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Give Day 2024 is May 7th
With $10,000 in Matching Funds
On Give Day, we're rallying support for four extraordinary conservation partners who are working tirelessly to protect these endangered species in Central and South America. Dr. Cindy Hurtado, Dr. Flavia Tirelli, Mariam Weston, and Jose Ramirez Fernandez are true heroes in the fight to save small wildcats, and they need your help.
Your Donation Makes a Difference
By donating to our Give Day campaign, you'll be directly supporting projects that:
- Provide building materials to local communities, helping them protect their livestock from wildcats and reducing human-wildlife conflicts.
- Vaccinate and spay/neuter domestic dogs and cats, preventing the spread of diseases that can devastate wildcat populations.
- Educate local communities about the importance of wildcat conservation and how they can coexist with these incredible animals.
Your generosity will help ensure that these vital projects continue, giving small wildcats a fighting chance at survival in the wild.
There are two large threats to these beautiful cats in the wild: Revenge Killings and Carnivore Distemper.
Revenge Killing of Cats
The first threat is human/cat conflict in these rural areas where people depend heavily on raising 10-20 chickens as a critical part of their food supply and their livelihood. If the cats raid the chicken coops and kill chickens, the local farmers naturally view the cats as enemies and kill the cats. In one area surveyed, 90% of the farmers surveyed acknowledged they had killed at least one cat.
To address the revenge killing issue, the heroes’ run programs to supply farmers with the materials to build or repair coops to make them “predator proof.” The farmers are too poor to purchase these materials, but willingly provide the labor for the construction. Camera traps are then used to show the farmers that the cats still come around, but no chickens are stolen. The result goes beyond stopping the revenge killings. The farmers learn about the cats, get to see how beautiful they are, and become invested in helping to conserve them.
Carnivore Distemper
The second threat is the enormous population of feral and free roaming dogs. The latter may have a home, but they roam free, versus feral dogs that are wild. What used to be called “canine distemper virus” is now called “carnivore distemper virus” because it has been spreading to the wild cats. It causes a slow, painful death as it gradually disables the animal.
The solution is a very effective program of building trust with the local population to enlist their participation in accepting free vaccination and spay/neuter services from our heroes’ organizations.
Both of these programs in all four countries have been very successful. Both programs can “scale” and be replicated in many more villages. The constraint is funding, both for the predator proof chicken coop materials and the medical supplies and veterinary services to do the vaccinations and spay/neuter services. Our modest goal is to raise at least $5000 initially for each of these programs and to exceed that goal to provide future additional funding for these and other similar programs.
Big Cat Rescue is a tax-exempt non-profit organization, under the section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and therefore all charitable donations are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Having trouble donating? Contact us at donate@bigcatrescue.org or at 813-454-6108
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