After three cheetahs died in just over a month last year in Madhya Pradesh's <keyword id="19948081" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kuno-National-Park" source="keywords">Kuno National Park</keyword>, the <keyword id="19973832" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Tiger-Conservation-Authority" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="National Tiger Conservation Authority" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="National Tiger Conservation Authority">National Tiger Conservation Authority</keyword> in May 2023 called in experts from <keyword id="23075708" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliances-wildlife-facility" source="keywords">Reliance's wildlife facility</keyword> in Gujarat to review health monitoring protocols, official records show. The National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) Assistant Inspector General of Forests Abhishek Kumar wrote to the CEO of <keyword id="19896380" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Industries" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reliance Industries" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reliance Industries">Reliance Industries</keyword>' Jamnagar-based Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (<keyword id="23075709" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GZRRC" source="keywords">GZRRC</keyword>) on May 11, 2023, requesting that a team of experts be sent to <keyword id="19949149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kuno" source="keywords">Kuno</keyword> to "review health monitoring protocols" and provide advice to "ensure the welfare of the cheetahs" following the deaths of three cheetahs between March 27 and May 9. <br /><br />Kumar's letter said <keyword id="20053655" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Project-Cheetah" source="keywords">Project Cheetah</keyword> was the first intercontinental reintroduction of a wild, large carnivore species with "no comparable historical precedent" and it was not surprising that a project of such a "magnitude and complexity would face many challenges". <br /><br />"Due to careful planning and execution, all 20 cheetahs survived the initial capture, quarantine and lengthy transport to the purpose-built quarantine and larger acclimatisation enclosure in Kuno. We are given to understand that Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre has expert veterinarians who are handling a substantial number of cheetahs in captivity," read the letter, seen by PTI. <br /><br />GZRRC director Brij Kishor Gupta wrote back on May 24, 2023, saying a four-member team would visit Kuno on May 25-26. <br /><br />The team included "senior veterinary officers" Jorge Francisco Soares and Nitin Yashwant Tambe, lab in-charge Mandeep and Gupta himself. <br /><br />In response to PTI's question via email, Gupta said, "The National Tiger Conservation Authority requested GZRRC last year to assess the healthcare protocols of cheetahs being followed at Kuno, we sent our team of experts veterinarians and (the) director and found that they are following the right protocol for health care management of cheetahs." <br /><br />GZRRC experts visited Kuno only once, Gupta said but gave no clear answer on whether they were providing any guidance or support to the project at present. <br /><br />Gupta added that all forms of interaction, engagement and knowledge exchange conducted by the GZRRC with government and non-government entities in the fields of animal welfare, research and conservation were carried out "strictly on a non-commercial basis". <br /><br />As part of the first ever intercontinental translocation of big cats, a total of 20 cheetahs — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023 — were brought to Kuno. <br /><br />Since their arrival, eight adult cheetahs — three female and five male — have died. Seventeen cubs have been born in India, with 12 surviving. This brings the total number of cheetahs, including cubs, in Kuno to 24, all of which are currently in enclosures. <br /><br />Three cheetahs — one male and two female — died between March 27 and May 9, 2023. <br /><br />According to Project Cheetah's annual report for 2023-24, Namibian female cheetah Sasha died due to "chronic renal insufficiency" on March 27, 2023, becoming the first mortality in the project. <br /><br />"Sasha developed kidney problems after her arrival and received continuous care for two months but, unfortunately, she did not respond positively to the treatment and passed away," the annual report says. <br /><br />South African male cheetah Uday "suddenly died" on April 23, 2023, within the larger acclimatisation enclosure "without displaying any prior symptoms". South African female cheetah Daksha died on May 9, 2023, due to injuries from a violent encounter with a male coalition during a mating attempt, according to the report. <br /><br />The GZRRC experts' visit was immediately preceded by the death of three cubs born to Namibian cheetah Jwala between May 23 and May 25 due to extreme heat. <br /><br />Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey questioned the need to involve GZRRC in the project when "top <keyword id="20396265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wildlife-experts" source="keywords">wildlife experts</keyword> from the NTCA, Wildlife Institute of India, South Africa, and Namibia are already part of it". <br /><br />"The government even sent staff from the Madhya Pradesh wildlife department for training in cheetah management in South Africa and Namibia. What did they learn?" he asked. <br /><br />"And even if you have approached GZRRC, why keep it a secret? There is no mention of the support sought from Reliance Industries' wildlife facility in the annual report of Project Cheetah," he added. <br /><br />The minutes of the Cheetah Project Monitoring Committee meetings, obtained by PTI through an RTI application, also do not mention this involvement. <br /><br />Besides wildlife experts from NTCA, the Wildlife Institute of India and other government facilities, Kuno currently has a dedicated team of four veterinarians for Project Cheetah. <br /><br />It has also received veterinary support and guidance from wildlife veterinarians in South Africa and Namibia, including Adrian Tordiffe, hospital director at Onderstepoort Veterinary College, South Africa; Mike Toft from Kifaru Wildlife Veterinary Services, South Africa; Andy Fraser from Rooiberg Veterinary Services, South Africa; and Ana Basto from the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia. <br /><br />GZRRC director Gupta told PTI that they had more than 40 cheetahs rescued from different captive facilities. <br /><br />All the cheetahs are captive born in the country of origin of the captive facility. There have been "no mortalities of cheetahs at GZRRC till date" and all the animals are all "faring very well", he said. <br /><br />Gupta said they had "some of the best veterinarians in wildlife health management". <br /><br />He said the cheetah project had been "doing very well". "It has been noted that birth of several cubs has taken place on Indian soil and the survival rate is good in comparison to similar projects in other parts of the world." <br /><br />When asked about the challenges of cheetah management based on their experience, Gupta said, "GZRRC specialises in the study, management, care and research of cheetahs within captive environments. The primary focus areas for cheetahs in captivity include veterinary care, nutrition, housing, exercise and enrichment. GZRRC has successfully established optimal standards across all these domains." <br /><br />He emphasised that "the operation and management of a captive programme differ significantly from those of a re-wilding programme". <br /><br />The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) granted approval for the setting up of GZRRC on February 14, 2019, and accorded it recognition on August 17, 2020. <br /><br />According to its 2023-24 annual report submitted to the CZA, new facilities such as Rescue Centre for Herbivores, Asiatic Lion Care, Medical Research and Hospital, Cheetah Conservation and Research Centre, Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre and multi-specialty hospital were added to GZRRC in 2023-24.

After sudden cheetah deaths in Kuno, Centre turned to Reliance's wildlife facility for help

Bhopal, In the wake of the death of seven cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh's <keyword id="2054016" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kuno" source="Orion">Kuno</keyword> National Park since March this year, wildlife experts have questioned the way the African felines have been handled and suggested more experienced veterinarians be involved in taking care of these animals. In the latest incident, male cheetah Tejas died in the KNP on Tuesday. The autopsy report revealed the cheetah was "internally weak" and unable to recover from a "traumatic shock" after a violent fight with a female cheetah, according to a forest official. <br /><br />The death of Tejas, brought to KNP in Sheopur district from South Africa in February this year, is yet another blow to the central government's cheetah reintroduction programme launched with much fanfare in September last year. <br /><br />With this, seven felines, including three cubs born to Namibian cheetah 'Jwala', have died at the KNP since March. <br /><br />Talking to PTI, Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) former dean and senior professor Y V Jhala said, "Though <keyword id="17288714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheetah-deaths" source="Orion">cheetah deaths</keyword> were expected in this reintroduction programme, more surprising is the fact these mortalities happened in the enclosed bomas where they were least expected. Cheetahs were expected to die after release from the safe enclosure, not within it." <br /><br />Jhala said he was told the latest death of cheetah Tejas was because of infighting. "A female cheetah attacking and killing a male is something which has never been reported anywhere across the cheetah's range," he said. <br /><br />Moreover, this female cheetah was hand reared and was learning the skills of making a kill, therefore it is surprising the feline attacked and managed to kill the wild male cheetah, Jhala said. <br /><br />"The deaths were expected in free ranging conditions because of fights with leopards, wild prey and human causes, but none of the death that took place in the KNP free range. This is commendable for the management," he said. <br /><br />Similarly, the death of three cubs "in captivity" was also surprising and puts a question mark over their handling. If the cubs were malnourished, then they should have been given supplements to make them healthy, he said while terming these deaths as a "big loss" for the re-introduction programme and a costly learning experience. <br /><br />"Cheetah deaths in Kuno are not that important for the success of the project. What is urgently required is preparedness of other sites for the release of the cheetahs," the expert said. <br /><br />A minimum of three-to five sites like Kuno are required for the cheetah reintroduction project to succeed in India, with a proper budget allocation by the central government, Jhala said. <br /><br />A retired dean of the Jabalpur-based Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, who did not wish to be named, also expressed concern over the death of seven cheetahs in a span of four months. <br /><br />"The re-introduction programme is good and in such exercises, few mortalities are also expected," he said. <br /><br />He suggested that senior experienced veterinarians be involved in the team managing the cheetahs, for the success of this ambitious reintroduction programme. <br /><br />Another retired professor from the university on condition of anonymity said a cheetah or any other animal translocated from another continent faces difficulties in acclimatisation, be it the habitat, food or weather conditions. <br /><br />""Secondly, any animal tranquilised once or twice or more for capturing becomes weak from inside because of change in the internal hormones and their enzymes also behave adversely," he said. <br /><br />The survival rate of such captured wild animals, like deer or others, is just 20-30 per cent, he claimed. <br /><br />"The third and most important factor is in case of any sickness or injuries resulting from infighting or any other reason, if the reporting of the same is done on time, then the chances of survival of the animal improves," the expert said. <br /><br />He also suggested roping-in of more experienced veterinarians in the team handling the cheetahs for better management of the reintroduction project. <br /><br />Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey from Bhopal also demanded that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan make changes in the cheetah management team by deploying trained wildlife officers at the emergency level for better results. <br /><br />From 24 cheetahs - 20 translocated from Namibia and South Africa and four cubs born at the KNP - the total count of felines at the KNP has now dropped to 17. <br /><br />The fastest land animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.

Bring in more experienced vets say experts after seven cheetah deaths at Kuno

<ul><li>Details were not immediately available on the latest <keyword id="17227107" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheetah-death" source="Orion">Cheetah death</keyword>.</li><li>This comes on the back of the death of seven cheetahs in Kuno since March this year, with one of them occurring earlier this week.</li><li>The deaths have made wildlife experts question the way the African felines have been handled and suggested more experienced veterinarians be involved in taking care of these animals.</li></ul> <br />In yet another blow to the government’s <keyword id="54781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheetah" source="Orion">cheetah</keyword> reintroduction programme, forest officials on Friday confirmed the death of one more cheetah at <keyword id="10561435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kuno-National-Park" source="Orion">Kuno National Park</keyword> in Madhya Pradesh. Details were not immediately available. This comes on the back of the death of seven cheetahs in Kuno since March this year, with one of them occurring earlier this week.<br /><br /><br />The cheetah reintroduction programme, which was launched with much fanfare in September last year, saw 20 cheetahs relocated to KNP from Namibia and South Africa. From 24 cheetahs - including four cubs born at the KNP - the total count of felines at the KNP has now dropped to 16. With this, eight felines, including three cubs born to Namibian cheetah 'Jwala', have died at the KNP since March.<br /><br /><br />The cheetah deaths have made wildlife experts question the way the African felines have been handled and suggested more experienced veterinarians be involved in taking care of these animals. In the last incident that was reported, male cheetah Tejas died in the KNP on Tuesday. The autopsy report revealed the cheetah was "internally weak" and unable to recover from a "traumatic shock" after a violent fight with a female cheetah, according to a forest official.<br /><br /><br />Talking to PTI, Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) former dean and senior professor Y V Jhala said, "Though cheetah deaths were expected in this reintroduction programme, more surprising is the fact these mortalities happened in the enclosed bomas where they were least expected. Cheetahs were expected to die after release from the safe enclosure, not within it."<br /><br /><br />Similarly, the death of three cubs "in captivity" was also surprising and puts a question mark over their handling. If the cubs were malnourished, then they should have been given supplements to make them healthy, he said while terming these deaths as a "big loss" for the re-introduction programme and a costly learning experience.<br /><br /><br />A minimum of three-to five sites like Kuno are required for the cheetah reintroduction project to succeed in India, with a proper budget allocation by the central government, Jhala said.<br /><br /><br />A retired dean of the Jabalpur-based Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, who did not wish to be named, also expressed concern over the death of seven cheetahs in a span of four months.<br /><br /><br />"The re-introduction programme is good and in such exercises, few mortalities are also expected," he said.<br /><br /><br />He suggested that senior experienced veterinarians be involved in the team managing the cheetahs, for the success of this ambitious reintroduction programme.<br /><br /><br />Another retired professor from the university on condition of anonymity said a cheetah or any other animal translocated from another continent faces difficulties in acclimatisation, be it the habitat, food or weather conditions.<br /><br /><br />The survival rate of such captured wild animals, like deer or others, is just 20-30%, he claimed. He also suggested roping-in of more experienced veterinarians in the team handling the cheetahs for better management of the reintroduction project.<br /><br /><br />Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey from Bhopal also demanded that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan make changes in the cheetah management team by deploying trained wildlife officers at the emergency level for better results.<br /><br /><br />The fastest land animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.<br /><br />(With inputs from PTI)<br /><br /><br /><br />

Another cheetah dies at MP’s Kuno National Park: forest officials

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Cheetahs are being reintroduced to India after being declared extinct in the country in 1952. </li><li>The reintroduction effort is aimed at creating a viable population of wild cheetahs.</li></ul><p>In mid-September, eight African cheetahs were airlifted from Namibia and brought to India, marking the first time the big cat stepped foot in the wild in the country since being declared extinct more than 70 years ago.</p><p>The reintroduction, which was years in the making, was celebrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on whose 72nd birthday the cats arrived, as well as by other cheetah advocates and scientists.</p><p>"When the cheetah will run again … grasslands will be restored, biodiversity will increase and eco-tourism will get a boost," <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/cheetahs-reintroduced-to-india-after-going-extinct-in-the-country-70-years-ago">Modi</a>, who released the cats into their temporary enclosure, said, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/world/asia/cheetah-relocation-india.html">adding</a>: "Along with these cheetahs, the nature-loving consciousness of India has also awakened with full force."</p><p>However, some big-cat experts told Insider while they support the idea of reintroducing wild, free-ranging cheetahs to India, the current effort seems more like a marketing stunt — one that's not sufficiently based in science.</p><h2>Saving cheetahs from extinction</h2><p>Cheetahs, the world's fastest land animal, were once widespread in India. They were declared extinct in the country in 1952 as a result of hunting and habitat loss.</p><p>"It is the only large mammal that India has lost," S.P. Yadav, secretary of India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, said, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/world/asia/cheetah-relocation-india.html">The New York Times</a>. "It is our moral and ethical responsibility to bring them back."</p><p>Cheetah populations worldwide are also on the decline, with the total number in the wild estimated to be about 6,500, according to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/219/124366642">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a>. The big cats now occupy just 9% of their historical range. The vast majority of the remaining cheetahs are in Africa, while a small amount of the <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-asiatic-cheetahs-environment-/31646781.html">critically endangered Asiatic cheetahs</a>, the same subspecies that used to prowl India, remain in Iran.</p><p>"To save cheetahs from extinction, we need to create permanent places for them on Earth. India has areas of grassland and forest habitat, which are appropriate for this species," Laurie Marker, founder of the <a href="https://cheetah.org/">Cheetah Conservation Fund</a>, which has helped coordinate the reintroduction, told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/17/india-cheetahs-kuno-namibia/">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p>The relocated cheetahs include five females and two males between the ages of two and six. The eight cheetahs were dropped off at Kuno National Park, south of New Delhi, where they are being quarantined and observed. The plan is to release the cheetahs into the larger national park, where they can prey on animals like deer and antelope, within a matter of months.</p><p>The <a href="https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/publications/action_plan_cheetah_introduction_jan_2022.pdf">reintroduction plan</a>, which is estimated to cost about $11 million, aims to establish a viable, free-ranging population of cheetahs. The <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1788373">plan</a> involves ultimately relocating around 50 cheetahs to the country in the coming years.</p><div type="image" title="Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching a cheetah after it was released in an enclosure at Kuno National Park, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022." height="2925" width="1777" msid="94743678" hostid="261" sizebytes="305334"></div><h2>A 'larger version of a zoo'</h2><p>There are major challenges with reintroducing a large predator to an ecosystem it has been absent from for decades. The cheetahs could face conflict and competition for food with other predators, like leopards, and there may not be enough natural prey to sustain the planned population size.</p><p>Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, a wildlife and statistical ecologist who researches big cat and large mammal ecology, told Insider that as the plan currently stands, there's not enough space for the cheetahs.</p><p>Gopalaswamy noted a paper he published in the journal Ecography in 2020 that found the density of a cheetah population, or the number of cheetahs per the amount of space, to be one per 100 sq km. The amount of space set aside for India's cheetahs is 750 sq km. With those numbers, the area would be large enough for only 7-8 cheetahs, not the dozens that are planned.</p><p>"This simply means that the Cheetah Introduction Action Plan has overestimated the number of cheetahs India's reserves can hold by several fold," Gopalaswamy, who is the founder and chief scientist of Carnassials Global, which provides science consulting to governments and NGOs, said. </p><p>He added that he supports reintroduction efforts, but that the current plan in India "appears to rely almost completely on the cheetahs and their charisma" and that instead, he would like to see "a fully science-based approach."</p><p>K. Ullas Karanth, the emeritus director of the Bangalore-based <a href="https://cwsindia.org/">Centre for Wildlife Studies</a>, agreed that the current plan was not grounded in science and told Insider it "will not lead to a restoration of a viable population of wild cheetahs, sustaining itself naturally in the long run."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1571061687654182913">September 17, 2022</a></blockquote><p>Karanth said the population would be augmented by bringing in additional cheetahs and other animals in order to boost the supply of available prey. Such a system, he said, "cannot be called reintroduction at all."</p><p>"That would be simply a captive population of cheetahs in a larger version of a zoo," he said, calling it "largely a gimmick and a colossal waste of money."</p><p>Karanth noted that cheetahs have naturally low reproduction rates and even in the best habitats in Africa the vast majority of cheetahs die before reaching breeding age. He said in India the cheetahs will face denser populations of humans and livestock, dogs, and predators like leopards, making their survival even more challenging. </p><p>"I think the Indian bureaucracy and the 'foreign experts' have sold a 'creaky used car' to the gullible Indian public, media, and political leadership," Karanth said.</p><p>Some conservationists have also noted that effort would be better spent trying to first save cheetah populations where they are already established but on the decline, before focusing on reintroduction.</p><p>Still, proponents of the project are optimistic. Yadvendradev V. Jhala, dean of the Wildlife Institute of India and the lead scientist of the reintroduction effort, pointed to the success India has had in boosting other big cat populations, such as <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-019-03267-z">tigers</a>.</p><p>"The cheetah is a magnificent animal, it's a big magnet for ecotourism," Jhala told <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fanimals%2Farticle%2Finside-the-controversial-plan-to-reintroduce-cheetahs-to-india">National Geographic</a>. "If you bring in cheetah, the government will put funds into rehabilitating and rewilding these systems, and all the biodiversity will thrive."</p><p>Marker, the founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, believes that despite potential challenges, she believes the big cats can adapt, <a href="https://cheetah.org/press-releases/cheetah-conservation-fund-and-namibian-government-to-send-eight-cheetahs-to-india-for-introduction-on-17-september/">noting</a> her group has spent 12 years consulting with the Indian government on how to reintoduce the cheetahs.</p><p>"Cheetahs are very adaptable and [I'm] assuming that they will adapt well into this environment," she told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/17/india-reintroduces-cheetahs-to-wild-after-big-cats-airlifted-from-namibia">AFP</a>. "So I don't have a lot of worries."</p><p><em>Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at </em><a href="mailto:kvlamis@insider.com?inline-read-more"><em>kvlamis@insider.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>

India reintroduced 8 cheetahs after the big cats were wiped out 70 years ago — but some scientists say it's more of a PR stunt than a conservation effort

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"Disney Channel Games" ended 15 summers ago after a three-season run from 2006 to 2008.</li><li>In the series, Disney Channel stars competed in various challenges to win the annual color war.</li></ul><p><em>Editor's note: The following interviews were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14.</em></p><p>In 2006, Disney Channel was at the top of its game.</p><p>The network had a major hit on its hands when <a href="https://www.insider.com/high-school-musical-interesting-details-you-never-got">"High School Musical"</a> premiered in January, and shows like "Hannah Montana" and "The Suite Life of Zack &amp; Cody" were airing new episodes weekly. Its young stars — including Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, and Vanessa Hudgens — were becoming household names.</p><p>With a captivated young audience, the network gathered its young Hollywood talent for what it hoped would be a summertime must-watch: "Disney Channel Games."</p><p>The producer Art Spigel's reality-competition series ran for three seasons, from 2006 to 2008. The games divided the young actors from the<a href="https://www.insider.com/best-disney-channel-original-movies-after-watching-all-2021-9"> Disney Channel universe</a> into color-coded teams and challenged them to complete obstacle courses, hamster-ball relay races, and more.</p><p>The competitors are now full-fledged adults; some are still in the spotlight, and others are far from it. But the short-lived program remains a time capsule of a <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-best-disney-channel-original-movies-ranked-2019-7">different era of Disney Channel</a> and reality TV.</p><p>Fifteen years after the games ended, Insider spoke with showrunners, participants, and others about how the games came together and their lasting impact.</p><h2>'Disney Channel Games' allowed fans to see their favorite stars interacting together</h2><div type="image" title="jason earles in red outfit with arm raised carrying flag in front of obstacle course at the disney channel games in 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142313" hostid="261"></div><p>Reality TV was <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/09/the-reality-principle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picking up speed by the new millennium</a>, with shows like MTV's "The Real World" and ABC's "The Bachelor" drawing large audiences. Disney Channel wanted in on the reality TV craze.</p><p>"MTV had switched from showing videos to mainly showing reality programs, and a lot of them were challenge-based. So it was definitely on our mind that we wanted to be competitive with that type of programming," Skot Bright, an executive producer of the 2007 and 2008 seasons of "Disney Channel Games," told Insider.</p><p>The channel had dabbled in reality TV with "Bug Juice," which followed non-famous teens to summer camps around the US and aired in 1998. But by 2006, Disney Channel had an advantage its competitors didn't: a roster of teen megastars.</p><p>"Disney Channel Games" gave audiences the rare chance to see stars like Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Zac Efron, and Corbin Bleu as themselves, all in one place.</p><h2>Each year the games got bigger — and the stakes got higher</h2><p>Disney Channel filmed the premiere 2006 games in Santa Clarita, California, with three teams: red, blue, and green. Competitors tested their skills in inflatable obstacle courses; egg tosses; Rock, Paper, Scissors; Simon Says; and more.</p><p>Bright said that as the series evolved, the games "had to be bigger," in terms of both their scale and their filming location.</p><p>After the first season, the show moved from Santa Clarita to the massive fields of the<a href="https://www.espnwwos.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ESPN Wide World of Sports</a> complex in Orlando, Florida, and expanded to feature Disney Channel stars from not just the US but around the world.</p><div type="image" title="Roger Gonzalez-Garca wearing blue sweatsuit with hand out to high-five fans and flag raised in other hand at disney channel games in 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142315" hostid="261"></div><p>The games included more complicated events, like kart racing and soccer with a giant ball. Viewers at home could win points for the stars by playing online games.</p><p>By 2008, there were four teams: the Inferno, the Lightning, the Cyclones, and the Comets. As important as the competition was, half the fun was watching the Disney Channel stars interact.</p><p>Director Linda Mendoza said they wanted it to feel organic, capturing moments like real-life best friends Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez checking their lipstick ahead of the games or watching the teens hang out in their color-coded team tents with inflatable furniture between rounds. </p><p>Bright said the producers spent a lot of time figuring out the teams, considering the stars' personalities and ensuring a good mixture of international participants. "It helped amp up the rivalry and the competitiveness of it," Bright said.</p><p>Part of building up the games was adding a charity component. The first year, the winning team walked away with a trophy and each member received a medal. The following two years, each of the four teams also donated $25,000 to a partner charity.</p><h2>Stars got to know each other through the games — they just had to score an invite</h2><p>To make the games a can't-miss event, the channel needed the buzziest stars to compete.</p><p>Actors from originals like "High School Musical," "That's So Raven," and "Hannah Montana" got their chance to shine. The "Suite Life of Zack &amp; Cody" actors Brian Stepanek and Phill Lewis shared host duties for the first two years. (Stepanek hosted solo in 2008.)</p><p>Monique Coleman said she and Jason Earles, her "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" costar, recently laughed about how competitive they got during the games. "We were ridiculous," she said. "And we were older than everybody and did not care."</p><p>Ambra Lo Faro, who appeared on Disney Channel Italy's "Quelli dell'Intervallo," said that while she was confident as a musician and singer, she knew she was "the worst sports player ever" — so she wasn't expecting her "Disney Channel Games" invite.</p><p>"Once they asked me to be part of these games, I told them, 'Are you sure?'" she recalled.</p><div type="image" title="monique coleman in green smiling at the disney channel games 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142317" hostid="261"></div><p>After all, appearing on Disney Channel didn't automatically score an actor an invitation to compete.</p><p>Alyson Stoner said the network didn't ask them to participate until they appeared in <a href="https://www.insider.com/camp-rock-unique-cool-things-about-movie-interview-2021-7">"Camp Rock,"</a> a 2008 Disney Channel original movie. From 2002 to 2006 they appeared on "Mike's Super Short Show," an interstitial series that regularly played on Disney Channel but was owned by Buena Vista.</p><p>Stoner said they felt that their previous role "didn't make the cut in terms of hierarchy," but said when they finally did get the invite, they felt as if they'd "been affirmed as a special, exclusive, cool kid."</p><div type="image" title="yellow team at disney channel games 2007" height="1987" width="2649" msid="103142320" hostid="261"></div><p>The coveted invite wasn't just an opportunity to participate in the games — it was a ticket to a week filled with friends and <a href="https://www.insider.com/trying-disney-world-private-tour-what-its-like-worth-it-2023">VIP access to the Disney parks</a>.</p><p>Actors competing in the 2007 and 2008 games stayed at <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/animal-kingdom-lodge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge</a>, a 15-minute drive from Magic Kingdom.</p><p>"It really turned into a camp-like experience where we were coming from all over and then suddenly we're here together and forming friendships," said Jason Dolley, a "Cory in the House" actor. "And the best thing was at the end of the day we got to go out and go to the parks together."</p><p>The stars received VIP treatment, with personal drivers who'd take them and their families from Space Mountain to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster to the Tower of Terror.</p><p>"We immediately were spoiled because they really made it so magical," "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu said. "We had a VIP tour guide for our family that would take us through the park and bring us to the front of the line."</p><p>Michael Seater, a star of "Life with Derek" who joined the games as a Canadian correspondent, recalled the "Suite Life" stars Dylan and <a href="https://www.insider.com/cool-facts-about-cole-sprouse-2019-6">Cole Sprouse</a> getting Space Mountain technicians to keep the ride open after hours.</p><p>"We're shooting out of the mountain into the fireworks," Seater said. "It was one of the craziest things."</p><h2>Disney Channel tapped rising pop stars to perform at the games' Olympics-inspired 'closing ceremonies' in 2007 and 2008</h2><p>There was no concert in the 2006 "Disney Channel Games" finale, but because many Disney Channel actors were also pursuing music careers, it was a no-brainer to have them perform at closing ceremonies in 2007 and 2008.</p><p>Hope Diamond, Disney Channel's former vice president of public relations, said that if the network was promoting an actor's singing career, it was "firing on all cylinders of entertainment." The strategy included playing the actor's music on Radio Disney, which was owned by Disney Branded Television, and giving them a slot to perform live at the games.</p><div type="image" title="miley cyrus performing at disney channel games as hannah montana in 2007 on stage with backup dancers behind her" height="2104" width="2813" msid="103142322" hostid="261"></div><p>The addition of music made the final ceremony bigger. In 2007, the Jonas Brothers took the stage to perform "Kids of the Future," and Cyrus sang "G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)."</p><p>The following year, Cyrus returned for a live rendition of "See You Again," Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers sang the "Camp Rock" hit "This Is Me," Jordan Pruitt belted out "My Shoes," and The Cheetah Girls performed "One World."</p><p>Mendoza said that when the Jonas Brothers played in 2008, "it was like a sea of bouncing heads." She added, "It was the most phenomenal energy I think I've ever seen at a show."</p><p>"We were excited to have other artists that are on the channel be there to see us live in person, because that was one thing we didn't always get to go do," Sabrina Bryan, a member of The Cheetah Girls, said.</p><h2>Disney Channel nixed the games in 2008, but they remain a fond childhood memory for many people</h2><p>In 2009, a Disney representative <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170118054228/http://dev.popstaronline.com/disney-channel-gamescancelled/comment-page-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the website PopStar</a> that Disney Channel would shift its focus away from the games. </p><p>"Disney Channel Games" never returned to the air.</p><p>Though the games weren't on for long, they've stuck with people. For competitors, it was a chance to spend time with their friends.</p><p>"As you're inducted into the Disney Channel family, you end up doing Disney Channel interstitials, and you have different commercials," Bleu said. "At press events, you start to see all of the same people over and over again. And so those other TV shows become your family."</p><p>For fans, it let them feel closer to the young stars they loved.</p><div type="image" title="fans cheering at the disney channel games in 2007" height="2029" width="2706" msid="103142325" hostid="261"></div><p>"People still actually ask about it," Andrea Guasch, who joined the games from Disney Channel Spain, said. "It was so long ago. I just did an interview this morning, and they were like, 'Oh my God, and how was the "Disney Games"?' I was like, 'Really? After all these years?'"</p><p>The people interviewed for this article said they didn't know why the games ended after 2008, and a representative for Disney Channel did not respond to Insider's request for comment.</p><p>Still, the games arrived at what many millennials consider the network's golden age. Maybe someday it'll join a slew of other nostalgia-fueled shows and be rebooted, but for now, "Disney Channel Games" remains firmly in the past.</p>

'Disney Channel Games' quietly ended 15 years ago, but it was the peak of Disney Channel's golden age

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The White House announced Biden is backing legislation pushed by Carole Baskin.</li><li>Baskin and other animal welfare advocates support the bipartisan "Big Cat Public Safety Act."</li></ul><p>The White House announced on Tuesday that it formally supports a bipartisan bill aimed at limiting exotic animal ownership that has long been pushed by Carole Baskin of "Tiger King" fame.</p><p>"The Administration supports H.R. 263, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would build on existing laws that protect big cats like tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, and other wild animals living in captivity in the United States," The Office of Management and Budget said in a formal statement of administration policy.</p><p>Rep. Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, have led the latest efforts to get the legislation passed. They have teamed up with Republicans, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine to get the legislation passed in a closely divided Congress.</p><p>The House Rules Committee met to consider the bill on Tuesday, a likely step before a full House floor vote. The House passed a similar measure in 2020 by a commanding 272-114 vote but it later died in the Senate.</p><p><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/263">The legislation</a> would revise the current law that governs the trade of big cats, such as lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, and jaguars. The bill would outlaw the type of cub petting business that was highlighted during portions of Netflix's hit "Tiger King," which focused on the battle between exotic zoo operators like Joe Exotic Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle and organizations like Baskin's Big Cat Rescue. Cub petting is when zoos allow people to pay for up-close encounters with tiger and similar exotic cubs, <a href="https://people.com/pets/tiger-king-cub-petting-industry/">a practice strongly opposed by animal welfare advocates.</a></p><p>Antle was charged earlier this summer with federal money laundering earlier this summer. Prosecutors claimed that he laundered more than $500,00o, the apparent proceeds of a human smuggling operation, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-entertainment-united-states-south-carolina-tigers-e9fadeea74dc67d5f03b1b810c25c548">the Associated Press previously reported.</a> Antle operates a wildlife safari near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.</p><p>Exotic and his supporters <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-exotic-trump-pardon-lawyer-says-very-close-2020-12">failed to get then-President Donald Trump to pardon him.</a></p>

Biden backs 'Tiger King's' Carole Baskin's 'Big Cat Public Safety Act,' a bipartisan effort to limit exotic animal ownership

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Polestar 2 is a luxury electric car from Volvo's young EV brand, Polestar. It starts at $49,800.</li><li>It comes in a single-motor version and a dual-motor version, and it competes with the Tesla Model 3.</li></ul><p>It was 75 degrees and overcast when I pulled up to an old brick building, its vintage-chic teal-and-white window trims overlooking railroad tracks that ran next to it. My car — a slate-gray, $65,000 Polestar 2 — made a low, artificial hum as I parked. I stepped out in heeled black combat boots and a spiky metal necklace, feeling like the version Avril Lavigne I always wanted to be when I was a kid. </p><p>The scene dripped of retrofuturism and affluence, like a dramatic car commercial. And for a moment, so did I.</p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="3353" width="5030" msid="96745283" hostid="261"></div><p>The 2 is an electric sedan from Polestar, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-volvo-ev-polestar-take-on-tesla-north-america-2021-1">a new EV brand by Volvo</a>. It offers two main options: a single-motor model that starts at $49,800 and a dual-motor at $53,300. The 2 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polestar-2-review-price-ev-volvo-tesla-specs-horsepower-electric-2020-8">competes with the Tesla Model 3</a>, which starts at $46,990 and benefits from Tesla's brand visibility — something Polestar's EV operation still needs to build. </p><p>When buying a 2, the choice comes down to performance versus range. The single-motor has <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/awd-vs-fwd">front-wheel drive</a>, 231 horsepower, and 270 miles of range between charges. The dual-motor has <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/awd-vs-fwd">all-wheel drive</a> and gets a huge bump to 408 horsepower (or more, depending on options), but those extras knock its range down to 249 miles. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="2000" width="3000" msid="96745285" hostid="261"></div><p>My loaner was a dual-motor 2 with $14,000 in options, including extra driver-assistance technology, an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system, a panoramic glass roof, a $1,200 "Thunder" gray paint job, and more. It all came to $64,600 after options and <a href="https://jalopnik.com/do-i-really-have-to-pay-all-of-these-extra-fees-when-i-1777760579">fees</a>.</p><h2>How the Polestar 2 looks and feels</h2><p>The 2 is boxier than most sedans, with its front end smoothing into a flat snout and its rear doing the same. A small sticker on its side says "Polestar 2 | Battery Electric Vehicle" in a clean font, and the Polestar logo — a sharp four-point star — sits on its nose. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="2405" width="4605" msid="96745289" hostid="261"></div><p>Its face is an intimidating scowl, with a long, thin grille sitting in between two of Volvo's signature "Thor's hammer" headlight assemblies. They each light up in a sideways "T," like two horizontal snake eyes. </p><p>When you see the 2 on the road, it's like an HGTV kitchen: familiarly unfamiliar. The bones are there — the kitchen has all the counters and cabinets that yours does at home, and the 2 has headlights and taillights similar to those of its Volvo siblings — but just like the HGTV kitchen has fancier backsplash and shiner fixtures, the 2 has curious new logos, shiny gold accents, and a minimalist style. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="2250" width="3000" msid="96745291" hostid="261"></div><p>The inside is the same. Its optional panoramic roof hovers over passengers like a glass cocoon, while orange-gold seatbelts glow on top of its dark-gray seats. The seats are covered in "WeaveTech" material, which Polestar describes as "vegan sophistication." </p><p>WeaveTech is a fancy, tightly-wound fabric that the brand says is <a href="https://www.polestar.com/us/news/interior-innovations/">completely free of animal products</a>, and it comes at no charge on the 2. If you want Nappa leather, it's an extra $4,000. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="3762" width="2789" msid="96745294" hostid="261"></div><p>The 2's interior is simple, airy, and spacious. Extra buttons and styling features don't clutter its dashboard, and the glass roof makes it feel like the car never truly ends.</p><p>It also has a hatchback trunk, which means that when opened, a huge panel — including the rear window — lifts up. It creates more vertical space and depth, allowing for easier loading and storage.</p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2, whose hatchback trunk includes the rear window" height="1499" width="3000" msid="96745296" hostid="261"></div><p>At night, the 2's headlights put on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_EaGCmkY680">a little blinking show</a> before you get in the car, and strips of light outline the dashboard and center console area. There's also an Android-based infotainment screen in the center of the car's dashboard, lighting up like a sleek black-and-orange tablet each time the car comes on. </p><p>The infotainment is easy to use, and because it's Android based, there's a uniqueness to it. The organization, minimalist design, and crisp orange controls on the screen's dark background make you feel like you have a level of taste and class other drivers don't. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="2500" width="4500" msid="96745299" hostid="261"></div><p>You can control all kinds of settings with the screen, including "creep." With creep turned on, the 2 will automatically creep forward or backward like a gas car when you take your foot off the accelerator. With it off, the car won't move until you press the pedal. (I like using creep, mainly because old habits are hard to shake.) </p><h2>How it drives</h2><p>Driving a little-known luxury EV like the 2 makes you a cheetah in a nature documentary, slinking around in silence while all eyes are on you. It's faster, more efficient, and sleeker than the gas cars around it, accelerating past them like lightning with its instant torque. It's captivating because it looks and performs like nothing else on the road.</p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="1239" width="2547" msid="96745301" hostid="261"></div><p>The 2 has virtually no wind or road noise on the highway, the brakes are strong, and there's barely any body roll. It offers two levels of regenerative braking — "low" and "standard" — and if you don't want to use regen at all, you can turn it off. </p><p>Regen is also known as "one-pedal driving." It allows a car to slow down without the driver using the brake pedal, meaning as soon as your foot is off the accelerator, it starts to brake on its own. The car then uses the kinetic energy from stopping to charge the battery. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="1737" width="1144" msid="96745303" hostid="261"></div><p>Stronger regen means harsher braking when you take your foot off the accelerator, but it also means more charge goes back into the battery — extending your range and lowering your electricity bill. </p><p>It's really a process of getting used to the feeling; when I first got into the Polestar, "standard" regen was jarring in how harshly it slowed the car down. By the end of my week with the car, it was fine.</p><h2>What it lacks</h2><p>I only had two real issues with the 2. The first came when I went to adjust the steering wheel and found out that it was manual, not motorized. It felt wrong in a $65,000 car. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="3068" width="4436" msid="96745307" hostid="261"></div><p>The second was the little surprises in the interior. The woven material, while beautiful, was porous, making it easy to get dust and dirt spots inside. Imagine clapping chalk erasers and getting debris on your jeans — that's kind of what the materials in the 2 did.</p><p>Passengers also weren't as impressed with the inside as I thought they would be. They loved the styling, but I didn't get much of a reaction about the materials until I said the interior was vegan. </p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="3456" width="5184" msid="96745423" hostid="261"></div><p>Leather is still synonymous with "expensive," and I think two things could happen here: Either people come to appreciate these woven materials over time, or companies like Polestar find a way to make their vegan interiors mimic our more traditional ideas of luxury.</p><h2>Our impressions: a car that makes you feel like a star </h2><p>EVs like the 2 are hypnotic, even if we haven't fully embraced them yet. They're new, luxurious, and rare in the US, and they will be for at least a few more years. The 2 has that same flash and flare early Teslas did, making you feel important just for stepping out of it.</p><div type="image" title="The Polestar 2" height="3456" width="5184" msid="96745424" hostid="261"></div><p>That feeling will wear off over time, as they always do. But we buy cars based on how they make us feel right now — and right now, the Polestar 2 makes you feel like a star.</p>

We drove a Polestar 2 electric sedan for a week. It's hypnotically good.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="13936102" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="rainforest-cafe" source="Orion">Rainforest Cafe</keyword> — a jungle-themed restaurant with animatronics — was magical for me as a kid.</li><li>The chain peaked in the 1990s then fell from popularity, but it's been on my mind for months. </li></ul><p>For years, I went without thinking about the Rainforest Cafe — a chain restaurant characterized by its fake plants, animatronics, and indoor thunderstorms. I'd graduated to older, more refined palates, such as my local Chili's, because adulthood meant trading jungle themes for combo meal deals and sports on television.</p><p>But at some point, I had a flashback: a green tree frog with large red eyes and a snaky smile that either said "Come inside" or "I'm going to spit some unidentified rainforest poison on you." I remembered the ambient noises of the forest, fed to me through hidden speakers as I ran around the gift shop asking my parents to buy me a cuddly stuffed snake. I thought about the majesty of it all, with the fake sky above me cycling from day to night as I ordered macaroni and cheese, a drink in a souvenir cup, or a sparkling chocolate volcano. I wondered if as an adult, that childish joy would disappear.</p><p>It didn't.</p><div type="image" title="The Rainforest Cafe's green tree frog." height="4032" width="3024" msid="91565270" hostid="261"></div><p>The first Rainforest Cafe opened in Minnesota's Mall of America <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-02-15-9602140596-story.html">in 1994</a>, and early on, it was a hit. A September 2000 story from the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-27-fi-27581-story.html">Los Angeles Times</a> said the chain's stock traded as high as $25 per share in the mid-1990s, but its value plummeted <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/1999/08/09/story3.html">alongside other themed restaurants</a> around the turn of the century. </p><p>The LA Times wrote that Houston-based company Landry's Seafood Restaurants offered to buy the Rainforest Cafe in February 2000 for $125 million — or $5.23 per share — but a major shareholder stopped the sale. Landry's eventually took over anyway, offering $75 million at $3.25 per share <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/27/business/company-news-landry-s-in-a-new-deal-to-acquire-rainforest-cafe.html">a few months later</a>. </p><div type="image" title="Alanis with a fake gorilla at the Rainforest Cafe, pretending to pick its nose." height="3024" width="3866" msid="91565273" hostid="261"></div><p>The Rainforest Cafe lived on, albeit without the same popularity it once had. Some of its most iconic locations have closed in recent years, including one in <a href="https://www.kron4.com/news/video-after-17-years-rainforest-cafe-on-san-franciscos-fishermans-wharf-closes/">San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf</a> and <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-chicago-rainforest-cafe-closing-20200813-wm4u435e7raz3a6r7hewnngwli-story.html">another in Chicago</a>, whose 27-foot outdoor frog is one of the few things I remember from visiting the city as a kid. They were open for 17 and <a href="https://chicago.eater.com/2022/4/1/23005181/top-chef-damarr-brown-chicago-rainforest-cafe-marijuana-dispensary-illinois-craft-beer-week">23</a> years, respectively.</p><p>The Rainforest Cafe's rise and fall was a microcosm of the world around it. Themed restaurants were a product of their time, due to expire as the culture around them evolved. In 1998, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/27/nyregion/novelty-gone-theme-restaurants-are-tumbling.html">New York Times</a> headline from reporter Charles V. Bagli painted the picture well: "Novelty gone, theme restaurants are tumbling."</p><div type="image" title="Large animatronic elephants at the Rainforest Cafe." height="3024" width="4032" msid="91565275" hostid="261"></div><p>"Industry analysts and restaurant consultants cite various reasons," Bagli wrote. "The <keyword id="11894142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="food" source="Orion">food</keyword> was often dismissed as terrible. The elaborate decor — rock-and-roll collectibles, racing cars, animatronic jungle habitats — was impressive but distracting."</p><p>Rapid expansion hurt the novelty, Bagli wrote, and the same Wall Street financiers who helped theme restaurants boom left them behind. </p><p>"The life cycle of theme restaurants has been a lot shorter than anyone expected," restaurateur Ron Paul told the Times. "It turns out that the consumer had a lot more entertainment alternatives."</p><div type="image" title="The Rainforest Cafe sign poking out into the mall walkway." height="3745" width="2670" msid="91565278" hostid="261"></div><p>Worldwide, the Rainforest Cafe still advertises 19 locations — including one that overlooks the <keyword id="12003793" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="las-vegas" source="Orion">Las Vegas</keyword> Strip from the second and third floors of a shopping center. A few months ago, I decided I had to go.</p><p>As I walked into the shopping center, its white walls and square ceiling tiles reeked of commercial development — boring not because they had to be but because people would visit anyway, pulling out their wallets at the nearby Walgreens or Taco Bell Cantina. But at one entrance, bursting into the mall walkway, were fake vines, flowers, topiary, and pre-recorded sounds of the jungle, painting the bland facade of modern consumerism that surrounded me with a younger, more fun version of it. </p><div type="image" title="An animatronic snake coiled around a tree limb." height="4032" width="3024" msid="91565281" hostid="261"></div><p>My husband walked to the reservation counter while I ran into the gift store behind it, squealing at an animatronic snake that hung from a tree limb and squatting to greet a plastic alligator. A growl erupted nearby, and I looked up to see a robotic cheetah sitting on a display shelf of T-shirts for sale, wagging its stiff tail and arms near my head. The fact that it moved so unnaturally was part of the fun. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Alanis King  (@alanisnking) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1522252206023577601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2022</a></blockquote><p>We soon climbed a set of stairs to be seated in the restaurant level above. The deeper we got, the more it felt like the walls and ceiling were closing in on us — fake vines and flowers draped just over our heads, while wooden stairs and fencing made of knotted rope kept us on our path.</p><p>The cafe's signature green tree frog met me near the top, advertising a $19 "sparkling volcano" brownie with a stack of ice cream and syrup oozing from it. Of course I ordered one.</p><div type="image" title="The Rainforest Cafe's green tree frog sitting on a sign advertising the sparkling volcano dessert." height="3538" width="2478" msid="91565284" hostid="261"></div><p>By the time we reached the dining area, I'd forgotten I was in a mall. Those bland white walls were miles away, and in front of me was a sparkling expanse of plastic forestry. The furnishings were aggressively '90s; cartoon animal illustrations lined the tabletops, while the carpet looked like someone poured a spinach smoothie into a lava lamp. (Some of the animatronics looked like they'd been in service that long, too). </p><div type="image" title="Inside the Rainforest Cafe, with a fake starry sky on the ceiling and green carpet." height="2657" width="3837" msid="91565286" hostid="261"></div><p>Everywhere I looked was a new, captivating decoration: gorillas shaking trees and grunting into the wind, a plastic zebra peeking out from the vines, a large butterfly hanging from the ceiling, monkeys swinging from the branches, birds perched above the tables, elephants wagging their ears, and so much more.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Alanis King  (@alanisnking) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1518415853049458688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote><p>I stared at the fake starry sky as it transformed above me throughout the night, and I did a little hand drumroll every time the robotic animals set the stage for a waterless indoor thunderstorm and light show.</p><p>Sure, I only saw the restaurant with the lights dimmed. Perhaps it looks like a storage facility for a local carnival with them on. But magic comes from your imagination — and in mine, this place was mesmerizing.</p><div type="image" title="Alanis sitting at a table at the Rainforest Cafe, holding a pineapple margarita with an appetizer sampler in front of her." height="4032" width="3024" msid="91565288" hostid="261"></div><p>While my husband and I waited on food and drinks, we took turns touring the restaurant floor. We watched two older women sit in a booth below a family of animatronic gorillas, constantly recording their movements and noises. (The servers later brought out a birthday cupcake for them, and I thought: "I only hope to be that cool in 40 years.") </p><div type="image" title="A plastic zebra poking out of the wall at the Rainforest Cafe." height="3024" width="4032" msid="91565292" hostid="261"></div><p>I couldn't believe how many other adults were there without children. I went onto the outdoor dining balcony that overlooked the Strip, glancing over to see the people eating on the patio of the neighboring Bubba Gump Shrimp.</p><p>I laughed at their dinner choice. They had no idea what they were missing. </p><div type="image" title="The balcony of the Rainforest Cafe in Vegas, overlooking the Strip." height="2707" width="4030" msid="91565416" hostid="261"></div><p>We ate a giant appetizer sampler tray, two entrées, and a chocolate volcano. We raved about the southwest egg rolls and spinach dip, and we ordered fruity alcoholic drinks like the "Green Python" and "Mongoose Mai Tai" (both very good, by the way). We took home the glass souvenir cups that came with them.</p><p>The plates hovered around $24 apiece. My husband said they didn't taste like $24 — his pasta was bland but salty, and our chocolate volcano had two scoops of ice cream and two "scoops" of whipped cream that just looked like ice cream. (I have the taste buds of an animatronic elephant, so I don't know what a $24 plate tastes like. You'll have to trust him.)</p><div type="image" title="Two souvenir drink glasses from the Rainforest Cafe in Vegas." height="3555" width="2666" msid="91565418" hostid="261"></div><p>At some point, the restaurant photographer came by and posed us outside with the Strip in the background, offering free keychains with our photos in them. The Mongoose Mai Tais got me drunk enough that when they came back to ask if we wanted $20 photo prints, I handed them my credit card without a single question. </p><p>We probably should have noticed that in addition to the photos, the $24 plates landed us a nearly $200 bill after tip. But the thing was, we didn't care. </p><div type="image" title="Alanis playing with the sparkly silver pom-pom that spouts from the top of the sparkling volcano dessert." height="4032" width="3024" msid="91565421" hostid="261"></div><p>Before I went to the Rainforest Cafe that night in <keyword id="12129641" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vegas" source="Orion">Vegas</keyword>, I'd begun to doubt myself. I'd built up this image of the restaurant in my head — a living jungle, majestically cawing and growling and whistling at me as I ate overpriced appetizers.</p><p>But touring the city that week made me wonder: Was it all in my mind? Even the most beautiful themed buildings in Vegas feel like cheap imitations, because they are. Perhaps my plastic rainforest would be the same. </p><div type="image" title="Inside the Rainforest Cafe, with a fake starry sky that's purple, black, blue, and red." height="2661" width="3853" msid="91565422" hostid="261"></div><p>It wasn't. I had more fun at the Rainforest Cafe than I could have in any club or casino, perhaps fueled by the phantom joy of my childhood or perhaps because it truly was that magical. Either way, it didn't matter.</p><p>All that mattered was feeling like a kid again. It's something the Rainforest Cafe specializes in — and something none of us do often enough.</p>

I spent $200 at the Rainforest Cafe in Las Vegas. It perfectly recreated my '90s childhood nostalgia.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9130931" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carole-baskin">Carole Baskin</keyword>, one of the stars of Netflix's "<keyword id="6757458" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiger-king">Tiger King</keyword>" series, is selling two cat-inspired <keyword id="1252845" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="face-masks">face masks</keyword> in a collaboration with Tread365.</li><li>Both masks feature cat-inspired designs, as well as Baskin's signature catchphrase: "Hey all you cool <keyword id="6365706" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="cats">cats</keyword> and kittens."</li><li>The face coverings retail for $11 each, with a portion of proceeds going towards Baskin's nonprofit animal sanctuary Big Cat Rescue and donating masks to first responders.</li><li>Other "Tiger King" face masks can be found on sites like Etsy and Redbubble.</li></ul><p>In recent weeks, people have created masks inspired by everything from <a href="https://www.insider.com/artist-makes-harry-potter-face-covering-2020-5">"Harry Potter"</a> to <a href="https://www.insider.com/schitts-creek-ew-david-etsy-face-mask-2020-5">"Schitt's Creek."</a></p><p>As it turns out, there are also some <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/tiger-king">"Tiger King"</a> face coverings on the market. Earlier this month, Carole Baskin teamed up with Chicago-based water-polo company <a href="http://tread365.com/">Tread365</a> to create cat-inspired masks. There are currently two designs available for purchase, both of which feature Baskin's famous catchphrase: "Hey all you cool cats and kittens."</p><p><a href="http://tread365.com/cool-cats/">One mask</a> is black with an embossed cat face, while <a href="http://tread365.com/cool-kittens/">the other</a> features a cheetah print with the same design.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:800; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~800;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOWwCtjXL6" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">SURPRISE!!! Turns out Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, and Netflix’s own Tiger Queen, loved our mask and wanted to collaborate  We bring to you the “Cool Cats” and “Cool Kittens” masks for any Tiger King enthusiast and Big Cat Rescue fan Portions of proceeds will go towards @bigcatrescue who is a leading advocate for ending the abuse of captive big cats Head on over to our website to purchase! Tread365.com/face-masks/ #tigerking #netflix #carolebaskin #bigcats #bigcatrescue #facemask #covid19 #mask #staysafe #stayhealthy #treadforward #meowdeling</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by  Tread 365 (@tread365) on May 15, 2020 at 2:53pm PDT<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-05-15T21:53:38+00:00">May 15, 2020 at 2:53pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><p>At the time of writing, each "Tiger King"-inspired mask retails for $11. According to the Tread365 website, a portion of proceeds from the masks will go towards Baskin's Big Cat Rescue, <a href="https://www.insider.com/tiger-king-truth-carole-baskin-big-cat-rescue-2020-4">a nonprofit animal sanctuary</a> that houses animals like tigers and bobcats that can't survive in the wild. Another portion will be dedicated to providing first responders with free masks.</p><p>The website also says that the face coverings are reusable, machine-washable, and dual-layered, though they are not medical-grade. </p><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="https://www.insider.com/everything-to-know-about-masks-and-the-coronavirus-2020-4">currently recommends</a> that people wear cloth face coverings in public spaces where keeping a distance of six feet from others is difficult, as it can help non-symptomatic carriers from spreading viruses to others. The CDC has also released <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-face-mask-at-home-no-sewing-coronavirus-2020-4">a guide</a> to help people make their own face coverings at home.</p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbigcatrescue%2Fposts%2F10157106925671957&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=552&amp;height=760&amp;appId" width="552" height="760" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><p>Though masks sold by Tread365 appear to be the only ones endorsed by Baskin, other "Tiger King"face coverings are available online. Many <a href="https://www.etsy.com/search?q=tiger%20king%20mask">Etsy</a> shops, for example, have masks inspired by the Netflix series. Artists on <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?query=tiger%20king%20mask&amp;ref=search_box_box">Redbubble</a> have also started selling cat-themed designs.</p><p>Representatives for Tread 365 and Big Cat Rescue did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/artist-makes-harry-potter-face-covering-2020-5">An artist made a 'Harry Potter' face covering that reveals the Marauder's Map as you breathe</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/schitts-creek-ew-david-etsy-face-mask-2020-5">Fans of 'Schitt's Creek' can now buy a $13 face mask that says 'Ew, David'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/etsy-face-masks">The CDC now recommends everyone wear a cloth face mask in public — here are some of the highest-rated options on Etsy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/amazon-face-masks">7 affordable cloth face masks you can find on Amazon for both adults and children</a> </li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/where-to-buy-tiger-king-masks-carole-baskin-2020-5">Insider</a>

Carole Baskin is selling 'Tiger King' face masks, and a portion of proceeds goes towards rescuing big cats

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554ce1db6bb3f7be6d164641-1200-1000/2462706533_b6aee7445b_o.jpg" border="0" alt="fox"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericbegin/2462706533/in/photolist-4KC1Rt-7U4wvx-dqHrcP-4KC3iX-67bjVz-8Hk4CK-dtiNfL-8AVN73-3DvmBp-oDtL5c-7TiZvt-9yoooe-bkJ2uC-3DvjuV-4VXF2k-bkJ8oA-8ASE9k-6ZQrnq-tCqtU-rCVdFX-4KC5JV-bkHTjh-dVw9NT-4KC3MB-rYtLYo-6WQN7u-4KBZaP-6N8sFz-7U7KNL-atDXuZ-c8mWGL-aEyPaJ-4KGhwN-bHhv3H-gu4C82-4KGh8d-FUSt5-nE1Aps-poyKNk-p4MNcn-8AVMqo-8ASEu2-7U4w6t-3Lo4KU-k87DKX-oJcLKq-bHhuYM-oVmQkc-axWnmW-5GF2gK">Eric Bégin on Flickr</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>The animal kingdom is a cacophony of grunts, growls, whistles, squeaks, and other noises that sound utterly crazy to the human ear but are essential to animals' survival.<p>We know that dogs go "woof" and cats go "meow" but how does a porcupines go? (Warning: It boarders on cuteness overload.)</p><p>How do cheetahs and foxes call out to one another in the wild and what sound does the otherwise-quiet male ostrich make during mating season?</p><p>The answers are a series of noises you would never expect to hear from these familiar animals. And the way that they speak are still teaching scientists a thing or two about the complex nature of voice.</p><p>A single animal can produce dozens of different sounds for different purposes, and luckily people are fascinated enough by these crazily-bizarre noises to upload them on YouTube.</p><p><strong>Here are a 10 clips of some of the most outrageous animal sounds we could find. You'll want to put your headphones on to get the full experience:</strong></p><h3>1. Koalas grunt like pigs:</h3><div><div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FsOxk_ThKio" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Koalas look like teddy bears but sound like something less cuddly: a pig. The sounds these animals make are fascinating because they not only can use their larynx like humans, but they also have special folds in their nose. The deep-pitched bellow in the video above are produced through the nose.</p><h3>2. Cheetahs chirp like birds:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/E6Qh3VTmtxU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Unlike lions, jaguars, and other wild cats, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12363272">cheetahs can't roar</a>. Instead, they chirp. That's because the thyroid bone in their throat that they use to help generate sound is shaped differently from the same thyroid bone in wild cats that can roar. That's also why your house cat can't roar.</p><h3>3. Porcupines sound like Alvin the chipmunk (sound starts 25 seconds in):</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UGz8jcbJjRw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>This is Teddy. He's part of the Texas traveling educational zoo, or Zooniversity. Wild porcupines are solitary creatures who don't like to share. Teddy, although not wild, is no exception. When wild <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150130-porcupine-animal-behavior-mating-biology-plants/">porcupines squabble over food or den space they sound a lot like Teddy</a> in this video when asked to share his corn.&#xa0;</p><h3>4. Walruses can whistle:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OAVL61yeCYs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>While most of of a walrus's growls, bellows, and grunts are generated from vibrating vocal cords, there is one special sound that is not. It sounds like a bell and is the last sound you'll hear in the video. This noise is generated within inflatable sacs called pharyngeal pouches located on either side of the animal's esophagus. Male walruses will <a href="http://seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-infobooks/walrus/communication/">woo females</a> with their bells and whistles.</p><h3>5. Foxes sound super cute:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/S7tThIC42xQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>The red fox has <a href="http://www.livescience.com/39478-what-foxes-sound-like.html">over 20 different calls</a>. One of the most common is barking, like in this video. <a href="http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1644/BEM-031">Scientists have found</a> that different foxes space their barks apart slightly differently, which allows them to recognize one another in the wild.</p><h3>6. Horses have a sense of humor:</h3><div><div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cJ5WN3yyEHc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Some animals will imitate the sounds and behavior of others. This practice is common in birds and is <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=DTXkY6AD5SgC&amp;pg=PA10&amp;lpg=PA10&amp;dq=imitation+behavior+in+horses&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=HnmIIiq38z&amp;sig=Lq-g_ElHG7iPSTkM7DYo-jXMw9s&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=86JDVfG9KcHjsAS8voCQAg&amp;ved=0CC8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&amp;q=imitation%20behavior%20in%20horses&amp;f=false">also observed in horses</a>, but is not necessarily a sign of intelligence. Horses will mimic each other's behavior but will also imitate humans, like in the video above.</p><h3>7. Lyrebirds can mimic just about any sound they hear:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RSZtoXIb7do" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Go ahead and marvel at the mimicking capabilities of the lyrebird. Similar to the mockingbird, the lyrebird generates sounds of other birds through its syrinx, but it can also reproduce the sound of just about anything it hears, including a toy gun, a camera, a car alarm, and even a chainsaw. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjAcyTXRunY">The more diverse its mating song</a>, the more attractive he is to females.</p><h3>8. Speaking of mockingbirds:</h3><div><div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CMpe34Aign4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Mockingbirds are famous for their remarkable ability to mimic the sounds of other birds. Like all songbirds, these imitators <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_R-HvA4DI0C&amp;pg=PA47&amp;lpg=PA47&amp;dq=mockingbird+larynx&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=lxzG9kWM5o&amp;sig=Hx_Bdup02GAnt77AJmpJ85_YMvw&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=J75DVfetDO_hsASV7oCACg&amp;ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&amp;q=mockingbird%20larynx&amp;f=false">use the mammal-equivalent of a larynx, called the syrinx</a>. Mockingbirds tighten and relax membranes in the syrinx to generate different sounds and songs of other bird species.</p><h3>9. Male ostriches go boom:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5kYiJAwVbEs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>Male ostriches are usually silent, but when it comes time to mate, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=BfjUW8ZVinkC&amp;pg=PA59&amp;lpg=PA59&amp;dq=purpose+of+ostrich+booming+sound&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Z32wIqFScE&amp;sig=2zLTNAwLmNOb3TQNXNGWYd096Ik&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=3o1DVeTsGILIsQSshYHwCg&amp;ved=0CC0Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;q=purpose%20of%20ostrich%20booming%20sound&amp;f=false">they're very vocal</a>. By filling a sac in their long necks with air, they produce a low-pitched, hollow, booming sound to let the female know they're ready. Males in captivity will sometimes boom at visitors, too.</p><h3>10. Rocky Mountain Elk bulls scream for the ladies:</h3><div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TSpGd9p17n0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><p>The average Rocky Mountain Elk bull <a href="http://www.rmef.org/ElkFacts">weighs 700 pounds</a>, so you might think they have a deep, burly call. But in fact, these elk utter a high-pitched bugle-like scream <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2924247/">to generate female attention</a>. Scientists suspect that this mating call signals muscular strength and endurance, so ideally the louder and longer the male screams, the better.<br><br /></br></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-video-exotic-animals-drinking-water-gopro-2015-4">Amazing video captures how exotic animals drink water</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="95anFqdDpZz-f4bxCYOiHu9hiC_Derrr" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '95anFqdDpZz-f4bxCYOiHu9hiC_Derrr',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

10 shocking animal noises that prove the world is an incredible place 

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/588bc4a7475752572a8b4e25-1500" alt="rhinoceros south africa" data-mce-source="Rogan Ward/Reuters" /><p class="source"><span>Rogan Ward/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A black rhinoceros grazes in a private game reserve north of Durban, South Africa</p></div><p></p></div></div>The earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction.</p><p>Experts suggest that by the middle of the century, as many as two-thirds of the planet's species <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/two-thirds-of-the-worlds-wildlife-will-have-been-wiped-out-by-2020-2016-10">could be extinct</a>. The most likely cause of this sobering phenomenon is climate change, which is throwing off the balance of natural ecosystems and forcing animals to migrate or adapt to changing weather conditions.</p><p>Despite these facts, Republican leaders in the US have signaled that they intend to <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c4809b5e9f4641ffa45e09b390030293" target="_blank">roll back the influence of the Endangered Species Act</a>, claiming it is not being used as Congress intended when it passed the law in 1973. An Australian professor has suggested a different approach to the problem: privatizing wildlife.</p><p>George Wilson, an adjunct professor at the Australian National University, recently published <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12313/full" target="_blank">a paper</a> in the journal Conservation Letters proposing that his country take a page from southern Africa by giving private landowners authority over the wildlife on their property - in a limited trial.</p><p>Since the late 1960s, the nations of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa have - at various times and to varying degrees - granted people who own land that's home to wildlife full legal control over the animals on that property. That means that instead of the government taking the lead in regulating hunting, eco-tourism, or conservation programs, that power is handed over to land owners.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/588bc50447575244008b51d1-1500/46430480188d05698893o.jpg" alt="South africa wildlife reserve giraffe" data-mce-source="Russell James Smith/Flickr" /><p class="source"><span>Russell James Smith/Flickr</span></p><p class="caption">Giraffes in the Scotia Safaris Private Game Reserve in South Africa</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The underlying philosophy behind these policies is the concept of tragedy of the commons. The logic goes like this: When wildlife is considered a public good, and the government takes on the duty of protecting it, humans don't have any incentive to help in that effort - and might even resent the regulations enacted in order to protect animals (as GOP lawmakers seem to). But if land owners are given control over the animals on their property, and are even offered ways to profit from tourism or hunting, then they'll have a reason to invest in growing and maintaining the animal populations.</p><p>Since such policies were instituted in Africa, a few studies have shown that wildlife privatization likely contributed to a boom in tourism. An <a href="https://cei.org/studies-issue-analysis/private-property-rights-wildlife-southern-africa-experiment" target="_blank">article published in 2000</a> estimated that as many as 20% of all the ranches in Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa at the time were managed at least in part for wildlife tourism. The paper also suggests that in Zimbabwe, an estimated 63% of giraffe and 56% of cheetah were found on commercial ranch properties.</p><p>In South Africa today, Wilson notes in his paper, high-value wildlife species are traded to help land owners populate and restock their properties and establish new populations. There are also wildlife auctions in which national parks and others sell animals, which helps parks get funding. These policies, Wilson suggests, have meant that southern Africa has more wildlife than 100 years ago, unlike other parts of the continent where populations of animals are declining.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/588bc5374757520b128b5044-1500/3918473807a185cd04dfo.jpg" alt="south africa elephant reserve" data-mce-source="South African Tourism/Flickr" data-mce-caption="Elephants at Botlierskop Game Reserve in South Africa" /><p class="source"><span>South African Tourism/Flickr</span></p><p class="caption">Elephants at Botlierskop Game Reserve in South Africa</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>There are plenty of arguments against this practice, however. Animals owned by individuals aren't free or in their natural habitat, of course. And <a href="http://goodnature.nathab.com/privatizing-wildlife-dangerous-trend-or-economic-necessity/" target="_blank">critics also suggest</a> that privatization could allow people to create hunting grounds full of captive animals, and point out that it could <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2145066/should-we-rent-out-endangered-species-one-percenters-maybe" target="_blank">create an economic incentive</a> for wealthy people to hoard animals of a certain species and demand high prices from those who want to visit them. </p><p>The reality, however, is that rising temperatures mean there simply might not be any way to reverse the extinction that's already underway. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stem-cell-tech-save-white-rhinos-animals-extinction-endangered-2016-5">Researchers want to try a cutting-edge technique to save rhinos from extinction</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="0yMmhjMzE6adnPL0RknzdV0VqBo0G9Fm" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '0yMmhjMzE6adnPL0RknzdV0VqBo0G9Fm',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "captive cheetahs" and got 11 results

After sudden cheetah deaths in Kuno, Centre turned to Reliance's wildlife facility for help

PTI

Bring in more experienced vets say experts after seven cheetah deaths at Kuno

PTI

Another cheetah dies at MP’s Kuno National Park: forest officials

BI India Bureau

India reintroduced 8 cheetahs after the big cats were wiped out 70 years ago — but some scientists say it's more of a PR stunt than a conservation effort

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Researchers are debating whether to privatize endangered species

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