Letters.

Question e-mailed from website visitor to [e-mail]

Hi.... I am a Biology student in Belo Horizonte- Brazil. I need to do some questions about felids conservation, because your information is very important for me and I have worked in a school project about felids conservation. What is the importance of the felids conservation and how can I change the public opinion about its importance? What could happen if most of felids were extincts in North America? Why felids are important? Thank you for your attention....

Answer from UPDATE research assistant

The importance of Felidae conservation:

* nearly every species and race of the Felidae is rare or endangered.

* persecution, both direct and indirect, is the primary cause of declining cat populations.

* only 9% of most species' range is protected.

* protected areas are necessary for cat conservation and given prevailing rates of habitat loss and fragmentation, their importance is increasing with time ...

* some things that should be done:

1 establishing new protected areas to conserve important habitat on populations.

2 strengthening the protective infrastructure of threatened areas.

3 generating local community support for maintaining the protected area.

4 taking measures to ensure that protected populations are of variable size. Effort must also be directed toward conserving cats in places used more intensively by people.

The main consequence of the extinction of all the Felidae in North America ... is that the ... balance of life would change. These wild cats eliminate many common pests such as various rodents and bats. Without the cats to feed on these animals, there may be an increase of pests around in households, and who wants that?!:)

Response from student

Hello! Thank you for your e-mail! I presented a seminar about conservation of feline last Tuesday and I got to do a great work. I would like to work with felines when it finishes my graduation in 2001 and I would like to know as I could study and to work with felines in USA, and later return and to work at the Pantanal, where we have many felines needing conservation plans.

"Thank you very much, it is always a pleasure to talk with such kind people!"