Before considering cub petting or volunteering in a facility that allows close interactions with cubs, pause, research and think about the consequences… Many animal lovers choose to ‘volunteer’ at cat parks and sanctuaries that are nothing but big cat breeding & cub petting facilities posing as conservation enterprises. This includes lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and even jaguars in […]
You are browsing archives for
Tag: Cats
My Journey to Becoming an Ethical Wildli...
I am so happy to have gained a better understanding of what it takes to be an ethical wildlife volunteer. This has been and still is an ongoing journey into realizing that our actions are not always ethical –not because we don’t want to be but rather because we don’t know– and that organizations may not […]
When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
Recently, when interviewing a young EwAnaut friend about her volunteer experience, I was reminded of how harmful not knowing can be. Our friend had just returned from volunteering at an accredited African wildlife conservation rescue organization. This was a good ethical experience and this made a difference on so many accounts compared to the too […]
Volunteering with or for Big Wild Cats?
Often volunteers look for and ask us about missions where they can interact with wild cats. And more than often we hear that the motivation for joining projects allowing these types of interactions is a way for them of affirming their love for these cats. But by getting so close to them, are we really helping those animals we love so dearly? […]
Tican Puma Squad in Pics
We just came back from spending a few weeks in the Cloud Forest of Monteverde as volunteer field research assistants to collect data about the fauna and flora of a private conservation reserve. This forest piece is located somewhere along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces… During those weeks we ended up having seen so […]