Big Cat Conservation

	Help with Cheetah Conservation in Namibia The fastest land animal in the world needs help - or rather, the charity representing his interests does! Namibia is home to the largest population of cheetahs on earth. Most live outside protected areas, and there is often conflict between cheetahs & local people, as the animals survive on agricultural land. The Cheetah Conservation Fund has been collecting key data on cheetah behaviour & ecology & working with Namibia's farmers to try to change attitudes towards the cheetah. The project is saving the cheetah from local extinction, and you will be helping to assess the state of the animal's ecosystem by counting wildlife & analysing vegetation. This information will help managers plan for the cheetah's long term conservation. Taking part in wildlife surveys, feeding & caring for captive cheetahs on site, helping with biomedical collections on wild cheetahs & data entry will probably be your main tasks. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to go to Namibia and lend a paw. Find out more here
	Help the Arabian Leopard in Oman This is a great opportunity! The Arabian Leopard is a flagship species for Oman's mountain habitats but by the 1990s, many had become extinct in most areas of the Arabian peninsula. You'll be working alongisde a team of scientists from the Royal Omani Court, looking for tracks, scratch marks & other evidence of leopards, setting camera traps & talking to locals about leopard sightings. You may also find yourself surveying the area for water holes. There may be some admin & you may also be asked to help out with camp & kitchen work. There may also be the chance - if you want to take up the opportunity - to head out to one fo the smaller, advanced research camps on camel or Land Rover for a night or two. This operator has won a number of awards for their commitment to wildlife & conservation. It always works closely with scientists & local people. Head off with a click here to find out more
	Get involved in the Shamwari Game Reserve Conservation Project Isn't this a stunning picture, and what a beautiful lion! Work behind the scenes while having the opportunity to get involved in the two Born Free Foundation's Big Cat sanctuaries located at the Shamwari Game Reserve. Conservation at this game reserve is all about management, development & rehabilitation of the environment to create a sustainable eco-system. There are any number of tasks you may be involved with - much depends on the work currently being done - and one of the things you may find yourself doing is working with local school children to tell them about the work Born Free does. Education really does make a difference. The reserve is continually monitoring & introducing game throughout the year, so there should always be something going on. You also have the opportunity to plant trees when you arrive, to offset your carbon emissions from the flight and put something back into the environment straight away. What an opportunity!
	Head off to Brazil to help with jaguar & puma conservation Head into the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil & help local conservation efforts with ground-breaking research to gather vital information on this area, its inhabitants, the puma & jaguar. This work will be assessing the habitat quality, and the impact of human activity on local mammal biodiversity. The project aims to preserve a source population of jaguar in the southern-most area of the Atlantic rainforest. It's vital that these jaguars are protected, as they consist of the source population from which the jaguar's previous distribution may be restored. Activities may include track identification, opening up new trails into the forest, visual surveys, camera trapping & interviews with local people - but it all depends on what is happening. Not much is known about the biology of these animals, or their interaction with local people, so it's important to gather information which can help strategies will best help the survival of these wonderful animals, with special emphasis on habitat quality. You can find more info on this opportunity here
	Snow leopard conservation volunteer work in Altai Isn't this snow leopard handsome? There's a great volunteer holiday to help snow leopards in Altai. Go into the high mountains of Central Asia to survey snow leopards & their prey species. You'll be out in Land Rovers looking for tracks, kills, scats & snow leopards, looking to estimate snow leopard activity, and assessing the status & distribution of their prey species, such as the argali; and survey other small animals, such as marmots, birds & the like. There may be the chance to spend a night out, looking for snow leopard activity. Professor Yuri Mallkov knows more than anyone else about this area, and the plan is to establish a nature reserve, but people & funding are needed to gather the data needed to support the argument to set it up. This is not for the faint-hearted - please note that this expedition takes place in high altitutde, so it would be wise to check with your GP before going ahead. Find out more here
	Leopards in South Africa - what an exciting thought! Be a part of the Ingwe Leopard Project! The project has already had some key successes, namely persuading local government to ban sports hunting of leopards in the local area. Research volunteers provide authorative data to help local government make further policy decisions with regards to wildlife in the area. They study leopards & other large carnivores, and to do urgent research outside protected areas. This is a minimum six week project, because you have training for the first two weeks. Then you join a two or three person team conducting research on leopard and some larger carnivores in the field. The Ingwe Leopard project is registered & under the stewardship of the Mpumalanga Tourist & Parks Board. It's a great way to be a part of the effort to solve the current conflict between leopards & local farmers & hunters. Take your first step here by finding out more