Nexgard Spectra New Zealand, (a corporate partner of Wellington Zoo) in collaboration with NZ cat lovers, have raised a whopping NZ$50,000 (£24,270) to support Sumatran tiger conservation through WildCats.
The money will be used for rangers in Kerinci Seblat National Park, home to around one-third of this remaining unique wild population. These rangers operate as an embedded specialist unit within the National Park management authority comprising both Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and National Park personnel.
The rangers, the Tiger Protection and Conservation Units (TPCUs), carry out regular and intelligence-led patrols using the SMART* software to collect data on their route. These four-man teams stay in the forest, walking up to six days at a time, carrying everything they need, and travelling through beautiful but sometimes inhospitable terrain. They rarely see the elusive tigers, but record footprints (pugmarks), tree scratches and scent sprays, and sometimes hear tigers calling across the landscape.
Many thanks to Nexgard Spectra.
Wellington Zoo has donated over $76,350 to WildCats for wild tiger conservation.
*SMART Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool
Map showing the location of Kerinci Seblat National Park on the island of Sumatra
TPCUs crossing the river © KSNP/FFI
