AfriCat Foundation

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AfriCat Foundation
Purpose: Big Cat Rescue
Chair: Tammy Hoth (Exec. Director)
Consist: since 1991
Founder: Wayne Hanssen
Seat: Otjiwarongo
Website: www.africat.org
Skins in the AfriCat exhibition at Otjiwarongo

The AfriCat Foundation ( English : AfriCat Foundation ), established in 1992, is a not-for-profit organization recognized by the Namibian Ministry of the Environment and Tourism , which endeavors to preserve African big cats , especially cheetahs and leopards . It is based in Otjiwarongo , Namibia .

The population of these big cats has declined dramatically over time. Long before the colonization of Africa , predators were shot for their fur or out of pure hunting interests. The animals are still endangered by poaching and the narrowing of their habitats. In Namibia there is a particular danger from farmers who see their game stocks threatened. In contrast to lions , which are protected in the national parks, leopards and cheetahs in Namibia live in the vast expanses of farmland. Some farmers use cage traps to catch them and shoot them in the cage. There is no law in Namibia that prohibits the killing of these animals.

There are also hunting farms that offer the shooting of wild animals for a fee. Not only antelopes and zebras , but also big cats can be shot. However, since these are very rarely seen, the price for them is much higher.

Another problem arises from the encroachment of large stretches of land, which changes the savannah landscape into a thorn bush landscape. Cheetahs in particular are dependent on wide steppes for their hunt . Bushes not only prevent them from doing so, they also offer additional shelter for the prey animals.

The organization offers the farmers the opportunity to have the caught animals picked up. They will then be fed and cared for on the AfriCat premises. Sometimes the cats are seriously injured by the traps and have to be treated by a doctor. After the care, the animals are either released in a safe area or remain, if permanent damage has occurred and the animal can no longer hunt itself, on the several square kilometers of land. It is also possible that a mother animal has been shot and young animals remain behind that have not yet learned to hunt. These animals also have no chance of survival in the wild and remain on the foundation's premises.

Okonjima

The AfriCat Foundation offers tourists on the farm in Okonjima the opportunity to gain an impression of their work. It is possible to watch the feeding or watch the spotted cats on the premises. Okonjima is also the foundation's largest donor.

See also

Web links

Commons : AfriCat Foundation  - collection of images, videos and audio files