AFRICAT FOUNDATION

AfriCat Wins 2011 Conservation Award @ Indaba SA.

7 May 2011 20h00:

AFRICAT WINS 2011 CONSERVATION AWARD @ INDABA, SA.
Category: BEST WILDLIFE ORGANISATION!

The finalists were . . .
AfriCat Foundation
Children in the Wilderness
David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage
David Shepherd - David Shepherd Wildife Foundation
Endangered Wildlife Trust
Jane Goodall Institute
Ol Malo Trust
South Luangwa Conservation Society
Uthando
Wilderness Wildlife Trust

WINNER: The AfriCat Foundation
RUNNER UP: Children in the Wilderness
THIRD PLACE: David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO WORK SO HARD TO HELP THE CARNIVORES IN NAMIBIA! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Donna Hanssen
AfriCat Team

Press Release

In 1960 the world population stood at about 3 billion people. Today there are an estimated 7 billion living on the planet, and by the year 2050, that number is expected to grow to over 9 billion. A tripling of mankind’s number in a little over a single lifetime.

This raises the poignant question: how will the world feed all of these mouths? In the face of man’s need for food where will there be space on this tiny planet for the last few animals to roam as they always have? Where will the elephant live? The lion roar? The cheetah hunt?

Traditionally Namibia has been a land of livestock farmers, however today wildlife utilization has become a viable option for many a Namibian through tourism, hunting and the like. But it comes with a price - human-wildlife conflict - and it is this cost that the AfriCat Foundation has committed itself to tackle.

The AfriCat Foundation started out in 1992 as a small welfare organization when 'Chinga' the Cheetah was bought by the Hanssens at a cattle auction and given a home on Okonjima. Ever since, AfriCat has dedicated its efforts to rescuing carnivores from inhumane conditions, taken care of those too injured to be set free, rehabilitated and released more than 1 000 large carnivores back into the wild.

The AfriCat / Okonjima relationship was established with sustainability as one of its goals. Although there is always the need to seek funds for new ideas and projects which the Foundation tries to tackle, the day-to-day costs are covered by and large from the visitors who come to see the Foundation, witness its work and share in its dreams. Likewise because the visitor comes to see AfriCat, so Okonjima can develop and expand the range of experiences it is able to offer. This relationship goes beyond symbiosis into the realm of synergism.

Education and human-wildlife conflict mitigation are 2 of the key pillars to successful conservation of Namibia’s large predators. Through the AfriCat education and awareness program, children and adults are taught the value of wildlife and the vital need to conserve it. Learners visit the AfriCat centers at both Okonjima and Kavita to witness first hand conservation in action.

Not stopping at education AfriCat is stepping out into the "combat" zone where conflict between humans and wildlife is at its most vicious. Working with farms to develop measures to protect the livestock, limit losses and allow the 2 worlds to live side-by-side. The AfriCat Community Support Programmes directly support and up-lift the communal farming communities along the western, north-western and northern borders of the Etosha National Park.

As the 21st century firmly establishes itself as a new and dynamic era, sustainable development and the conservation of earths limited but valuable resources will continue to become ever more urgent and essential parameters by which we as human beings must lead our lives...
The AfriCat Foundation is ready to play its part.