ZOOS:
The most accessible way to help wild cats is to donate time and/or money to a zoo.
The cutbacks from government funding are placing many public zoos in financial hardship. Planned improvements are being delayed, sometimes even cancelled. The worst hit are the small town zoos. They don't have the visitor turn-out nor the corporate funding that the big city manageries have.
So, invite others to join you to a trip to a zoo. Not only are the visits educational and fun, but each ticket helps the animals.
Animal refuges:
If a person is searching for a more rewarding experience, big cat refuges may be the place to go.
The cats come from many situations---private ownership, circuses, and in some cases, from the wild. The animals, for whatever reason, cannot be returned to the wild. Some may not survive due to injury or disease, or there are no funds available for the trip to the feline's native land, or perhaps its habitat may no longer exist. These "safe houses' are also the last resort home for the abandoned wild cat that was originally purchased as a pet. But whatever the reason, these creatures now depend on the kindness of humans to experience a worthwhile life.
The sanctuaries themselves survive mostly by donations of money from non-government sources. Also, the gifts of manpower and supplies also help to give these animals a decent home. Some sanctuaries have a website and those that do might have a wish list posted. Although not all exotic animal shelters allow visitors, those that do are forced to charge admission to supply much needed money.
Some of these exotic animal shelters may actually face problems from local governments. So voicing your public support is very important to prevent these institutions from being forced to close. As it is now in the United States, the few exotic animal refuges that do exist are already overcrowded, so the closure of even one of these havens is a dire loss.
