Following on from many of the comments we have received regarding the recent killing of a leopard on the edge of our research zone, many people are asking how they can help.

The bottom line is we need to carry on the work that we started with the Predator Protection Plan by which I mean we need to actively liaise and communicate with the farming community, with two aims 1) To listen and not judge 2) To work with farmers (many of whom have expressed a loss of faith with Parks board), to see find solutions.

We started this work last year and continued to fund a survey of the farming community until February when the company who sponsored this work fell victim of the global recession and pulled out. At that time we were very grateful for donations from our friends around the world and the folks at Kudu Game Ranch, which allowed us to keep going for the last months.

However funding for this program has dried up and to keep going we need your help. If we can reach out to the farmers, we have found them to be both amicable to conservation and keen to listen to ways and means of predators and farmers living alongside each other.

So we have two areas where we need your help

1) The immediate need is for funds. We need donations for fuel, maintenance and running costs for our vehicle. This totals to around $300/month.

2) People. Volunteers who come to assist with our research and in that help to off set our accommodation and general running costs. Also folks who will be willing to help lobby the authorities to give the leopard a voice.

If you can help with any of these things then please do. Of-course most pressing is funding, if we can return to a place where we can afford to get out and liaise with the farming community we CAN save the lives of leopards.

I want to create a war chest of $2,000 to be used only for cases such as this and pay the expenses. Everyone who can donate to that fund will get a monthly statement to show exactly how we spend that money and know it is going in the right place. Also to be able to help lobby for more support and in times where we need to speak up, add their voice to petitions or even Email the authorities directly and show them that the leopard conservation has a voice.

http://www.ingweleopard.com/Donate.html