There are 40 recognized species of wild cats in the world. Most people are familiar with the big and medium-sized cats, but few people could name the 33 smaller cats. Like their larger cousins, small cats are threatened by the loss of valuable habitat and prey, indiscriminate killing, and conflict with humans, livestock, and domestic animals.
Compared to other carnivores, very little is known about the small cats. With sparse information, it is difficult to obtain funding for conservation projects, provide protection for them, or establish conservation standards. Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation (SWCCF) is leading the way in protecting small endangered cats around the world.
Small cat species of the world:
South America: Andean cat, Geoffroy’s cat, Güiña, Jaguarundi, Margay, Ocelot, Oncilla (two species), and Pampas Cat.
Africa: African golden cat, African wildcat, Black-footed cat, Serval, Caracal, and Sand cat.
Asia: Asiatic golden cat, Asiatic wildcat, Bornean bay cat, Chinese mountain cat, Fishing cat, Flat-headed cat, Jungle cat, Javan Leopard cat, Leopard cat, Manul, Marbled cat, Clouded Leopord (two species), and Rusty-spotted cat.
Europe: European wildcat, Eurasian lynx, and Iberian lynx
Small wild cats are not big cats writ small. Some small cats live in trees, some take readily to water to catch fish, while others make sandy deserts their home. None are easily seen and when sighted are never forgotten.Dr. Jim Sanderson
After a 20-year career as a top Los Alamos National Laboratory mathematician, Dr. Jim Sanderson left his job to study biology and ecology. He traveled to Chile to study an endangered cat called the guigna, and soon he was tracking elusive small cat species around the world.
He has become one of the world’s foremost experts on small wild felines and founded Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation (originally named Small Cat Conservation Alliance) in 1996.
Jim was the first to capture a photo of the Chinese mountain cat with a camera trap he had set on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau in China’s Sichuan Province at an altitude of 12,300 feet. Images such as this have the potential to reveal important information about endangered cats and popularize these cats as species that need protection.
Today, Dr. Jim Sanderson focuses primarily on the following small wild cat species: Andean cat, Guigna, Tigrina (two species), Fishing cat, Flat-headed cat, Bay cat, Marbled cat, Leopard cat, Clouded Leopard (two species), and Manul.
In Uganda, SWCCF’s partner, Embaka, deters local community members from hunting wildlife and protects the African golden cat by addressing the root cause of hunting: the need for income and food. Embaka provides pigs to former poachers, who agree to stop poaching and to donate one of the piglets to their closest neighbor, creating an investment in the success of the pig bank, a sense of community policing, and social pressure to not hunt.
Fishing cats are a unique cat species that is confident and content in the water. They are threatened by the loss of wetlands, swamps and mangrove habitats. During the month of February, the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance hopes to inspire in both children and adults, locally and globally, the necessity to act on behalf of fishing cats and protect wetland ecosystems.
In Uganda, SWCCF’s partner, Embaka, believes that conservation can be achieved through healthy smiles. Dental care was lacking in the local community, so Embaka uses mobile dental units to provide free dental care and treatment to local people living around protected areas. In return, local people provide voluntary community policing against poaching.
In Sri Lanka, the “Save Fishing Cat Conservation Project” strongly believes in community-based conservation and that education and threat reduction can save small wild cats species from local extinction. As a primary solution for roadkill challenges in the central hills, they established road signs and information boards in crucial roadkill areas, and also worked with government authorities to expand these signs around the country.
SWCCF helps to provide camera trap software, training, and expertise to identify distribution and populations of small wild cat species globally. SWCCF’s partner in India, the Fishing Cat Project, is the world’s longest running research and conservation project on fishing cats. Their approach to conservation has led to wider global acceptance and interest in small cats.
Boosting Local Economies
In Uganda, SWCCF’s partner, Embaka, deters local community members from hunting wildlife and protects the African golden cat by addressing the root cause of hunting: the need for income and food. Embaka provides pigs to former poachers, who agree to stop poaching and to donate one of the piglets to their closest neighbor, creating an investment in the success of the pig bank, a sense of community policing, and social pressure to not hunt.
Expanding Education
Fishing cats are a unique cat species that is confident and content in the water. They are threatened by the loss of wetlands, swamps and mangrove habitats. During the month of February, the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance hopes to inspire in both children and adults, locally and globally, the necessity to act on behalf of fishing cats and protect wetland ecosystems.
Promoting Health
In Uganda, SWCCF’s partner, Embaka, believes that conservation can be achieved through healthy smiles. Dental care was lacking in the local community, so Embaka uses mobile dental units to provide free dental care and treatment to local people living around protected areas. In return, local people provide voluntary community policing against poaching.
Reducing Conflict
In Sri Lanka, the “Save Fishing Cat Conservation Project” strongly believes in community-based conservation and that education and threat reduction can save small wild cats species from local extinction. As a primary solution for roadkill challenges in the central hills, they established road signs and information boards in crucial roadkill areas, and also worked with government authorities to expand these signs around the country.
Scientific Research
SWCCF helps to provide camera trap software, training, and expertise to identify distribution and populations of small wild cat species globally. SWCCF’s partner in India, the Fishing Cat Project, is the world’s longest running research and conservation project on fishing cats. Their approach to conservation has led to wider global acceptance and interest in small cats.
Small cats like the Flat-headed cat in Borneo are not easily found. $200 buys a trail camera and memory card used to find these small cats.
Any amount can help small cat conservationists reach out to their local communities with education programs.
Donations of any amount can help the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation create a lasting future for endangered cats by helping to grow the Small Wild Cat Conservation Fund.
