2. Guina Conservation in Chile: The guina is the smallest cat in the Americas, weighing an average of 4-5 pounds. It is native to mainly central and southern chile and small populations are in argentina. There is less than 10,000 mature guina in the wild covering that entire area. Guina prefer to live in forest areas, rather than open plains. Their biggest threat right now is deforestation due to logging. A conservation project we donate to is on the island of Chiloe, where field research is being done to learn more about the wild population. The more we learn about these cats the better protection we can put in place to help ensure their survival. Jungle Encounters teaches the public about this small cat in our shows to raise awareness about them and collect donations for their conservation projects.
Projects
We offer our unique and amazing small cat shows to spread awareness about these wonderful animals and to help raise money to support small wild cat conservation. We are currently supporting 2 of Dr. Jim Sandersons projects in South America. Dr Sanderson is the founder of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation. It's mission is to ensure the survival of small wild cats and their natural habitats worldwide. You can learn more about Jim's projects at www.SmallCats.org.
1. Andean Cat Conservation: The Andean Cat is the only endangered cat in the Americas. It is believed that there are less than 2,500 in existence today. This is a small 10 pound cat that lives in high altitude, rocky terrain that is hard to work in to research these animals. 10 years ago virtually nothing was known about these cats, so Jim and his colleagues took it upon themselves to monitor these small cats to learn about their behavior, the challenges they face in the wild and where they live geographically. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, we now have an understanding about these cats and how we can help them. This project is currently working on setting up a monitoring station in Andean Cat territory high in the Andean Mountains. With the knowledge Jim and his colleagues have gathered we now know the top 4 threats this cat faces every day: 1. The native people link super natural powers to this cat and the people can harness this power by killing the cat, decorating it and displaying it in their homes. 2. This cat is not afraid of people. You can basically walk right up to it without it running away. 3. In some areas the native people eat this cat's main prey, viscachas. This decreases the viscacha population, making it harder for the cats to survive. 4. Industrial mining is using up the valuable ever-decreasing water supply due to global warming. By using this monitoring station we will be able to gather more information about how these cats live and survive and also come up with strategic plans to lessen their threats. Jungle Encounters explains the plight of the Andean Cat in our shows so the public can learn that these animals exist and need our help. We also raise money to send to Jim's crucial monitoring project.
