Cat Fancy, USA, June 2011

*Take aTrip,

Lifestyle

BY SANDY ROBINS

Do Some Good VOLUNTOURISM LETS YOU VACATION WHILE HELPING A WORTHY CAUSE.

Puma

oluntourism has become a popular alternative vacation choice.

Instead of spending two weeks touring a particular destination, it offers vacation seekers the opportunity to visit interesting places and volunteer their time or specific skills for the benefit of a cause of their choosing. And when it comes to cats both domestic and wild, there are lots of wonderful opportunities both here in the United States and around the world. Here are just a few examples.

Caring for Big Cats If you are not sure where to go or how to plan such a trip, many organizations arrange everything in advance on your behalf.

Biosphere Expeditions North America in Longwood, Fla., is one such organization that offers vacationing volunteers the opportunity to work with scientists and biologists on real hands-on wildlife and conservation expeditions in numerous diverse destinations around the world.

Currently, its website lists various big cat related expeditions to work with leopards, caracals and cheetahs in Namibia; snow leopards in the Altai Republic in Central Asia; Arabian leopards in Oman; jaguars and pumas in Brazil; and jaguars in Peru. Its newest project focuses on the lynx in the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia.

“You can never be too old or not fit enough to undertake such a travel adventure,” says Dr. Matthias Hammer, the organization’s executive director. “And it’s

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not necessary to have any particular skills; it’s a matter of looking at the experiences offered and picking one that you think is realistically achievable for you. To date, our oldest expedition team member was 87 years old.

Trips vary in length from what we call taster days to expeditions lasting up to several weeks.”

Costs vary according to the time frame and the type of expedition. For example, a 12-day expedition to work in the Brazilian rainforest will cost the benevolent traveler about $2,000 plus airfare to the destination point.

The fee goes toward direct field costs, such as local transport, board and lodging, paying the expedition leader, local scientists and helpers such as cooks and porters, as well as supporting the research project itself.

However, because such a trip is a philanthropic mission, American voluntourists can claim part or all of their expenses as a tax deduction.

For those who prefer to make their own arrangements and not join a travel group, it’s possible to contact

Lynx

Jaguar

You can help a variety of big cats in locales as diverse as Africa, the Brazilian rain forest and the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe.

Leopard

Snow Leopard

Caracal

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COURTESY OF CHEETAH OUTREACH

the Keepers of the Wild Nature Park in Valentine, Ariz., offers a perennial welcome to volunteers both young and old.

Founder and director Jonathan Kraft began his career as a magician with two tigers working on the Las Vegas strip. Realizing he’d bought them for all the wrong reasons, he switched lanes, left the city of neon lights and opened his sanctuary more than 20 years ago.

Today the sanctuary is home to more than 175 exotic animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and cougars.

Sandy Robins and volunteer manager Yogi Nanny pet an ambassador cheetah at the Cheetah Outreach in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

“A lot of families love to include us in their general travel plans,” Kraft says. “Although we don’t have accommodations on site, various organizations and plan your vacation directly with their volunteer coordinators. there are hotels and RV parks nearby.”

For more information on Biosphere Expeditions, visit Those who visit and volunteer say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime www.biosphere-expeditions.org. experience.

In Stellenbosch, South Africa, the Cheetah Outreach program proBack in 2004, Mike Carter, an occupation therapist from vides on-site accommodation, food and transport. “The daily duties of Carey, N.C., and his wife, Anna, decided to take a year off. They volunteers include greeting visitors, merchandise sales, cleaning bought an RV, took their children Kayla and Nick, then aged 9 and cheetah enclosures and taking care of our Anatolian Shepherd dogs,” 13, out of school and traveled across the United States, including says Dawn Glover, the zoologist in charge of the center’s education the sanctuary in their travel plans. “The time we spent volunteerprogram, which is one of the main initiaing here was definitely a highlight.

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY Together with the kids, we prepared tives of Cheetah Outreach organization.

Both Glover and Yogi Nanny, who PLAYS HOST TO MORE THAN food for the animals, cleaned out cages heads up the volunteer program at the and did a lot of maintenance chores to center, started as volunteers themtake the pressure off the regular volselves. “International volunteers come unteers. Being able to get so close to for at least six weeks,” Nanny says. “But these wonderful creatures was a very they are welcome to stay longer and respecial personal experience and great VOLUNTEERS OF ALL AGES. turn for future visits.” hands-on learning for the kids.”

One of the ways to save these beauFor more information on Keepers tiful cats from extinction is by educating the public about them of the Wild Nature Park, visit www.keepers ofthewild.org.

For more information on wild cats, visit CatChannel.com/wildcats. and personally introducing them to these cats. The center has ambassador cheetahs that the public can meet and pet. “I really apHelping Domestic Cats in Need preciate the goals of the program,” says Nadine Steinmann, a Swiss When it comes to working with domestic cats, Best Friends IT project manager who is volunteering at the beautiful wine counAnimal Society in Kanab, Utah, is one of the best-known volunteer try location for the first time. “I have done everything from cleanvacation destinations in the country and annually plays host to ing the cheetah enclosures to working in the merchandise store. more than 12,000 volunteers of all ages.

But I really enjoy interacting with tourists and taking them for speThis 33,000-acre ranch is home to more than 1,500 domestic cial ‘meet and greet’ encounters with one of the ambassador cheeanimals that have been brought from all over the country, mostly tahs. Being able to get close enough to pet one of these beautiful from shelters that don’t have the resources to rehabilitate them creatures and have a photograph taken is a once-in-a-lifetime exand where they would otherwise be euthanized. Here, they are perience for every visitor.” cared for, nurtured and socialized until they are ready to be adoptFor more information on Cheetah Outreach, visit www.cheeed into loving permanent homes. Those who have been badly trautah.co.za. matized through ill treatment or those who are old, disabled or SHARE YOUR VOLUNTOURISM When it comes chronically ill find a permanent home at this tranquil Eden. Cat EXPERIENCES AT to volunteering World is the area of the sanctuary dedicated to cats and is currently around exotic cats CATCHANNEL.COM/ home to more than 500 felines. in the United States, EXCLUSIVES

12,000

!

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COURTESY OF BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY

“The Sanctuary has reasonably priced cabins and cottages on site,” says Barbara Williamson, spokeswoman for the Sanctuary.

“They are very popular and often booked out two to three years in advance.” However, she points out that there’s a variety of hotel and motel accommodations in the nearby town of Kanab.

“We try to tailor the volunteer experience around what people are looking for,” Williamson says.

“Some people come and volunteer whatever special maintenance or service skills they have, such as A volunteer takes Shelby, a resident from Best Friends Animal Society’s Cat World for a walk. lawyers opting to assist with legal tasks. When it comes to working with cats, socializing them is very im“That’s our subtle agenda,” Williamson says with a smile. portant. We have taught some of our feline residents to walk on a leash, For more information on Best Friends Animal Society, visit www.bestfriends.org. c and they enjoy being taken for a walk on one of the many trails.”

The sanctuary encourages volunteers to take cats back to their cabins or hotel rooms for sleepovers. “Initially some of the cats are Sandy Robins is an award-winning pet-lifestyle expert who appears regushy but after a couple of nights, they really begin to blossom and let their personalities shine through,” Williamson says. larly on TV, radio and in international publications. She is an obsessed pet Many cats find their forever homes after such a sleepover. owner to her cats Fudge and Ziggy.

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