• About BCR
  • News
  • News @ BCR
  • Rescues
  • Issues
  • Cat Laws
Monday, March 8, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News @ BCR

Small Wild Cat Conservation Summit in Sri Lanka

LaWanna by LaWanna
January 14, 2020
in News @ BCR
0
Small Wild Cat Conservation Summit is Sri Lanka
0
SHARES
39
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

Small Wild Cat Conservation Summit is Sri LankaIn December 2019, Big Cat Rescue was invited to attend the 2nd ever International Small Wild Cat Conservation Summit, being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Summit, which was a 5-day event, filled with presentations, discussions, and workshops, was open to Conservationists, Donors, and enthusiasts from around the world. Over 30 participants attended from a variety of home ranges such as Mongolia, Iran, Japan, India, South African, Bhutan, and the US and even included representatives from Panthera, The Mohammed Bin Zayed Conservation Fund and Global Wildlife Conservation.

The purpose of the Summit was to bring together those working on the frontline of small wild cat conservation to share experiences, forge connections and make conservation of small wild cats work, as a means of optimizing global conservation efforts of small wild cats.

You might also like

DonorRecognition

Jasmine

Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams

There are 40 cat species in the cat family (Felidae), 33 of which are small cats, some weighing less than 1kg. Small cat species include Bobcats, Ocelots, Sand Cats, African Golden Cats, Fishing Cats, Pallas Cats, Andean Mountain Cats, Pampas Cats, and the smallest of them all, the Rusty-Spotted Cat. Small Wild Cats are the least studied in the cat family despite the fact many are alarmingly threatened globally and are neglected when it comes to species conservation and management plans. Small Wild Cats receive less than 1% of the funding available for cat conservation, with 99% going to their 7 bigger relatives, the tiger, lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopards, cougars, and cheetahs.

Each year Big Cat Rescue sets aside a conservation budget, with the intent of donating to conservation projects in the wild, and initiatives assisting those on the ground doing the work. As we grow our reach as a sanctuary and continue to spread our mission, we are able to increase our donations annually and as a result, our captive cats are able to help save their wild counterparts. When we learned about the lack of funding for small cats, we made a pledge to donate at least half of our donation budget each year to small cat species. Big Cat Rescue helped fund the 1st Small Wild Cat Summit in Kent, England in 2017, but this was the first time we were able to attend and participate in the Summit.

A number of the attendees for the summit were beneficiaries of our donations in the past and this was our first chance to meet them in person and discuss how the donations were utilized. Lauren Grant, a long-term volunteer, and Lauren Buckingham, our Conservation Projects Officer went as the Big Cat Rescue representatives.

In addition, we used the 2nd Small Cat Summit as a platform to share our newest venture, using Augmented & Virtual Reality along with 360 and 180 3D Video to raise awareness for the plight of wild cats.

Lauren B presented to the attendees about 360/180 VR and how they could also create content. She spoke to them about the impact the videos could have for raising awareness of their work, stating that if someone is able to see the work for themselves they are more likely to feel a connection and want to help, without the exploitation of a living cat.

Insta360

With the help of Insta 360, we were able to take 20 Insta Evo cameras to the summit and pair one with each of the conservationists. For many of the conservationists, this is a tool that may not be accessible with their limited budgets, so we were thrilled to be able to donate it to them. Lauren B also took an Oculus Go VR headset to show the conservationists the potential of their footage.

Insta Evo camerasFor many months Big Cat Rescue has been sharing footage of our cats here at the sanctuary, but we would love to allow viewers to experience a wild cat in its natural habitat, up close and personal in a way that has not been available previously. Their home ranges are inaccessible to your everyday person and the likelihood of seeing one up close in the wild, is many times unrealistic, not to mention dangerous, but the summit gave us the opportunity to meet people who know their target species better than most and work with them on the ground. Our hope is that conservationists will be able to gain footage of the cats habitats, individuals being collared, health exams on individuals and deep into conservation sites, amongst other things, introducing people to small cat species and environments they may never know about or see otherwise. For many it is still the belief that people have to see wild cats in cages, up close, to appreciate and save them, but we feel that is not the case, especially with these advances in technology. We hope this partnership will help to prove that.

The summit was an extremely worthwhile trip, allowing us to gain many new contacts and partners in the Small Cat World. Going forward what was learned will be a great resource when selecting our small cat donation beneficiaries and knowing what it is the conservationists need to continue their extremely worthwhile work. We will continue to work with conservationists with their Virtual Reality venture and hope to bring you some exciting new footage in the near future. The next summit will be held in 2021 in Singapore and it is exciting to think about what could be achieved by then.

Previous Post

Hangry Serval

Next Post

January 15 2020

LaWanna

LaWanna

Related Posts

DonorRecognition
News @ BCR

DonorRecognition

February 19, 2021
318
Good night Big Cat Rescue Friends! ? Jasmine Tigress says it’s hard work being cute! Time for nite nite! ✨ Photo: courtesy of Tanya Chute
Large Cats

Jasmine

February 1, 2021
838
Alex el Tigre
Featured

Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams

February 1, 2021
19k
Cub Petting Shame
Cat Laws

Cub Petting Shame

January 17, 2021
1.5k
Guatemala Circus Tigers
Large Cats

Max Tiger

January 21, 2021
914
Next Post
Jinx the Black Leopard (Smaller)

January 15 2020

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (0)
  • Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Take Action Against Abuse

Shop To Save Big Cats

More From BigCatRescue

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Big Cat Information

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Ways to Help

  • Newsletter SignUp
  • Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • View AMP Versioin
No Result
View All Result
  • About BCR
  • News @ BCR
  • Videos
  • Big Cat Facts
  • Cub Facts
  • Sanctuary Cats
  • Shop and Save Cats
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Abuse Issues
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2021 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist