Wildcat Fund

Save China's Tigers has broadened its scope of conservation goals
from tigers to include all wild cats around the world and launched the "Wildcat Fund” to encourage and support wild cat research, conservation, as well as reintroduction efforts for highly endangered and vulnerable wild cats.

There are currently thirty-seven species of wild cats, with many facing uncertain futures. The best known are the big cats including tigers, lions, and jaguars. Of these, the South China Tiger is the most endangered and is on the verge of extinction. However, three-quarters of the world's wild cats are smaller species and many of these are also highly endangered such as the Iriomote Cat, the Andean Mountain cat, Borneo Bay cat, and the Flat-headed cat.

Historically, funding in wild cat conservation has favoured the large, charismatic species such as lions, cheetahs and tigers. While giving priorities to cat species having the IUCN “Endangered” status or above, Save China’s Tigers’ “Wildcat Fund” also encourages projects conducting pioneering biological and ecological research of little known cat species in an effort to increase understanding of these species and help design improved conservation actions.

Ms. Li Quan, Founding Director of Save China's Tigers said: "My passion has always been for all cats of the world. I am very pleased to be able to contribute to the conservation of all of them through Save China's Tigers’ Wildcat Fund. Over the years, we have realized that for some endangered species to survive in the wild, a multi-disciplinary approach combining captive breeding, rewilding, habitat protection and restoration, and re-introduction can make a valuable contribution to wildlife conservation and the environment. Save China’s Tigers was the first to experiment with this alternative in big cat conservation and we have made a number of significant breakthroughs in tiger conservation. We would like to apply our expertise and share our experience to help save other endangered cats of the world", says Quan.

Projects applying for funding must be proactive conservation projects led by wild cat biologists and ecologists with proven academic record, but more importantly over eight years of field experience. Proposals should not include office and administrative expenditures. "We would like to focus on field activities to counter the trend in conservation where valuable donor funding pays for office infrastructure and expensive conferences. And, we would like to make the projects we fund accountable for our benefactors", Quan added.

One of the first projects that Save China's Tigers will be funding is Brazilian Jaguar expert Dr. Peter Crawshaw's research vehicle to support his various wild cat conservation projects including jaguars, cougars and etc. Another is the rewilding and reintroduction of a female Oncilla (aka "Tiger Cat" and "Leopardus tigrinus" in Latin) in Brazil to learn if it is feasible to think of reintroducing individuals into the wild from captive conditions, as well as to study the behaviour of wild individuals of this little known cat.

Funding applications can be made at any time by completing an application form which can be downloaded from our website. The grant committee will be chaired by Save China's Tigers founder Li Quan with a panel of experienced cat scientists. Any inquiries must be sent to: info@savechinastigers.org

Save China's Tigers Wildcat Fund Guidelines

Our interest is in furthering the support of new or established wildcat conservation programs that:

1. Encompass a strong in situ component
2. Promote education, awareness, and training
3. Directly impact the survival of species and/or habitat preservation and demonstrate a marked benefit to local communities.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Project clearly benefits species and habitats of interest to the Wildcat Fund . The evaluation favours wildcats in the IUCN’s Near Threatened or above conservation status categories, especially those species, while in need, are not currently receiving suitable conservation support.
2. Project narrative addresses field initiative, education initiative, and conservation impact.
3. Investigators cooperate with or obtain support from other organizations and/or communities.
4. Program is designed to be scientifically valid, with goals and objectives clearly defined. Successful applicants will be required to submit short quarterly progress reports.
5. The principle investigator affirms that the welfare of the animals identified in this study is not compromised. Specifically, the principle investigator affirms that:

• Capture/restraint techniques minimize stress and the potential for physical injury or psychological harm
• Immobilization/anesthesia is done under the direct supervision of a veterinarian or other trained professional
• Exposure to noxious stimuli and presumptive negative effects are minimized with administration of anesthetic and/or analgesic agents where appropriate

You may submit an e-mail of inquiry for consideration prior to application:

• Projects of $10,000 to $100,000 USD are considered, with preference given to proposals that are effective but have smaller budgets.
• International partnerships are encouraged though not mandatory
• Awards are given throughout the year.
• An email of inquiry to info@savechinastigers.org should include the name and the contact details of the applicants conducting the program as well as the name of the collaborating non-profit organization if relevant. It should contain a brief overview of the project(s), taking into consideration the areas of interest and evaluation criteria detailed previously but does not need to be more than two paragraphs long.

Funding Recipients:

Click the link below to download Guidelines and Proposal Template