User:Matchalatte10/sandbox

Project Draft: Big Cat Article
Main issues with article:

* Testing edits on existing section from article*Big cats, like most apex predators, require large sections of undisturbed habitat. Human settlements, livestock grazing areas and other disruptions of habitat reduce populations and restrict big cat distribution. Habitat fragmentation isolates big cat populations from one another. Tiger populations are often found in limited areas with only 25-30 individuals in a population.
 * Conservation section
 * Only focuses on US conservation efforts
 * not accurate depiction esp. since most big cats are not native to US
 * Add different conservation organizations, laws, reserves, etc.
 * Zoos
 * Species section
 * Adjust from bullet list to more coherent paragraph, include information on extinct species
 * Link to page from all of the individual big cat pages.
 * Pictures
 * Add cheetah and cougar pictures in the sidebar

* Going into threats section*

The members of the Panthera genus are classified as threatened by the IUCN red list. The lion, jaguar, leopard and snow leopard are categorized as vulnerable. The tiger is listed as critically endangered. Cheetahs are also classified as vulnerable while the cougar is of least concern, although the population is decreasing.

Conservation laws

Laws that specify big cats:


 * Austria- prevents big cats from being owned outside of a qualified zoo, mostly municipal zoos, private zoos wouldn't qualify
 * Keepers of big cats must register with the country with some requirements- brazil, mexico
 * To privately own a big cat, must obtain a license or permit from country - China, England, Japan, Malaysia (including zoos)
 * No private ownership of dangerous animals (including big cats) is permitted - denmark, thailand, only endangered cats in india, includes snow leopards, tigers, lions, leopards
 * Possession of wild cats is permitted, but shouldn't be kept as household pets- Greece
 * Big cats native to russia require special permitting and permissions from environmental protection authorities, South Africa

Laws that can be extended to big cats:

Internationally, a variety of regulations are placed on big cat possession. In Austria, big cats may only be owned in a qualified zoo which is overseen by an zoologist or veterinarian. Requirements must also be met for enclosures, feeding, and training practices. Both Russia and South Africa regulate private ownership of big cats native to each country. Some countries prohibit all private ownership of big cats, including Denmark, Thailand and India.
 * Costa Rica- All wildlife owned must be in a legal wildlife management site and all animals must be registered
 * Israel- inform local veterinarian and authorities of all wildlife owned

Taxonomy
* Section copied directly from article

Family Felidae


 * Subfamily Pantherinae
 * Genus Panthera
 * Tiger, Panthera tigris
 * Lion, Panthera leo
 * Jaguar, Panthera onca
 * Leopard, Panthera pardus
 * Snow leopard, Panthera uncia (syn. Uncia uncia)
 * Subfamily Felinae
 * Genus Acinonyx
 * Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus
 * Genus Puma
 * Cougar Puma concolor (North and South America)

Geographic Distribution
Tigers are native to Asia. Lions currently live in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Gir Forest in India. Historically, their range extended into Southeast Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and most of Asia, but the subspecies living in these regions are now extinct. The extinct American lion Panthera leo atrox lived in North America until the Late Pleistocene. The leopard lives in Africa, Asia, and European Russia, though a 2016 study found that leopards have experienced a loss of 63-75% of their range since the industrial revolution. The jaguar is native to Central America and South America. It has been extirpated from 55% of its historic range. Snow leopards live on mountain ranges within Central and South Asia and stretches from the Himalayan Mountains on the southern end of their range to the Altai Mountains on the northern end of their range. Historically, Cheetahs were distributed across Eurasia and Africa. Currently, cheetahs are found in Africa and Iran. Cougars live across the Americas.