fingers.
July 6th 2008. On the flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg

Chinese tiger branded ‘Extinct’ by the World Bank celebrates his 7th month birthday.

2008-07-02T14:32:00.003+01:00

It might come as a surprise to ‘Hulooo’ and his siblings at Save China’s Tiger’s Laohu Valley Tiger Reserve, that the World Bank considers him and other South China tigers as extinct. The bank’s recently announced Tiger Conservation Initiative lists the subspecies as ‘extinct in the 1990’s’, ignoring that there are 7 tigers at the SCT reserve, another 67 South China Tigers in zoos in China and the fact that some scientists think that 20 or 30 might still exist in remote regions of China. The international body, IUCN lists them as ‘critically endangered’.

You might ask how it is possible for such a large prestigious organization to make such a blatant mistake. You might ask some of the reports authors and contributors who belong to the initiative’s ‘partners’ One of the World Bank report’s contributors, Sue Lieberman, director of WWF’s Global Species Programme has previously said: “Quan’s decision to re-wild the tigers in South Africa proves that there is simply no room for them in China’s disappearing wilderness” and adds, “We can save the tiger, but we shouldn’t put our efforts into the South China tiger.”

Lieberman’s target, Li Quan, a Beijing born former fashion executive and founder of conservation group ‘Save China’s Tigers’ shakes her head at the Bank’s report, “It makes our fund-raising efforts a lot more difficult when an organization like the World Bank declares that the majestic animal you are desperately trying to save went extinct decades ago. This is a national treasure of China. This is the ancestral subspecies of all other tigers. We’re not going to turn our backs on them just because it’s a huge challenge to save them”.

When Quan and her husband Stuart Bray formed Save China’s Tigers, little was being done to save the big cat and Quan recognized the situation was desperate and something had to be done right away. Their action plan was bold, ambitious and unprecedented. In Nov. 2002, Save China’s Tigers signed an historic agreement with the Chinese government on the ‘Reintroduction of the Chinese Tigers into the Chinese Wild’. SCT funded several surveys in Southern China to identify and establish vast protected reserves. These reserves would be stocked with prey species and zoo-bred tigers that had been ‘rewild’ trained to hunt and survive on their own again. Bray (an investment banker) has worked hard to develop creative financial and infrastructure strategies involving eco-tourism and even carbon-credits to support the reserves.

To fast-track the training, SCT went the home of conservation and re-wilding expertise; South Africa, establishing a huge 300 square kilometre protected reserve bordering the Orange River and staffed it with experienced wildlife managers. SCT’s Bray puts the choice in stark terms: "If we wait until the Chinese habitat is prepared, some scientists predict the tigers will be extinct before the land is ready." Laohu Valley Reserve is now home to 4 China tigers that have successfully undergone a re-wild training program and can now hunt ungulates. Thriving in the grasslands, their vast camps are protected by electric fencing. A recently opened breeding centre has witnessed unprecedented success with the birth of three cubs in the last six months – some of the very few South China tigers born anywhere in the last 3 years. Quan says there’s more on the way and attributes the success in part to the natural environment.

However it has come as a big surprise that their conservation efforts met with indifference and sometimes outright hostility from some big environmental groups. Putting aside the professional jealousies’ and venomous personal attacks – (one organization’s tiger projects co-ordinator called Li Quan a ‘dilettante’ and suggested that “she leave conservation for the conservationists” in a World Street Journal article in Sept 2003), public criticism of the SCT project is full of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’. One organization’s report gleefully points out a minor SCT spelling mistake. Another evidences glaring ignorance of the project and suggests: “reintroduction of this animal is pointless if there is no habitat in which it can succeed”, ignoring SCT plans to establish vast protected reserves in China. In recent years the opposition from such big organizations has been more private than public and yet more damaging. When Bray talks to potential funders these days they will often seek a second opinion on the project and where do they go to? Bray says several funding projects have been cancelled due to negative reports from one organization.

There are many talented conservationists and scientists who fully support SCT’s project and indeed provide direct consultation and direction. Speaking of SCT’s effort, a well respected big cat field biologist said, “Conservation and strategies to conserve wildlife and wild places has been and will continue to be an ‘experiment’. The conservation community must acknowledge that any strategy to ‘save’ or ‘conserve’ a species or natural area is an scientific ‘experiment’ and that any strategy, if it is to succeed, must adapt and evolve to our changing understandings of what works and what does not work. To be successful any conservation strategy must be responsive to the needs of the species and people and must be willing to adapt when the objectives or goals are not being met.”

He continues: “Efforts to conserve the South China Tiger are a worthwhile endeavor. The challenges are great, and will require efforts and strategies not tested before. Saving the South China Tiger from extinction and as part of natural systems in China will require innovative and bold approaches, commitment and intensive management strategies, and perhaps understandings and skills we in the biological and conservation community may not possess or appreciate. We need to reach out to people outside our profession: sociologist, religious leaders, and people with skills in the business world. It is we humans and our economies that have placed species at peril, and it is only we that can throw a ‘life line’ to ensure a species persistence. If only a single person has the commitment and resources to take on such a challenge, then we in the conservation community should lend a hand and offer our skills and knowledge to support such an endeavor, and not condemn it. Many great contributions toward mankind and our world were made possible by the vision and dedication of a single individual.”

There are some positive observations in the World Bank’s report. The report grudgingly admits that big conservationist plans have not been productive: “The inconvenient truth is that under current management systems, wild tigers are silently slipping away. Well intentioned international, national, and regional support for tiger conservation over the last decade has not reversed the decline in tiger populations.” The report all seems to recognize that ‘sweeping solutions don’t work for all subspecies: “There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to tiger conservation. The precise mix and type of policies necessary will vary across countries, reflecting local opportunities and pressures.” And later, “To address the root causes of the decline in tiger populations, the approaches taken would need to blend incentives for conservation (carrots) with deterrence and enforcement (sticks).” The report also recognizes the importance of eco-tourism in future conservation efforts, public and private joint management partnerships, forest ecosystem restoration, biodiversity-sensitive development and infrastructure, carbon sequestration and sustainable management. It is a sad irony that all of these checklist items are characteristic of SCT’s castigated project, which was conceived in 2002 and started already in 2002. It seems these big organizations need to reassess their priorities. Like all huge organizations, they don’t like to take ‘risks’. Time is running out for many species and we don’t need yet another study, we need concerted, dramatic, and yes, sometimes innovative action. I don’t question the ‘biggies’ right (World this, World that) to help conserve the tigers with the methods they feel best. I welcome it. I DO OBJECT when they write-off the most endangered tiger as not worth the effort. I DO OBJECT they are not clearly informing their members, many of whom are under the impression that they are attempting to save all tigers. I DO OBJECT when they actively obstruct the valid efforts of smaller conservation groups.

The World Bank report sheepishly admits: “With its broad experience in development and conservation the World Bank is well placed to learn lessons from the past.” This is the only allusion to conservationists’ criticisms of World Bank’s past failures to take proper account of human and environmental needs in its projects. Tiger conservationists in India have slammed the Bank for supporting projects such as highways and forestry plantations, which ironically, have destroyed tiger habitat. Of special note was the funding of 25 Eastern India coal mines in what was identified by the WWF as important tiger forest corridors.

The tiger initiative itself is not without criticism. Conservationist Valmik Thapar and scientist Ullas Karanth have both criticized the proposal, demanding that the Bank should first admit to the damage caused by development and wildlife conservation projects it has supported, before offering India money. They point to possible fraud and illegal cutting of thousands of trees during the implementation of the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, one of several Bank-funded, eco-development projects in India. Further, Thapar and Karanth maintain that the National Zoo had asked the Bank for advice on the development of a joint proposal, but the World Bank "went ahead without waiting for completion of deliberations”. The Government of India has decided to refuse the Bank's "offer" for a loan to save the tigers.

The Bank’s report observes: “The World Bank has a broad mandate that includes the stewardship of global public goods. The Bank’s growing engagement in environmental protection is consistent with its wider historical evolution and commitment to sustainable development. The Bank has a considerable investment in environmental protection, including in tiger and biodiversity conservation.” The inclusion of tigers in the Bank’s all-inclusive mandate of “stewardship of global public goods” means that the conservation of tigers has been appropriated by a handful of people with the power to decide which tigers should live or die. We encourage the bank to examine the vested interests of the authors of their report and to factor in the larger world. Save China’s Tigers is the only charitable project ‘doing something’ to save the subspecies. To date, SCT has been 95% privately funded out of the pockets of Quan and Bray (some 10 million dollars).

Ironically, one of the Bank’s initiatives is to host a 2010 “Year of the Tiger” Summit (from the Chinese horoscope) and touts: “This would be an opportunity for all those involved in tiger conservation to review the status of tigers and their habitat.” “Hopefully, Quan wryly observes, “this ‘Summit’ would recognize that the ‘extinct’ South China tiger very much exists - maybe they should host it in China.”
When you look into the eyes of the new tiger cub at SCT’s Laohu Valley Reserve, you see the hope for the future of the species. The cub’s subspecies has huge challenges; few numbers, weakened genetics, loss of habitat and little financial support. Hopefully all these big problems can be overcome, if only the subspecies can survive the ‘big’ organizations.

“Branded Extinct”- South China Tiger Cub Named After Australian Jenifer Bone

2008-06-23T10:56:00.002+01:00

Press Release

(London June 23, 2008) One of the “Extinct” South China Tiger cubs born two months ago in South Africa has been given the name “JenB” – in honour of an animal-lover whose kindness is helping the campaign to save this beautiful species from extinction.

JenB and his brother (as yet unnamed) were born on March 30th this year and are being devotedly cared for by their mother, Cathay, at the South African reserve of the charity “Save China’s Tigers”.

The animals are part of an ambitious ‘rewilding’ training programme at Laohu Valley Reserve, where they are being prepared for eventual release into their natural Chinese habitat.

The organisation’s founder, Li Quan, today announced the naming of the cub – and explained the significance of “JenB”. Ms Li Quan said Save China’s Tigers decided to name the cub after the late Jenifer Bone, of Sydney, Australia, to commemorate her kindness to the tigers.

Ms Bone, operated a trendy homeware retail business with her sister Rosalind in the fashionable Sydney suburb of Paddington. Jenifer, who passed away on 24 October 2007, was a lifelong lover of big cats and bequested a donation of AUD$75,000 to the project

Ms. Bone’s sister, Rosalind Wood, said: “From quite a young adult age, Jenny developed a major concern for endangered animals, and throughout her business life was a quiet but generous donor to several causes which she followed with enthusiasm.

“However, her greatest love was for the cat family – both large and small. Over the years, Jenny observed with horror the decline of several species of the large cat family, and one of her final wishes was to be to able to support in some way the breeding programmes of one or more of these.”

She continued, “As her sister, I know that she would be happy to know this is what Save China’s Tigers’ rewilding and breeding programme is achieving – in their quest to rescue the magnificent South China Tiger from extinction. May we see more and more of them being bred and reintroduced to the wild over the coming years and may Jenny's contribution go some little way in assisting this cause.”

Steven Prassas, legal representative for Ms Bone’s estate, added, “I was given the responsibility of selecting organizations dedicated to Big Cat Conservation to receive donation from estate monies.

“My initial research led me to contact Save China's Tigers and I got to know more about Li Quan and her unique, bold and challenging initiative to breed and re-wild South China tigers, with the ultimate objective of re-introducing them back into a Chinese wildlife reserve, rather than a cage.

“I had the privilege of visiting the project’s 300-square-kilometre reserve to meet with her and her team and to see her program in action. I will never forget my introduction to an up-close and personal view of the tigers and their cubs in the wild.Their beauty, strength and majesty are simply awe inspiring. After four days at Laohu Valley I was convinced of the necessity of the program and had no hesitation in selecting Save China's Tiger as a worthy recipient to assist in its work.”
“I commend Li Quan and the wildlife management team for their success to date in the breeding and re-wilding of the South China tigers and for their staunch commitment to these magnificent animals to save them from the very real threat of extinction.”

Quan said, “We are extremely grateful for the generous support of the Jenifer Bone Estate. The donation will be put towards our operations immediately. One priority will be building better maternity facilities for the tigresses to give birth in a more secure environment.”
JenB is a strong cub and very healthy. He has lived under different weather conditions, including very cold rainy and windy days, with the care of his mother. He will soon start re-wilding training – still under the maternal guidance of Cathay.

SELECTED QUOTES FROM FAMOUS PEOPLE ON MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS

2008-05-29T17:55:00.002+01:00

Loving animals is to love Nature, but also to love and respect humankind themselves. All lives in this world belong to this earth. How many people know about the percentage of genes that we human beijing share even with the banana? I have always wanted to share with my friends the love and respect many great humans have for animals and here are some of the quotes from them.

SELECTED QUOTES FROM FAMOUS PEOPLE ON MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ANIMALS

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"Please put the ladybug outside without harming her. (to his butler)"-- Winston Churchill

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."-- Mohandas Gandhi

"The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous; it is indissolubly connected with the fate of men."-- Emile Zola

"Men who have practiced tortures on animals without pity, relating them without shame. How can they still hold their heads high among human beings?"-- Samuel Johnson

"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty."-- Albert Einstein

"Perhaps the time has come to formulate a moral code which would govern our relations with the great creatures of the sea as well as with those on dry land. That this will come to pass is [my] dear wish."-- Jacques Cousteau

"We and the beasts are kin."-- Ernest Thompson Seton

"Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."-- Albert Schweitzer

"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."-- Thomas Edison

"As custodians of the planet it is our responsibity to deal with all species with kindness, love, and compassion. That these animals suffer through human cruelty is beyond understanding. Please help to stop this madness."-- Richard Gere

"In studying the traits and dispositions of the so-called lower animals, and contrasting them with man's, I find the result humiliating to me."-- Mark Twain

"Human beings are the only animals of which I am thoroughly and cravenly afraid."-- George Bernard Shaw

"What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty." --Leo Tolstoy, author

"There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties... The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery." --Charles Darwin

"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? But rather, Can they suffer?" --Jeremy Bentham, 19th century Philosopher, Oxford University

"Cruelty has cursed the human family for countless ages. It is almost impossible for one to be cruel to animals and kind to humans. If children are permitted to be cruel to their pets and other animals, they easily learn to get the same pleasure from the misery of fellow-humans. Such tendencies can easily lead to crime. "--Fred A.McGrand (1895- )

"If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals." --Albert Einstein

"When a man has pity on all living creatures then only is he noble. "--Buddha (563? - 483? B.C.)

"When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him it's called ferocity." --George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Quote from Leonardo da Vinci: "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men."

Quote from Abraham Lincoln: "I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."

George Bernard Shaw said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Ghandi wrote, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Only humans have the arrogance and ability to deem another living thing "useless" and to condemn it to extinction simply because it's in the way of something we want more.

"For as long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love... Primoque a caede ferarum incaluisse puto maculatum sanguine ferrum ('I think the blood of animals was the first to stain our weapons')."Pythagoras (ca. 580-520 BCE).

"First it was necessary to civilize man in relation to man. Now it is necessary to civilize man in relation to nature and the animals."Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

"I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground" (President Lincoln's reply to friends who chided him for delaying them by stopping to return a fledgling to its nest). President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)林肯

"If [man] is not to stifle human feelings, he must practice kindness toward animals, for he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of man by his treatment of animals."--Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

"Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages." --Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President

"The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different."--Hippocrates (ca. 460-377 BCE).]

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."--Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC), Parts of Animals

That best portion of a good man's life; his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. William Wordsworth