How to save wild cats
Donate your time and resources to wild cat conservation
If you are interested in helping wild cats around the world to survive, there are a number of ways you can contribute. To support this website, which is a tool for educating others (see 3 and 4 below), please contact me.
1. Financially
Advertise on Tigerace.com to help support this website. Please contact me to discuss the possibilities.
If you are interested in donating money towards wild cat conservation, there are a number of choices to make. One way to support conservation efforts without hurting your own budget is to buy products and use services that you know are environmentally friendly or that are donating towards conservation efforts themselves. For example, Sci-Fleet is listed on the Australia Zoo website as a Corporate Partner (see this page). Next time you or your company needs to purchase a vehicle, consider Toyota Sci Fleet and be sure to tell them you chose them because of the support they are giving Australia Zoo.
Our sponsors
You could also suggest to your boss that they start supporting Australia Zoo or other conservation friendly organisations and programs. They will not only be making tax deductible donations to a great cause, but the business can also get some very positive exposure.
To donate personal funds, you must decide if you want to make a once-off donation or if you wish to become a regular giver. Regular donations, even of small amounts, are very important for non-profit organisations and conservationists. Regular donations allow them to budget their expenses and know, rather than hoping and guessing, what next month's donation income will be.
The next thing to decide is which organisation you will give your preciously earned gold coins to. When it comes to wildlife conservation efforts, the choices are virtually limitless. If you want to donate specifically to wild cat conservation, the choices become narrower. I will list some of these choices below along with a summary of their conservation action.
Section one details organisatios that are on the front-line in wild cat conservation; sending donations here is the surest way to contribute directly to wild cat conservation projects in the wild. Section two gives details from some of the zoos and other wildlife organisations mentioned on this website (eg. in Zoos, News and Links) and some of the ways they are contributing to wildlife conservation. For example, most zoos now have a 'wildlife' experience where you pay money for a close encounter and photographs. A small portion of the profits from this (sometimes 20%) goes to the zoo's conservation programs, an even smaller portion of which might actually make it to the front line (minus administration costs, minus allocation to other wildlife etc.). For ease and to gain something for yourself, you might choose section two, but for the most direct donation approach, choose section one.
Section One: The Front Line
21st Century Tiger
official website
21st Century Tiger
c/o Zoological Society of London
Regents Park
London NW1 4RY UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7449 6444
e-mail: 21stcenturytiger@zsl.org
21st Century Tiger is a unique wild tiger conservation partnership supported by the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks & Aquaria (ARAZPA) in alliance with the European Zoo Association (EAZA) and the British Zoo Association (FZAABI). As well as being involved in the international captive breeding programme for Sumatran tigers, AZCF supports tiger projects through 21st Century Tiger.
Cheetah Conservation Fund
official website
CCF's works on all aspects of the cheetah's plight, through education and public outreach, applied conservation biology and management, public policy, and science and research. For cheetah adoption, please visit this page on their website.
There are others, but for now, these are the ones I have looked into.
Section Two: Prefer to donate via an organisation near you?
Auckland Zoo—sumatran tiger, cheetah
offical website
Auckland Zoological Park
Private Bag, Grey Lynn
Auckland 1002
New Zealand
Phone: +649 360 3800
Fax: +649 360 3818
The Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund (AZCF) was established in 2000 to support conservation programs in the wild, both nationally (in New Zealand) and internationally. 20% of profits from the zoo's ZOOM Cheetah Experience is allocated to AZCF, and contributes to the Fund's support of cheetah outreach. If you wish to contribute directly to the cheetah and/or sumatran tiger conservation projects AZCF is involved in, just send your donation and clearly write what you intend the money to be used for.
Australia Zoo—sumatran tiger
offical website also see Wildlife Warriors
Australia Zoo
Wildlife Warriors
PO Box 29
BEERWAH QLD 4519
Australia Zoo is an excellent organisation to donate to for the conservation of Australian animals and other animals around the world. They not only channel park income and donations to their own wildlife breeding and care programs, but also to conservation efforts in overseas countries. Visit their Wildlife Warriors website to learn more about what you can do to support them financially. Wildlife Warriors Public Fund is listed on the Register of Environmental organisations and donations over AUD$2.00 are tax deductible.
To donate specifically to Australia Zoo's sumatran tiger conservation fund, please contact them directly and earmark your donation to sumatran tiger projects. Some of these projects include:
- Border protection in the national parks of Sumatra. This involves purchasing vehicles and equipment for the guards to continually ensure that the tigers are safe from poachers.
- The relocation of villages which are situated amongst tiger populations.
- Educating and creating a greater awareness, not only here at Australia Zoo but also amongst the village people of Sumatra in order for them to gain a greater respect and affection for these beautiful creatures.
- Encourage people not to purchase products which have an adverse effect on tigers and their habitat. For example, trees from Indonesia used to make office paper are from habitats belonging to tigers. Please ensure that any paper, medicine or furniture you purchase isn't affecting wild tiger populations.
Click here to view my Australia Zoo page.
Dreamworld—bengal tigers and sumatran tigers
offical website
Dreamworld opened Tiger Island in 1995 and two years later, the Tiger Fund was implemented. A percentage of the funds raised from Dreamworld's tiger walks, tiger videos and other products goes towards overseas conservation efforts, directly related to saving wild tigers. You can purchase some of these products on their website here. To contribute towards the fund, please contact Dreamworld and/or visit the park in person. Click here to learn more about the Tiger Fund. Click here to view my Salvaje Review of Dreamworld.
To read more about how these funds are allocated by Dreamworld, visit this page.
International Fund for Animal Welfare—animals general
offical website
IFAW is an action group for animal welfare, from the prevention of animal cruelty through to the elimination of illegal poaching. Not only is it a worthwhile cause to donate to, but IFAW understands that sometimes donors like to receive something in return for their money. IFAW regularly sends out gifts to its supporters, including calendars, mail address labels and so forth. IFAW is also involved in exposing illegal poaching of endangered species and is abreast of political and legal changes that affect wildlife.
World Wildlife Fund - animals general
offical website
WWF has a range of projects to help local communities sustain natural environments. Its funds are used for anything from lobbying governments to providing field equipment to wildlife rangers. To view more details, visit their website here.
2. Volunteering your time
If you are unable to support wildlife conservation financially, don't worry. There's plenty more you can do! If you are strongly motivated to do something to help in wildlife conservation, you could consider becoming a volunteer for your local wildlife hospital or for larger organisations such as Australia Zoo, World Wildlife Fund, and RSPCA. You could become a volunteer fundraiser and sell Cadbury chocolates or something else to raise funds for wildlife conservation. Or if you are old enough, you might be able to get involved in hands-on animal care. Try contacting some of the organisations I mentioned for more information or contact your government to find out what you can do to help conserve wildlife. In Queensland, the Environmental Protection Agency has a volunteer program to help protect Australian wildlife.
Another thing you can do to help in animal conservation that doesn't cost much money is to send messages to your state and federal members of parliament about wildlife conservation, circulating petitions etc. Click here to view some suggestions from IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
3. Using your talents
If you are like me and you don’t have a lot of time or money to spare, there may be other ways you can use your talents to support wild cat conservation efforts. This website is my contribution. If you are interested in helping me with this website, please contact me. Some things you could do with your talents include singing, dancing, acting, writing, drawing or painting, video production or building websites. All of these things can be used to either raise awareness of or raise funds for wild cat conservation. If you are looking for others to collaborate with on a project like this, please join my Wild Cats Yahoo! Group. One lady who uses her writing and performing talents for wild cat conservation is Lynn Santer. Click here to view her website.
4. Educating others
A lot of people do not realise how serious the plight of wild cats is. Or they don't care. One way you can convince people of the need to conserve wildlife is to remind them that we are all part of an inextricably complicated eco-system. The more we allow the environment to decay and animals to become extinct, the less diversity we have on this planet. Not only do we lose the beauty of wild animals and environments, but we also lose the ability to observe their many secrets. Even today scientists are learning from the design of living things and using those ideas to create man-made technology. Many plants that contain important medicinal properties will not be able to survive when certain bird species become extinct. Wild cats are an important part of the ecological niches they live in because they control prey populations and eliminate the sick and the weak.
You could start by sending people to this website. You and your friends can learn a lot by signing up to email newsletters for conservation organisations such as WWF, IFAW, Australia Zoo and others. If you learn more about wild cat conservation, then you will be able to share this knowledge with people at every opportunity. The more people who are aware of the issues, the more we can work together to sustain wildlife habitats around the world and implement conservation strategies that benefit the local people as well as wildlife.
5. Boycotting illegal trade
You may think that boycotting illegal trade is not relevant to you. But there is an active black market in wildlife parts in most countries around the world, including Australia and the United States. If you become aware of somebody selling one of these products, report them to the police. Say 'No' to products containing wildlife parts, including crocodile-skin boots and purses. Say 'No' to having your photograph taken with tiger cubs in Indonesia that are lead around on chains near resorts and left to die in cages when they become too big to handle.
'For more than a thousand years tiger bone has been used in traditional medicine (TM) throughout Asia. Tiger bone is believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect, particularly in cases of arthritis. Other parts of the tiger are used to treat various ailments as well, but tiger bone remains the most common usage. Over the years, as tigers have become increasingly difficult to find, other big cat species have been used as an alternative. Currently, all big cat species are considered acceptable alternatives to the use of tigers, and therefore they are all at risk despite protection under international law.' (IFAW, 2005).
Website Design by