Conservation

See insitu conservation projects funded by Big Cat Rescue by clicking on the pins on the map below or the + by cat at left:

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2023 Conservation Projects funded by Big Cat Rescue

How many species of wild cats can you name? 4? 14? 34? If your answer wasn’t 41 then this article explains why Big Cat Rescue primarily supports conservation efforts of the less known, smaller, exotic cat species. See a complete list of exotic cat species. See our previous InSitu Conservation Work at the links at the bottom of this page.

Saving Clouded Leopards from Fire & Human Conflicts

9/15/2023 This project initiates Clouded leopard conservation in the adjacent forests of Kathmandu valley. Goals are: 1. To sensitize at least 5000 visitors/tourists of national park and surrounding forests on the importance of clouded leopard and its habitat through hoarding boards (billboards) and pamphlets. 2. Conduct conservation coaching classes in the schools, local organizations, community forest user groups and army personnel on the threat mitigation strategies of clouded leopard. 3. Establish forest fire control mechanism (awareness, forest fire control tools distribution and fire line construction) in the forested habitat of clouded leopard.

Saving Asiatic Golden Cats in Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale Nepal

9/15/2023 This project is to install 20 suitable predator proof goat corrals, to support the establishment of 25 greenhouses to reduce poaching, to train communities in fire fighting and to reach out to children for conservation awareness. The goat corrals avoid the “revenge killings” of the cats that occur when cats prey on livestock. The greenhouses provide alternative sources of income to local residents in return for commitments not to poach cats for income. Forest fire is one of the biggest threats for this species and other wildlife and their habitat in this Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale Area.

Saving the Guigna in San Vicente de Tagua Tagua

9/15/2023 Project goal is saving the smallest cat of South America the Güiña from drought in central Chile (San Vicente de Tagua Tagua). Objectives are: 1. Install camera traps for monitoring the paths that the Güiña uses frequently and choose the best spots to place the water. 2. Install water drinkers in areas where the target species is a frequent visitor. 3. Design and print educational material of free distribution for the local community to learn about the importance of our wildlife. Most of the funds would be spent on camera trapping costs. The drinkers are supplied from a hose that is connected to a cistern filled by a stream 1/4 mile up the mountain. Several drinkers are filled from the same catchment. The drinkers hold water without overflowing but refill when the water level drops from the cats drinking it. Having these drinkers strategically located significantly reduces roadkill because the cats do not need to cross roads to find water. Click Guigna San Vicente Chile on the map to see the video.

Saving Guigna Using Dog / Human Sounds

9/15/2023 One of the biggest challenges to wild cats is conflict with resident human populations, particularly when the cats prey on livestock. This project aims to test a device which plays dog and human sounds as an auditory repellent to deter guigna from approaching backyard poultry. Specifically, each auditory device connected to a trail camera in video mode will be placed in a sampling station with available food. Guignas approaching the station will be faced with human, dog and control sounds and their behavior will be recorded during 30 seconds. In order to understand if specific sounds increase risk perception of guignas, the researchers will measure the following behaviors: visitation rate, flight response (goes away), time spent on vigilance and foraging while recorded at the station. They will analyze changes in the risk perception of guignas comparing the different sounds. If proven successful, this method will be a new low-cost effective non-lethal technique to reduce human-carnivore conflicts, applied specifically for guigna conservation.

Saving Clouded Leopards in Nepal – Ganga Ram Regmi

8/15/2023 This multi-faceted project focuses on reducing threats to clouded leopards of retaliatory killings and poaching in Nepal. Part of the program focuses on educating school children to appreciate the majesty and importance of preserving the cats. This has the double impact of creating a supportive future generation while at the same time bringing this message home to their parents. A second part of the program involves funding the construction of predator proof corrals to prevent predation of the goats that local farmers depend on. Preventing predation removes the incentive for retaliatory killing of the cats. The third part of the program involves funding alternative sources of income in return for local support for preserving the cats. These include bee keeping, medicinal plant farming, and year round growing of organic vegetables in greenhouses both for consumption and to sell for income.

Saving Jungle Cats

8/4/2023 This project aims to reduce the threats to Jungle Cats and Leopard Cats in central (Dhanushadham) and eastern (Mahamahi) Nepal. The main activities of this project include camera trapping, road signage, hoarding board installations, school education programs, and community awareness in the new sites. This project is supervised by Rama Mishra, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Antwerp, Belgium

Saving Pampas Cats

8/2/2023 In Chile the Pampas cat is known as the Colocolo, which comes from its Latin name. The Colocolo Project has a number of elements. One is studying the cat with camera traps and fecal analysis to learn what habitats and prey it prefers and how many there are to help preserve them. Another is mitigation of conflict between the cats and small-scale poultry farmers to avoid revenge killing driven by the cats taking their chickens. This is done by helping build predator proof chicken coops and giving replacement hens to farmers who suffer losses. Third, the Project includes broad efforts with volunteers and volunteer veterinarians to vaccinate and worm dogs and cats to keep them from spreading disease to the wild animal population.

Saving Pallas Cats

7/2/2023 Jamie and Victor checked on the work we are funding at the Steppe Wildlife Conservation and Research Center in Mongolia. Find out more: https://bigcatrescue.org/protect-pallas-cats/

Saving Bobcats

6/4/2023 Michael Levin PhD student at Columbia University overseen by Laurel Serieys, who works with Panthera’s small cat team are collaring bobcats to learn more about the threats they face and ways to mitigate those threats.

Saving Marbled Cats

7/19/2023 We just got this update from the field on conservation work to save the Marbled Cat that you helped us fund if you are a donor to Big Cat Rescue. We were able to send $9000.00 in 2022. See more about it at: https://bigcatrescue.org/marbled-cat-conservation/

Saving the Cheetah

6/6/2023 With the help of Big Cat Rescue donors, India has embarked on an ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project! India’s Honorable Prime Minister released a total of eight cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, sourced from Namibia, in Kuno National Park (KNP) in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This first-of-its-kind inter-continental reintroduction of a large cat is indeed a matter of great pride for India and Big Cat Rescue. The cheetahs will be in the Kuno forest completely in the wild, the way it should be. Read more at: Cheetah-Reintroduction Program

Saving the Andean Mountain Cat

Read this 6/2/2023 update on work funded by Big Cat Rescue to save the Andean Mountain Cats at https://bigcatrescue.org/andean-mountain-cat-facts/

Big Cat Rescue acknowledges our amazing volunteers each month by making a SAVE Award to a conservation project in their name, in addition to all of the other exotic cat conservation projects we fund. SAVE stands for Scratch’s Award of Volunteer Excellence, in memory of a beloved 30 year old cougar named Scratch.

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