30th Anniversary for Big Cat Rescue to be Celebrated at Wildcat Walkabout 2022

The Wildcat Walkabout on Saturday, November 5, 2022 is Big Cat Rescue's pawsome annual fundraising event to benefit conservation projects for wild exotic cats around the globe. The only invitees to this year's on site event will be past donors in order to protect our cats, staff and volunteers against those who were duped into believing a false narrative about us after watching Tiger King.  If you didn't get an invite, and were a donor of $500 or more, please contact us to see why you are not in our database, or if we have old contact info for you.

What Is Walkabout?

One day a year guests are allowed to wander the 67 acre property and visit with the cats at their leisure.  Meet our 45+ wild cats, talk to their keepers who will be posted every few feet around the tour path, and meet some of your favorite people from social media.  Watch the cats being given enrichment and treats.  Check out an amazing silent auction with one of a kind, exotic cat themed items you will love.  Purr-ticipate in a raffle for cat themed prizes and more to be announced later.

 

Where Does Your Walkabout Money Go?

The Wildcat Walkabout is an annual event to raise money to support conservation projects in the wild.  In 2022 these will be the wildcat beneficiaries of your ticket prices.

See more about what we are doing to protect all wildcat species in the wild.

Where Does Your Money Go?

The Wildcat Walkabout is an annual event to raise money to support conservation projects in the wild.  In 2022 our native Florida bobcat rescue, rehab and release program and these below will be the wildcat beneficiaries of your tickets.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, based in Nairobi, is one of Africa’s oldest wildlife charities and a registered non profit organization, dedicated to the protection of wildlife and the preservation of habitats. Although they are best known for their work to protect elephants, they aim to provide a safe haven and protection for a number of other threatened and endangered animals who are keystone species within their ecosystem. Lion, Leopard and Cheetah are amongst the species that live in these regions and benefit from their work.

Flora and fauna in Kenya face a myriad of challenges that threaten their long term future, including human-wildlife conflict, habitat destruction, bushmeat poaching and climate change. Few ecosystems still exist where the impact of human activity has not been felt, threatening biodiversity and the long term survival of many species. TSWT has headed a number on initiatives to tackle these challenges including:

- Anti-Poaching Rangers: Deploying boots on the ground wildlife rangers who are fully trained and equipped to deter and prevent illegal wildlife activities. Each team is trained in mitigating human wildlife conflict, ecosystem management, field survival, weaponry, capture and arrest.

- Canine Unit and Aerial Surveillance: Accompanied by their handlers and rangers, a highly trained canine unit is deployed by air, vehicle or on foot to detect illegal wildlife products, such as ivory, rhino horn, bushmeat, guns and ammunition, as well as follow poachers’ tracks. The aerial surveillance patrols  daily to monitor wildlife and deter illegal activity, while offering rapid response assistance to anti-poaching activities, incidents of human-wildlife conflict and veterinary operations.

- Water for Wildlife: Providing permanent and temporary water sources for wildlife in areas severely affected by drought, through the installation of boreholes where aquifers are in existence and the transportation of water filled tankers to remote areas. 

- Mobile Veterinary Units - First response to all kinds of wildlife emergencies from snares, spears, arrow and gunshot wounds, to injuries caused through human-wildlife conflict. Working in diverse habitats, patients include injured and distressed elephants, rhinos, giraffe, zebra, lions and countless other species. 

Read more about their work here: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org 

Tiger Cat Conservation Initiative

Tiger Cats are one of the smallest species in the Americas, weighing between 4lbs and 8lbs. They range from Costa Rica and Panama into South America up to central Brazil, with varied population densities, all thought to be very low throughout most of their range. The term Tiger Cat refers to two currently recognized species, the Northern Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus) and Southern Tiger Cat (Leopardus guttulus), with many similarities shared between them as well as with Margays, Ocelot and Geoffrey's Cat. The Northern Tiger cat lives in a wide range of forest habitats, semi-arid thorny scrub, savannah and wet/swampy savannah. In Central and northwestern South America, it is mainly associated with montane cloud forests, where it is usually found at higher elevations than the Ocelot and Margay. Current known threats to this small cat include habitat loss and fragmentation, disease from domestic dogs and cats, poaching/retaliatory killings, road mortality and the pet trade. The Tiger Cat Conservation Initiative is working in 19 areas across the home range, to mitigate these threats and better understand the ecology and habitat needs of the species. Mitigation actions include:

- population and habitat monitoring
- disease mitigation through vaccination and domestic spay/neuter programs
- community awareness and education
- human-wildlife conflict mitigation
- partnerships with landowners to encourage conservation practices
- rehabilitation and release of tiger cats apprehended by authorities
- environmental education 
- roadkill mitigation

Read more about their work here: https://tigercatsconservation.com

Environmental Investigation Agency

The Environmental Investigation Agency is a non-government non-profit organization started in the 1980's, providing a different kind of frontline work, by sending undercover investigators to the heart of wildlife trafficking syndicates and areas where other environmental crimes are being committed. This Illegal trade includes numerous big cat species including tigers, lions. leopards, snow leopards and cheetahs.

Illegal killing for their body parts is the primary driver of the tiger’s decline in the wild. The luxury demand for tiger parts is perpetuated by the legal and illegal supply of parts from captive tigers, with widespread availability reducing the stigma of their consumption and complicating law enforcement. The preference among many consumers for authentic wild specimens means that wild tigers and other big cats are still poached. The demand for tiger skins, teeth, bones, claws and meat is perpetuated by the legal and illegal supply of parts from captive tigers. There are more than 8,000 captive tigers in China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and South Africa.

Facilities range from small backyard holdings to circuses, from collections masquerading as zoos to battery farming-style operations holding more than a thousand tigers.

The Environmental Investigation Agency started a Tiger campaign working for the recovery of wild tiger populations, through advocating the dismantling of transnational criminal networks involved in the illegal trade of tiger parts, exposing the use of tigers in entertainment, pressing for better legislation and the protection of tiger habitats, in addition to exposing the role of tiger farming in stimulating demand and thus poaching of wild tigers. Invaluable evidence is gathered and reported through EIA’s publications for reading by the public and other NGOs. They also campaign to raise awareness and lobby for reforms in land and wildlife management while working with local groups, intelligence agencies, and NGOs to maximize the impact of the information that EIA gathers from the field.

Read more about their work here: https://eia-international.org

Wildcat Walkabout Merch

We wanted to let you know that all event tees, bags, and other merchandise will only be available online this year.

So be sure to check out all the pawsome apparel, totes and backpacks as well as mugs online at: BigCatRescue.biz

Hotel Stay Next Door to Big Cat Rescue Walkabout

Start Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022
End Date: Monday, November 7, 2022
Last Day to Book: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Hotel(s) offering your special group rate:
Courtyard Tampa Northwest/Veterans Expressway for 150 USD per night
Book your group rate for Big Cat Rescue Walkabout