Big Cats Initiative Projects

National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative Grants

National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative funds grants that support conservation projects working to stop the decline of big cats. Your support of the Big Cats Initiative through Cause An Uproar directly contributes to this important work.

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Big Cats Initiative Projects

Big Cats of Ruaha

Visiting with Dr. Amy Dickman of the Ruaha Carnivore Project in Tanzania.
Cheetahs of the Kalahari

For the past five years, Gus Mills and his wife have been studying the approximately 350 cheetahs that live in the Kalahari, a highly arid environment consisting primarily of vegetated sand dunes.
Halting Lion Hunting

Grantee Emily Fitzherbert will make the first attempt to halt lion killings among locals who receive economic gain by hunting lions.
Lion Population Survey

Grantee Rudi van Aarde will be gathering data on lion populations along the northern shores of Lake Kariba in Zambia and in the Tete province of Mozambique.
Natural Livestock Enclosures

Laly Lichtenfeld aims to prevent lion-livestock conflict and to improve the lives of lions and people alike.
Human-Big Cat Conflict

This project with grantee Amy Dickman will provide significant local conservation-related education, training, and employment and will also reduce the negative impacts of big cats.
Halting Pesticide Usage

This project, run by Big Cats grantee Paula Kahumbu, Ph.D., aims to address the reason for the lion killings, as well as the use of pesticides.
Livestock Enclosures

This project expands an existing successful project in the Mara that has effectively reduced human-lion conflict by preventing predation through securing livestock enclosures, or “bomas.” Big Cats grantee Anne Kent Taylor is working with the local Masai communities to significantly reduce predation on their livestock and therefore avoid revenge killings of big cats.
National Park Support

Grantee Pricelia Tumenta epse Fobuzie aims to strengthen park management to better protect the Waza National Park and its resources as well as empowering communities to practice good conflict-mitigation methods.
Livestock Insurance

This project, led by J. Weldon "Tico" McNutt, offers farmers insurance for livestock killed by lions. The research team will regularly visit and monitor the farmers at their cattle posts to assist with cattle enclosure construction.

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