Gabriel has lived in a small captive facility for his whole life. If we can raise the funds for his relocation, we can MOVE HIM TO A BEAUTIFUL, SPACIOUS SANCTUARY in South Africa. Please, donate now! |
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Dear friends,
Today we come to you with an urgent plea for help: a captive wildlife facility in South Africa is shutting down. They have found new locations for most of their animals, but a hand-reared 13-year-old leopard remains. He has just days to be rehomed, which is why our partner, Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary, has turned to us for help.
Panthera Africa, an expert big-cat sanctuary and rehabilitation facility in the Western Cape, has the space for the cat but not the funds to relocate him. Another complication is that the leopard’s transport permit expires in less than a week, so the funds to relocate him must be found immediately.
Panthera Africa’s sanctuary will allow the cat - named Gabriel - to live as close to ‘free’ as possible - something we know every wild animal deserves, but tragically doesn’t always get. |
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Gabriel deserves to live out his days in an environment as close to his natural habitat as possible. |
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With your help, we will relocate Gabriel, a 13-year-old hand-reared leopard, from a captive facility in South Africa to a new home where he will finally experience life as close to freedom as possible. Will you help us? |
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Gabriel has lived in a small, captive facility for his entire life, and because he was hand-reared as a cub, he can never be released into the wild. Tragically, human interference in this wild animal’s life means he will never be able to hunt or fend for himself.
A big risk Gabriel faces now is that if he is not transferred to Panthera Africa within the next few days, he could be snapped up by a breeding facility.
In South Africa, captive breeding facilities exist with their nefarious activities taking place under the radar, all in the name of financial gain. Here, big cats are bred in captivity, and the cubs are removed from their mothers almost immediately, to be used for exhibition purposes, petting zoos, or sold, often to people who have not the faintest idea how to care for a wild animal. |
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Trophy hunting contributes to the decline in leopard numbers. |
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In the wild, a female leopard will reproduce every two to two-and-a-half years. However, in captive facilities where cubs are removed from their mothers almost immediately, females go into heat much faster, which means they can breed far more often.
We cannot allow Gabriel to end up at a breeding facility. No wild animal should be kept and bred in captivity, and while we work hard to fight this scourge around the world, sometimes we must focus on one animal at a time - like Gabriel. |
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Leopards in captivity are exploited by the entertainment industry around the world. |
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Leopards everywhere are in trouble - and we must do everything we can to help. |
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Leopards, the smallest of all big cat species, are in serious trouble. Habitat loss and human activity, such as trophy hunting and the illegal wildlife trade, have caused a significant decline in their numbers in recent decades.
Around the world, they are exploited by the entertainment industry, forced to perform tricks in circuses, caged in zoos or bred for human ownership or interaction. Wealthy people, often in Middle Eastern countries, buy leopard cubs as pets as a show of their wealth - usually with no knowledge of how to care for them - and it almost always ends in disaster for the animal.
This is why we must fight to preserve every leopard life we can. |
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Panthera provides appropriate enrichment in specially designed enclosures for all their rescued big cats. |
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The Panthera Africa sanctuary offers the ideal environment for a wild cat: a spacious 6,500-square-meter, semi-wild enclosure with natural vegetation, hiding places and shelter - in stark comparison to Gabriel’s current home, which is less than a tenth of the size.
Their expert team is working with a specialist wildlife veterinarian and relocation team to prepare Gabriel for relocation to their sanctuary, 932 miles (1,500 km) away from where he currently is - they hope to relocate him at the end of this week.
Prior to his relocation, he must have a full health check to determine his current physical state and physiological needs. This includes vaccinations, sterilization, bloodwork and a full body X-ray to check for any abnormalities like arthritis due to his age. He will also have an assessment of an old injury to both front legs, which is causing him to limp. |
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At PABCS, Gabriel will be looked after by a team of specialist veterinarians and wildlife experts. |
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If we can raise $4000, (￡3,213), we will be able to cover the costs of Gabriel’s relocation, his veterinary care, and the right nutrition to support his health for the first months in his new home.
Please, help us give Gabriel his freedom and well-being! |
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Panthera Africa cares for big cats and other wild animals that are emotionally, physically or genetically impaired and cannot be fully rehabilitated and released into the wild. Once at their sanctuary, animals receive expert care for the rest of their lives.
The sanctuary allows no hands-on interaction and ensures that animals live as close to the wild as possible. This is what Gabriel deserves - and with your help right now, it is what he will have, for the rest of his life.
Please, help us get Gabriel to freedom by donating now. |
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Saving animals and the planet,
Campaign Director
Animal Survival International |
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P.S. Gabriel, a 13-year-old captive leopard in South Africa, has a single chance to move to a spacious, almost-wild sanctuary - but we need your help right now to make it happen. Only days remain to raise the necessary funds! Please, help us give this big cat the better life he deserves - donate now to get him his freedom! |
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Banner Credit: Panthera Africa |
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