News from Okonjima & AfriCat

AfriCat wins 2011 Conservation Award @ Indaba SA.
7 May 2011 20h00:

AFRICAT WINS 2011 CONSERVATION AWARD @ INDABA, SA.
Category: BEST WILDLIFE ORGANISATION!
The finalists were . . .
AfriCat Foundation
Children in the Wilderness
David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage
David Shepherd - David Shepherd Wildife Foundation
Endangered Wildlife Trust
Jane Goodall Institute
Ol Malo Trust
South Luangwa Conservation Society
Uthando
Wilderness Wildlife Trust

WINNER: The AfriCat Foundation
RUNNER UP: Children in the Wilderness
THIRD PLACE: David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL WHO WORK SO HARD TO HELP THE CARNIVORES IN NAMIBIA! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!

Donna Hanssen
AfriCat Team

Press Release
In 1960 the world population stood at about 3 billion people. Today there are an estimated 7 billion living on the planet, and by the year 2050, that number is expected to grow to over 9 billion. A tripling of mankind’s number in a little over a single lifetime.

This raises the poignant question: how will the world feed all of these mouths? In the face of man’s need for food where will there be space on this tiny planet for the last few animals to roam as they always have? Where will the elephant live? The lion roar? The cheetah hunt?

Traditionally Namibia has been a land of livestock farmers, however today wildlife utilization has become a viable option for many a Namibian through tourism, hunting and the like. But it comes with a price - human-wildlife conflict - and it is this cost that the AfriCat Foundation has committed itself to tackle.

The AfriCat Foundation started out in 1992 as a small welfare organization when 'Chinga' the Cheetah was bought by the Hanssens at a cattle auction and given a home on Okonjima. Ever since, AfriCat has dedicated its efforts to rescuing carnivores from inhumane conditions, taken care of those too injured to be set free, rehabilitated and released more than 1 000 large carnivores back into the wild.

For more information please email us at info@southern-africa-travel.com or visit our sister website to make a booking www.namibiareservations.com/okonjimae.html