Mountain View Wildlife Conservation Centre

2010 - News and Info

July 10th, 2010

The Visitor Centre is now open for Daily Guided Tours & Presentations-10.00am & 1.00pm.

Call to reserve seats on one of our Daily Tours, Family & Group Tours, or a Birthday party for this Summer 2010. This year, we are focusing on "Biodiversity" in BC, Canada and around the world, especially focusing on our Canadian "Red-listed" wildlife species that are facing extinction, including our BC Northern Spotted Owls, Oregon Spotted Frogs, and the Vancouver Island Marmots.

Mountain View has been successfully operating these critical breeding and recovery programs for many years, and has received Conservation awards for our Owl and Marmot programs. Our educational tours include up to date information about conservation of the environment, habitat conservation, and healthy ecosystems, here in BC and Canada.

Our Guided Tours are approximately 2-hours long, consisting of an audio/visual presentation in our Visitor Centre, followed by a visit to our 300+Acre Conservation Program areas by foot and by tram. You are welcome to bring your cameras.

We also have an interesting Wildlife Art & Gifts Shop for you to visit and purchase souvenirs for your family and friends.

Call 604-882-9313 today to reserve your guided tour today.

Sunday May 30th 2010, 12-Noon to 4.00pm
MEMBERS & FRIENDS ATTENDED OUR OPEN HOUSE AT MOUNTAIN VIEW CONSERVATION

Langley Field Naturalists presented their "Biodiversity Inventory" of the Flora and Fauna in our Crown Land area. They inventoried over 500 species of animals and plants and trees, and we are now preparing a colourful presentation display of photos and trail maps of the area.
Their "Biodiversity" guide will be available for purchase in the gift store later this summer.

November 20, 2009
Mountain View Volunteer Wins CAZA National Volunteer Award

Mountain View is thrilled that one of our volunteers, Thomas Newman, has been given a national volunteer award by CAZA, for all of the work he has undertaken on our behalf.
Click here to see what Tom has contributed.
October 2, 2008
Mountain View Conservation Society Receives Honors
At the Annual CAZA (Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) in Granby Quebec on October 2, 2008, we received 2 prestigious awards.

The first was the Conservation Award which recognized our exceptional work with the Northern Spotted Owl. The second, was Caza’s Outstanding Achievement award for our on-going work with the Oregon Spotted Frog. CLICK HERE FOR the latest stories
GIFT CERTIFICATES and our GIFTSHOP
SEARCHING for a unique gift for SOMEONE special? Whatever the event, birthday or graduation, our animals are hoping you include them. We make it easy to "adopt" one of our critically endangered Canadian "Red-Listed" species recovery programs or one of our animals at Mountain View. We also have a variety of gifts and souvenirs for you to purchase in our Gift Store.

CLICK HERE to link to our adoption gift certificate page.

Indian Desert Cat
Felis lybica ornata

WILD STATUS
Endangered.

DISTRIBUTION
Iran to China and Mongolia, small overlap into Siberia and Kazakhstan.

SIZE
Can weigh up to 3-4 kg (6.6-8.8 lbs).

HABITAT
Desert terrain and scrubby brush country, no forest, up to 3000m elevation with sufficient brush. Do not live where it snows.

REPRODUCTION
The mother chooses a secluded den for having her young. 2-3 kittens are born after a 65 day gestation period. They nurse for about one month and then begin to follow mother on hunting trips. They are independent at 6 months, but litter mates may travel together longer.

DIET
The Indian Desert Cat primarily hunts rodents. Birds such as doves, partridges, peacocks and sparrows are also part of their diet. A mother was observed teaching her kittens to hunt by bringing them injured gerbils.

INTERESTING TIDBITS

Indian Desert Cats can survive without drinking water, getting moisture from prey.
They are known to live near human settlements.
This species is so closely related to the Asian Wild Cat and the African Wild Cat, it is thought to be the same species.
It is fully protected only in India and Pakistan.The Indian Desert Cat has been poached extensively for its prized skin. In 1979, traders in India declared stocks of 41,845 pelts for an export amnesty. Currently, there is little international trade in these pelts.
There is some disagreement as to the status of this little cat. In India, the eastern limit of its range, the Wildlife Institute of India, considers that 90% of the species’ habitat in India has been lost. On the other hand another study in western Rajasthan, noted that the introduced mesquite tree, which provides favorable habitat for the wildcat, was spreading extensively in various regions of the Indian desert allowing for perfect habitat for it.
Hybridization with domestic cats has been reported from Pakistan and India. Hybrid offspring are often found near villages.

HABITAT RANGE

ANIMAL FACT SHEET
To download this page and also get a full page photo of the Indian Desert Cat click here for a PDF.