The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is going to partner with several leading research institutions to breed koalas and protect the future of the species!   And the koalas will be released into the wild!

The goal is to have up to 60 breeding koalas on site. 

In the first instance, these will be sourced from the mid north coast, with a view to releasing selected offspring to certain areas within a couple of areas.  Selected koalas from other New South Wales locations will be bred in separate areas for eventual release back to their places of origin.

The hospital is partnering with the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, the Australian Museum and the University of Sydney.

Each partner brings its own specialist knowledge and expertise:

The Australian Museum specialises in population genetics, and by applying DNA-based tools, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of the unique history and habitat requirements of specific threatened populations, and that will enable the partners involved in the project to develop more targeted management strategies.

The University of Sydney has expertise in genetics and understanding how to improve breeding and translocation decisions for koalas. 

The incredible part of all this is that the breeding facility is going to be funded by the donations made from the public to the Go Fund Me fundraiser during the terrible bushfires of 2019/2020. 

It’s a very exciting development for koalas and will help the hospital stop the decline of koala populations and establish new koala groups in New South Wales.

The Go Fund Me fundraiser is still going, and you can donate here.

The 4^th December is International Cheetah Day.

Cheetahs are most numerous in the wild in Namibia.  Currently there are about 7,100 to 7,500 cheetahs in the wild.  They are the world’s fastest land animal, capable of doing speeds from 0 to 60mph in 3 seconds, which is an incredible feat.   They can go up to 70 mph! They use their tails to steer and change direction when they are running, a bit like a rudder on a boat.

This year, the Cheetah Conservation Fund celebrates its 30^th Anniversary.   It has been working to protect and build healthier ecosystems for cheetahs so that they can survive and thrive in the wild.

For the cheetahs face problems:

1. Habitat loss
2. Human-wildlife conflict
3. The illegal wildlife/pet trade
   
   
   

Support the Cheetah Conservation Fund's project 
to feed orphan cheetahs in Namibia via Global Giving

9 Ways to Help Cheetahs

Support the Cheetah Conservation Fund!  There are a number of ways you can do this:

1. As always spread the word on Social Media about International Cheetah Day, cheetahs, the threats facing them and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.  There are social media materials here.
2. Join the Twitter storm for cheetahs!
3. Donate!  There’s a match fund until 31 December up to the tune of $275,000.    If you donate, you can also choose a gift with your donation while supplies last. 
4. Sponsor a cheetah being cared for at the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s headquarters – the most difficult bit will be choosing which cheetah to sponsor!  They came in as orphaned cubs, or were being kept as pets, or were injured and came to the centre for help.
5. Teachers and students can help spread the word and discover lots about cheetahs  - there are resources here
6. Buy a book on cheetahs
7. Buy a cheetah themed item of clothing such as a t-shirt or hoodie from Bonfire.com
8. Shop at Etsy.com   and a proportion of the sale supports cheetahs and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
9. Take a look at the charity’s wish list – they need some veterinary supplies too – and see what you can do to provide them.

Visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund's website here

Sign Care2’s petition demanding that they abandon the proposed facility in Australia, and ban the use of exotic skins from its products completely!

Where does the material for handbags and shoes come from?

Well, Hermès, the French fashion brand, want to build a new facility in Australia.  Here 50,000 crocodiles will be born into captivity.  They will be skinned and turned into handbags and shoes.

Incredibly, the project has been granted development and environmental approvals.

How is it that someone can say it’s okay to breed crocodiles into captivity to be skinned for handbags and shoes?

The fashion brand plan to steal eggs from mother crocodiles in the wild.  This will cause fear, stress and aggression.

When the eggs hatch in the factory farm walls, the baby crocs will kept in tight concrete enclosures.  Their movement will be restricted and they will have no stimulation. 

And when they have grown big enough, their skin will be ready to be harvested.

PETA have reported that on other crocodile farms, crocodiles are electrocuted. Their bodies shake and protest wildly.

Some may even still be alive as their necks are slit.  Metal rods are rammed down their spine in an attempt to kill them.  Some have been seen to be alive as the skinning starts.

Hermès says it "has defined and implemented a very strict, science-based, animal welfare policy."

Hmm...really?

Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Mulberry have banned exotic animal skins in their products.  They use vegan alternatives which look the same.

Tell Hermès that’s not too late to join the right side of history. Sign the petition demanding that they abandon the proposed facility in Australia, and ban the use of exotic skins from its products completely!

Please sign the petition here

Good news for Gorillas

Tea plantation operators will not be allowed in the Kafuga Forest, Uganda.

A court has put the forest under the stewardship of the local district, and they’ve also said the forest must be made into a protected area within a year!

This area is on the borders of gorilla habitat and the forest keeps threats at a distance from the Bwindi National Park.   The park is home to about a third of the last mountain gorillas on earth – less than 1,100. 

 
The Kafuga Forest is safe
image ©CC BY-SA 2.0

And Kafuga Forest is home to hundreds of species of birds, rodents and chimpanzees.

The struggle has been going on for years, with 12 people being arrested for cutting down trees there in 2016.  

The High Court wanted evidence from the envrionmentalists that the suspects had done this inside of the Kafuga Forest – and the area had been mapped, with the financial support of Rainforest Rescue.  This mapping was crucial because it showed the court that the defendants’ claim that they were felling trees on their property wasn’t right.

A quarter of a million people signed a petition with Rainforest Rescue about it and many people donated towards it as well.

Rainforest Rescue report that the next step is to make the forest a protected area in the next year!

Visit Rainforest Rescue's website here.

Help #SnowLeopards

The Snow Leopard Trust have an appeal called Building Resilience:  Together we are Mighty and it’s all about helping to build resilience for snow leopards and local herder families.

Supporters had a goal of $70,000 - six zoo partners were matching this sum and they are The Big Cat Sanctuary, Foundation Le Pal Nature, La Passerelle, Zoo Basel, Zoo Dresden, and the Zoological Society of Hertfordshire.

This goal has been met, and now the Snow Leopard Trust is looking to raise £300,00 in the next 30 days (so roughly by the end of December 2020).

As I type, 822 people have raised $91,332 for Snow Leopards and it's wonderful to see so many big cat lovers coming together to support these majestic, wonderful animals.

How donations will help snow leopards

All our donations and our love for snow leopards will help do a number of things:

• Develop tools to reduce livestock depredation, such as  predator proof corrals.
• Create community-managed programs, like livestock insurance, to offset the costs of living with wildlife and reduce the risk of retaliatory killing.
• Provide training and support for local rangers to patrol key protected areas.

Programmes such as these will help make life easier for snow leopards and help build resilience for the herder families locally as well.

The Snow Leopard Trust’s programmes:

• decrease snow leopard attacks
• safeguard livelihoods
• improve attitudes towards predators                             

This means safer passage for cats as they travel near local communities.  

Visit the Snow Leopard Trust’s website here.

Donate here.

Images on this blog ©Snow Leopard Trust