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1. Snow Leopard Trust's Fundraiser for #GivingTuesday

   Posted on 9:00pm Wednesday 25th Nov 2020

   Help #SnowLeopards The Snow Leopard Trust have an appeal called Building Resilience:  Together we are Mighty and it’s all about helping to build resilience for snow leopards and local herder families. Supporters had a goal of $70,000 - six zoo partners were matching this sum and they are The Big Cat Sanctuary, Foundation Le Pal Nature, La Passerelle, Zoo Basel, Zoo Dresden, and the Zoological Society of Hertfordshire. This goal has been met, and now the Snow Leopard Trust is looking to raise £300,00 in the next 30 days (so roughly by the end of December 2020). As I type, 822 people have raised $91,332 for Snow Leopards and it's wonderful to see so many big cat lovers coming together to support these majestic, wonderful animals. How donations will help snow leopards All our donations and our love for snow leopards will help do a number of things: Develop tools to reduce livestock depredation, such as  predator proof corrals. Create community-managed programs, like livestock insurance, to offset the costs of living with wildlife and reduce the risk of retaliatory killing. Provide training and support for local rangers to patrol key protected areas. Programmes such as these will help make life easier for snow leopards and help build resilience for the herder families locally as well. The Snow Leopard Trust’s programmes: decrease snow leopard attacks safeguard livelihoods improve attitudes towards predators                              This means safer passage for cats as they travel near local communities.   Visit the Snow Leopard Trust’s website here. Donate here. Images on this blog ©Snow Leopard Trust

    

2. Tell Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ALDI, ASDA, and other companies to save the jaguars’ home!

   Posted on 8:00pm Monday 23rd Nov 2020

   Land grabbers are burning the Cerrado region in Brazil to clear the land for cattle and soy production.  The demand for meat never ends and huge multinational companies such as Cargill bring most of the Brazilian soy to the UK to feed cows and pigs.  Later, those cows and pigs are sold as pork and beef in our supermarkets. We need to tell our local supermarkets to force Cargill to protect the Cerrado region.    It's worked before in the Amazon - we need to put pressure on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, ALDI and ASDA to tell Cargill to stop the fires - or they will take their business elsewhere.   Please sign Mighty Earth's petition here - and share it.

    

3. ZSL London Zoo helps Adriatic Lions in the Gir Forest

   Posted on 10:00am Monday 10th Aug 2020

   The majestic Asiatic lion once roamed across Asia and the Middle East and Asia. But, by the early 1900s, the species had suffered from hunting – so much so that only about 20 remained in Western India.  Today, numbers are increasing and now there are about 600 Asiatic lions in the Gir Forest.  The problem is that they are very vulnerable to forest fires and to disease. ZSL is working with the Wildlife Institute of India and the Gujarat Forest Department to ensure the wonderful Asiatic Lion has a future. 4 ways ZSL are helping Asiatic Lions in the Gir Forest Conservation support including training wildlife rangers and training them in using the SMART tool, which was developed by conservation organisations to establish effective patrolling systems, monitor wildlife populations and movements and identify threats such as poaching or disease Veterinary support – lions have got stuck down wells and come into conflict with people, and the ZSL staff have taught vets vital lifesaving techniques such as how to intubate anaesthetised lions to help them breathe Working with the Sakkarbaug Zoo where about 40 Asiatic Lions live – some have been injured too much to return to the wild or for other good reasons they live at the zoo. ZSL and the staff at the zoo share best practice and knowledge about the Asiatic Lions. Education is vital to engage local communities and help them appreciate the importance of lion conservation. Can I mention also the Lion Trust (who are specialist fund managers) who sponsor ZSL’s Asiatic Lions Campaign.  We need more businesses to get involved like this.  Thank you to the Lion Trust.  Find out more about the work ZSL is doing with Asiatic Lions here.

    

4. Help the Lion Guards at the Namibia Lion Trust on #WorldLionDay

   Posted on 10:00am Sunday 9th Aug 2020

   Namibia Lion Trust is working to protect the large carnivores of Namibia. It believes in conservation through education, aiming to create a peaceful existence between wildlife (especially the large carnivores) and local communities    The Namibia Lion Trust has been through a bit of a journey itself.  It was launched in 2020, having been AfriCatNorth. AfriCat North was primarily the AfriCat Foundation field base for lion research, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and community support.  The Trust’s slogan is For Lions, For Life and For Our Future, and it’s dedicated to lions.  It’s Reg #T298/2019.    For Lions – For Life – For Our Future The Namibia Lion Trust has three programmes: Livestock Protection – creating “bomas”, i.e. enclosures to keep large predators out and livestock safe inside Early Warning and Rapid Response – Lion Guards elected by their own community to help mitigate the lion-human conflict.  They identify hot spots, support with the erectionof bomas, install LionLights, patrol to protect wildlife and encourage greater tolerance of conflict with wildlife.  They also share information about the whereabouts of wildlife with the research team conservancy committees and their communities. Fence Boundary Programme in a human-wildlife conflict hot-spot area.  It’s cattle proof but has fallen into disrepair – it was put up in the 1960s and needs to be reconstructed. Donate to the Lion Guard programme (that link will take you to Virgin Money Giving’s site) You or your company could also sponsor a community school, the Education Programme, a Livestock Protection Boma, Tracking Equipment, a research vehicle or essential salaries.

    

5. #WorldLionsDay - why are lion numbers falling and how LionAid are tackling the problem

   Posted on 9:00pm Saturday 8th Aug 2020

   The 10th August is #WorldLionDay.  For all their courage, strength, power and majestic look, lions are in trouble;   their numbers have plummeted from 200,000 in the 1950s to what could be as few as 15,000 but why? LionAid is an international organisation specifically dedicated to lion conservation. It says there are 5 reasons why lion numbers have plumeted.   Lion habitat is becoming farmland – so there is a lot of human/livestock conflict and also retaliation killings.  As Africa’s human population has shot up, so wildlife have had to give their habitat up to humans.  There's less prey about for lions to eat – so they have to turn to livestock. Lions are susceptible to disease including canine distemper and bovine TB, plus FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) – in some populations this goes up to 90%.  This is why programmes such as Kura’s Pride, is so important. Trophy Hunting – it really saddens me that there are people who love to kill wildlife for sport, especially given the decline in lion numbers and the endangered status of species such as the Western African lions.  Trophies are largely male lions – which makes it even harder for lions to reproduce.  Take a look at BanTrophyHunting #BanTrophyHunting to see how you can help. Lion breeding – South Africa has a very controversial programme to breed lions in captivity to produce a range of lion products.  Of course, the supply of lion bones to Asia generates extra demand, so there are, say LionAid, verified reports of lion bones from both poached and trophy hunted animals) being sent to Asia from other lion range states too. Actions LionAid are working towards: Banning the import of lion trophies into UK and other EU countries – sign the petition to the UK government here Saving the critically endangered Ethiopian lion – this is a new sub-species and it’s been identified from lions currently at the Addis Ababa zoo. There are about 200 or fewer wild lions still roaming round Ethiopia – they could be even more endangered than Western African lions and the Indian lion Stop canned hunting, lion bone trade and the illegal wildlife trade – find out why canned hunting does not help conservation Educating the next generation about the plight of lions and how they can be saved – there’s something for children and teachers here.  Be a Young Ambassador for lions! To make a difference, get involved – you’ll be helping to save lives. It’s easy to think, how can I help when I’m miles from lions in the wild but believe me, there are plenty of ways to help:  Search the web using SAVOO and you can help lions at the same time!  LionAid get 1p for every search you do.  Believe me, that can add up faster than we all think! Sign up to LionAid’s newsletter (at the bottom of their webpage) and keep informed of lion matters.   You can spread the word about the help lions need. When you shop, use the Giving Machine and choose LionAid as your charity.  The GivingMachine gets a commission for referring customers to online shops.  Buy something, and the GivingMachine receive a percentage of the total price - and it passes 70% of that to your chosen cause.  Find out more here Donate – every single penny will help lions. Buy something from LionAid’s online shop – e.g. t-shirts, stationery, music, posters, books Schools and companies can help lions too – find out more from the website Visit LionAid's website here