Assisted reproduction techniques play a significant role in veterinary medicine, and although they are widely used in domestic animals, they are also becoming increasingly relevant in clinical practice for wild felids, especially in the conservation efforts for endangered species. In this study, the result of two semen collection techniques, urethral catheterization after pharmacological induction (Ur.Ca.P.I.) and electroejaculation, are described, aiming to provide new practical information about sperm collection using the Ur.Ca.P.I. technique and electroejaculation in tigers and leopards, describing the authors\' experience and presenting new data and observations. The following descriptive study included two subjects of Panthera tigris species and two of Panthera pardus. These subjects, after general anesthesia, underwent sperm collection initially with Ur.Ca.P.I. and, subsequently, with electroejaculation. Sampling was made possible in both species thanks to the use of electroejaculation. Sperm volumes in leopards ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 mL and in tigers from 0.5 to 2.177 mL. Sperm concentration in leopards ranged from 136 × 106 to 280 × 106 sperm/mL, and in tigers, from 21.5 × 106 to 354 × 106 sperm/mL. Urethral catheterization gave positive results in leopards, with sperm volumes ranging from 25 up to 150 µL and a concentration ranging from 110 × 106 up to 1082 × 106 sperm/mL. In tigers, unlike in leopards, the use of the Ur.Ca.P.I. technique encountered difficulties that did not allow satisfactory results to be obtained. Therefore, it would be useful to test the feasibility of urethral catheterization on a larger group of individuals in order to have more meaningful feedback. Finally, because electroejaculation always allowed semen collection in tigers, with a higher sperm quality than samples collected by Ur.Ca.P.I., we currently consider it the technique of choice for the collection of semen material in this species.

Strawberry or red leopards are a rare colour morph of leopard (Panthera pardus) characterised by spot markings that are red or brown instead of black, thought to be a result of a mutation in the tyrosinase-related protein (TYRP1) gene. We report the first record of this phenotype on the African continent outside of South Africa, from Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania. One female leopard with strawberry colouration was documented out of 373 individual leopards (0.3%) identified through camera trap surveys conducted from 2020 to 2022 over a combined area of more than 4600 km2 in the Nyerere-Selous landscape.

Dholes (Cuon alpinus) are endangered large carnivores found in scattered populations in Asia. One of the main threats to dholes is the decreasing prey availability throughout their distribution range. In the present study, we used camera trap data collected over 6 years to investigate the temporal activity patterns of dholes and their putative prey species in Baluran National Park in Java, Indonesia. We also explored the overlap in activity between dholes and the park\'s other remaining large carnivore the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas), as well as humans. Furthermore, we investigated potential differences in activity patterns between dholes in packs and dholes roaming in pairs or alone. We found a high temporal overlap between dholes and their wild ungulate prey species (ranging from Δ = 0.66-0.90), with the lowest overlap observed between dholes and bantengs (Bos javanicus) (Δ = 0.66), and the highest between dholes and muntjacs (Muntiacus muntjak) (Δ = 0.90). A very low overlap was found between dholes and domestic cattle (Bos indicus) (Δ = 0.27) whereas a moderately high overlap was found between dholes and leopards (Δ = 0.70) and dholes and humans (Δ = 0.62). We found a significant difference in activity patterns between dholes in packs and dholes roaming alone or in pairs (Δ = 0.78, p = .01). Single/pairs of dholes were more active both during the day and at night, whereas packs were predominantly active around sunrise and sunset. The high overlap with humans potentially has a negative effect on dhole activity, particularly for dispersing individuals, and the low overlap with domestic species questions the extent to which dholes are considered to predate on them.

Predicting the effects of global environmental changes on species distribution is a top conservation priority, particularly for large carnivores, that contribute to regulating and maintaining ecosystems. As the most widespread and adaptable large felid, ranging across Africa and Asia, leopards are crucial to many ecosystems as both keystone and umbrella species, yet they are threatened across their ranges. We used intraspecific species distribution models (SDMs) to predict changes in range suitability for leopards under future climate and land-use change and identify conservation gaps and opportunities. We generated intraspecific SDMs for the three western leopard subspecies, the African, Panthera pardus pardus; Arabian, Panthera pardus nimr; and Persian, Panthera pardus tulliana, leopards, and overlapped predictions with protected areas (PAs) coverage. We show that leopard subspecies differ in their environmental associations and vulnerability to future changes. The African and Arabian leopards are predicted to lose ~25% and ~14% of their currently suitable range, respectively, while the Persian leopard is predicted to experience ~12% range gains. We found that most areas predicted to be suitable were not protected, with only 4%-16% of the subspecies\' ranges falling inside PAs, and that these proportions will decrease in the future. The highly variable responses we found between leopard subspecies highlight the importance of considering intraspecific variation when modelling vulnerability to climate and land-use changes. The predicted decrease in proportion of suitable ranges falling inside PAs threatens global capacity to effectively conserve leopards because survival rates are substantially lower outside PAs due to persecution. Hence, it is important to work with local communities to address negative human-wildlife interactions and to restore habitats to retain landscape connectivity where PA coverage is low. On the other hand, the predicted increase in range suitability across southern Europe presents opportunities for expansion outside of their contemporary range, capitalising on European rewilding schemes.

Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is the causative agent of animal tuberculosis (TB) which poses a threat to many of South Africa\'s most iconic wildlife species, including leopards (Panthera pardus). Due to limited tests for wildlife, the development of accurate ante-mortem tests for TB diagnosis in African big cat populations is urgently required. The aim of this study was to evaluate currently available immunological assays for their ability to detect M. bovis infection in leopards.
Leopard whole blood (n=19) was stimulated using the QuantiFERON Gold Plus In-Tube System (QFT) to evaluate cytokine gene expression and protein production, along with serological assays. The GeneXpert® MTB/RIF Ultra (GXU®) qPCR assay, mycobacterial culture, and speciation by genomic regions of difference PCR, was used to confirm M. bovis infection in leopards.
Mycobacterium bovis infection was confirmed in six leopards and individuals that were tuberculin skin test (TST) negative were used for comparison. The GXU® assay was positive using all available tissue homogenates (n=5) from M. bovis culture positive animals. Mycobacterium bovis culture-confirmed leopards had greater antigen-specific responses, in the QFT interferon gamma release assay, CXCL9 and CXCL10 gene expression assays, compared to TST-negative individuals. One M. bovis culture-confirmed leopard had detectable antibodies using the DPP® Vet TB assay.
Preliminary results demonstrated that immunoassays and TST may be potential tools to identify M. bovis-infected leopards. The GXU® assay provided rapid direct detection of infected leopards. Further studies should aim to improve TB diagnosis in wild felids, which will facilitate disease surveillance and screening.

Predation is widely recognized as a powerful selective pressure on primate behavior and ecology, although knowledge of predator-prey relationships remains limited partly due to the rarity of directly observed attacks on primates. Here, we describe four confirmed or suspected instances of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on free-ranging Sichuan (golden) snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), a highly endangered colobine species endemic to China. We recorded predation events and the reactions of monkey group members. We suggest that the evolution of a multilevel society may be an adaptive response by Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys to the risk from leopards as well as other potential predators, one that balances the pressures of predation and intra-species competition and conflict.

Intraguild interactions among carnivores have long held the fascination of ecologists. Ranging from competition to facilitation and coexistence, these interactions and their complex interplay influence everything from species persistence to ecosystem functioning. Yet, the patterns and pathways of such interactions are far from understood in tropical forest systems, particularly across countries in the Global South. Here, we examined the determinants and consequences of competitive interactions between dholes Cuon alpinus and the two large felids (leopards Panthera pardus and tigers Panthera tigris) with which they most commonly co-occur across Asia. Using a combination of traditional and novel data sources (N = 118), we integrate information from spatial, temporal, and dietary niche dimensions. These three species have faced catastrophic declines in their extent of co-occurrence over the past century; most of their source populations are now confined to Protected Areas. Analysis of dyadic interactions between species pairs showed a clear social hierarchy. Tigers were dominant over dholes, although pack strength in dholes helped ameliorate some of these effects; leopards were subordinate to dholes. Population-level spatio-temporal interactions assessed at 25 locations across Asia did not show a clear pattern of overlap or avoidance between species pairs. Diet-profile assessments indicated that wild ungulate biomass consumption by tigers was highest, while leopards consumed more primate and livestock prey as compared to their co-predators. In terms of prey offtake (ratio of wild prey biomass consumed to biomass available), the three species together harvested 0.4-30.2% of available prey, with the highest offtake recorded from the location where the carnivores reach very high densities. When re-examined in the context of prey availability and offtake, locations with low wild prey availability showed spatial avoidance and temporal overlap among the carnivore pairs, and locations with high wild prey availability showed spatial overlap and temporal segregation. Based on these observations, we make predictions for 40 Protected Areas in India where temporally synchronous estimates of predator and prey densities are available. We expect that low prey availability will lead to higher competition, and in extreme cases, to the complete exclusion of one or more species. In Protected Areas with high prey availability, we expect intraguild coexistence and conspecific competition among carnivores, with spill-over to forest-edge habitats and subsequent prey-switching to livestock. We stress that dhole-leopard-tiger co-occurrence across their range is facilitated through an intricate yet fragile balance between prey availability, and intraguild and conspecific competition. Data gaps and limitations notwithstanding, our study shows how insights from fundamental ecology can be of immense utility for applied aspects like large predator conservation and management of human-carnivore interactions. Our findings also highlight potential avenues for future research on tropical carnivores that can broaden current understanding of intraguild competition in forest systems of Asia and beyond.

BACKGROUND: Feline Panleukopenia is an important disease of cats and has been reported worldwide. The disease is caused by a non-enveloped, single-stranded DNA virus; Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPLV), belonging to the Parvoviridae family. The disease causes significant mortality in unvaccinated kittens. The disease has been well documented in companion animals. However, only a few reports have surfaced from the wild.
METHODS: An orphan leopard cub was presented to Wildlife Rescue Centre, Nagpur, for further care; the leopard was kept under quarantine. On day 22 of the quarantine, the leopard showed inappetence, lethargy and depression and did not consume the offered carabeef (Day 0 of treatment). The leopard was examined clinically and was found to have a temperature of 102°F; blood was collected and analysed. On day one, the leopard exhibited bloody diarrhoea, inappetence, fever and depression. The leopard was rationally treated with fluids, antibiotics, multi-vitamins, haemostatics and haematinics. To gain qualitative insights into the epidemiological aspect of the disease, molecular investigation, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction), were utilized to confirm the infection. The amplicon was sequenced and was found to be similar to sequences of FPLV reported domestic cats and other wild felids from India and abroad. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to understand the evolutionary relationship of the virus with previously reported sequences of FPLV. Sequences were submitted to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and were allotted accession numbers.
CONCLUSIONS: The infection in endangered leopard cubs could be managed with prompt fluid therapy, antibiotics and support treatment, ensuring an uneventful recovery. Molecular investigation and sequencing efforts can provide valuable data on epidemiology and the evolutionary relationship of the virus with the circulating strains in the field. The study has implications in the preventive management of FPLV in captivity and the selection of strains for inclusion in vaccines meant for the wild felids.

From wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in the Serengeti to tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the Russian Far East, canine distemper virus (CDV) has been repeatedly identified as a threat to wild carnivores. Between 2020 and 2022, six Indian leopards (P. pardus fusca) presented to Nepali authorities with fatal neurological disease, consistent with CDV. Here, we report the findings of a serosurvey of wild felids from Nepal. A total of 48 serum samples were tested, comprising 28 Bengal tigers (P. t. tigris) and 20 Indian leopards. Neutralizing antibodies were identified in three tigers and six leopards, equating to seroprevalences of 11% (CI: 2.8-29.3%, n = 28) and 30% (CI: 12.8-54.3%, n = 20), respectively. More than one-third of seropositive animals were symptomatic, and three died within a week of being sampled. The predation of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) has been posited as a potential route of infection. A comparison of existing diet studies revealed that while leopards in Nepal frequently predate on dogs, tigers do not, potentially supporting this hypothesis. However, further work, including molecular analyses, would be needed to confirm this.

Scavenging is widespread in the carnivore guild and can greatly impact food web structures and population dynamics by either facilitation or suppression of sympatric carnivores. Due to habitat loss and fragmentation, carnivores are increasingly forced into close sympatry, possibly resulting in more interactions such as kleptoparasitism and competition. In this paper, we investigate the potential for these interactions when carnivore densities are high. A camera trap survey was conducted in central Tuli, Botswana, to examine leopard Panthera pardus densities and spatiotemporal activity patterns of leopard and its most important competitors\' brown hyena Parahyaena brunnea and spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta. Spatial capture-recapture models estimated leopard population density to be 12.7 ± 3.2 leopard/100 km2, which is one of the highest leopard densities in Africa. Time-to-event analyses showed both brown hyena and spotted hyena were observed more frequently before and after a leopard observation than expected by chance. The high spatiotemporal overlap of both hyena species with leopard is possibly explained by leopard providing scavenging opportunities for brown hyena and spotted hyena. Our results suggest that central Tuli is a high-density leopard area, despite possible intense kleptoparasitism and competition.