2009 Annual report - Feline Conservation Federation
Transcription
2009 Annual report - Feline Conservation Federation
Feline Conservation Federation 2009 ANNUAL REPORT Mail: 4403 S. 334th E. Ave Broken Arrow, OK 74014 phone: 812-397-2302 FAX 812-397-2655 Web: www.felineconservation.org email:[email protected] 2009 Board of Directors Executive Director: Lynn Culver President: Kevin Chambers Vice President: Patty Perry Secretary: Joe Fortunato Treasurer: Kurt Beckelman Member Services: Betsy Whitlock Conservation: Pat Callahan Legislation: Robert Johnson Public Relations: Roger Newson Marketing: Ron DeArmond Education: Sylvia Gerber Development: Billie Lambert Table of Contents Education of the public, media and legislators is necessary . . . . . . . . . 3 Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 From the Desk of the Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Teaching today to prepare for tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 FCF reaches out to the public to talk about cats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 FCF Conservation Grants and Rare Species Fund help cats ... . . . . . . . .7 FCF facility accreditation is legitimate peer review of husbandry. . . . 8 Captive populations will protect against extinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Annual Financial Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Education of the public, the media, the legislators and those who wish to engage in captive husbandry is necessary to ensure the future survival of these incredible felines. Human population growth is depleting natural resources around the globe. The result is catastrophic loss of habitat, and loss of dispersal options for wildlife which leads to loss of genetic diversity and loss of species. Today, many of nature’s wild felines are being pushed to the edge of extinction. It is a sad fact that more tigers are held safe in FCF member facilities than exist in all the forests of India. This chilling statistic is a testament to the dedication and skill of our members to create captive habitat that protects the world’s largest feline from harm. FCF members cannot prevent the poaching, or stop the black market trade, we cannot decrease the human population, but our members can improve the quality of life, and chance for future survival for not only nature’s greatest feline, but also the other large, medium, and small wild feline species. A letter from Kevin Chambers, FCF President 2009 has been a very productive and busy year for the FCF, beginning with the hiring of its first ever executive director, Lynn Culver. To our credit are four successful husbandry courses and the launching of the first ever Wildlife Conservation Educator’s Course. FCF booths educated the public at the California Pet Expo, the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo, and at the Lolli Brothers’ Exotic Animal Auction. The FCF has awarded around $19,000 to conservation projects through our Conservation Grants Program, the Rare Species Fund, and our hugely successful Andean Cat Conservation Center fundraiser. Three new facilities were accredited. The FCF has been working with Washington, D.C. legislators to strengthen understanding of our goals and our members, and also meeting with and educating legislators in key states. Thankfully, our Wildcat Safety Net has not yet been called upon this year to provide emergency help for wildcats in need, but the fund stands at the ready. From the desk of Lynn Culver, FCF Executive Director The FCF is its members. Its former members are its legacy, and its present members build its future. At least 400 FCF members provide captive habitat. The FCF feline census registers over 2150 non-domestic felines, which is more than the AZA zoos. The captive conservation of wild feline species is vitally important. The knowledge and experience of FCF members is a key ingredient to insuring the future survival of these cats. The FCF organization provides the avenue for networking, knowledge exchange and learning opportunities so that its members can successfully preserve, protect and propagate nondomestic felines. Unlike the other animal welfare organization in America, only the FCF is actually training the next generation of caregivers, and improving the welfare and quality of life for captive felines. With over 50 year’s husbandry experience, FCF holds the greatest diversity of felines and the greatest combined knowledge. No other organization accomplishes as much for the welfare of felines, or to increase appreciation of these felines, and improve understanding of the threats to their survival. Our dedication goes beyond the care of our captive charges. FCF funding reaches all the way around the globe, into the forests, mountains, and savannahs, anywhere wild felines call home. FCF specializes in supporting those species that are over-looked by other conservationists, the small and endangered felines of the world. In 2009 the FCF Conservation Grants and Rare Species Fund supported research and conservation in South Africa, Argentina, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Brazil and Chile. Teaching today to prepare for tomorrow Where would we be without animals? We evolved beside them. They feed us and clothe us. From animals we learn the secrets of survival. This connection with the other inhabitants of our living planet has been unbroken for thousands of generations. Our modern world is severing us from nature. We have driven a wall that distances us from our animal brothers. This societal shift is impoverishing our spirit, destroying our planet home and affects all animal life as well. In contrast to the simplified animal extremist mantras like, “better dead then bred”, and “they belong in the wild”, FCF members understand that if we are to save species we must not only protect the felines in nature but also the carefully managed captive populations. Both serve to insure that nature’s felines survive. Without captive ambassadors, we would not know what we do about feline behavior, health, and genetics. Wildlife managers benefit from our research and our experiences. Feline Conservation Federation members specialize in trust-based relationships built with hands-on husbandry. We create habitat. We provide environmental and psychological stimulation that insures healthy, happy and fulfilled lives for nondomestic felines. 2009 Highlights: Today’s feline keeper is highly regulated by local ordinances, state laws and federal regulations. The level of professionalism expected for those who keep and propagate exotic felines is constantly increasing. The FCF meets these needs with its Registered Handler program, the informative bimonthly Journal, the FCF Wild Feline Husbandry Course and its latest addition to our educational efforts, the Wildlife Conservation Educator’s Course. In 2009 FCF certified instructors taught four husbandry courses, graduating another 65 people. Students gain knowledge on feline natural history, health care, habitat construction, behavior training, contingency planning, regulations and more. FCF taught two courses in Florida, a California course in conjunction with the annual FCF convention held in July, and a fall course in Oklahoma. FCF launched its Wildlife Conservation Educators Course in July 2009. It aids experienced and novice educators. Teaching techniques that improve their delivery and impact before audiences from children to adult. The course teaches how to develope creative, fun, and interactive wildlife programs that bring about attitude and societal change needed to conserves wildlife and habitat. Special emphasis is placed upon licensing, ambassador feline training and handling, safety in presentations, contingency plans and retirement of ambassador animals. The FCF Registered Feline Handler program identifies members qualified to serve as experienced mentors for our novice members, insuring that quality captive husbandry continues into the future. The FCF bimonthly Journal educates members on feline conservation and hands-on husbandry. FCF reaches out to the public and talks about cats 2009 Highlights: FCF staffed two educational booths in 2009 to bring awareness of small cats, and especially the plight of the Andean cat and the need for research and protection for this endangered feline species. FCF directed its attention to reach pet lovers at the Orange County Family Pet Expo. To complement the Expo’s family pet theme without suggesting that exotic cats are part of it, FCF titled its exhibit “Your Cat is Your Connection to the Wild.” The theme struck the right chord. In talking to Expo visitors, FCF members staffing the booth found that people who care for a domestic cat also care deeply about all cats. They were receptive to the conservation message that exotic cats are deserving of protection in the face of declining habitats and human encroachment. FCF was present at the Wildlife Conservation Expo in San Francisco, California. WCN partners with independent, community-based conservationists around the world, providing the capital and tools they need to develop solutions for human/ wildlife coexistence. At the WCN Expo the schedule of presenters was a “who’s who” list of global heavyweights in the conservation world. Along with speakers, individual booths represented conservation messages from around the world. Four members set up shop and hosted the FCF booth to share information with conservationists and the visiting public. In April the FCF booth educated nearly 60,000 visitors at the Family Pet Expo held in Orange County, California. Members worked the FCF booth at the Wildlife Conservation Expo in October, meeting and speaking with over 20,000 conservation-minded visitors. FCF Conservation Grants and Rare Species Fund help cats FCF and its members cooperate with researchers and wildlife managers around the globe to provide financial aid that supports habitat protection, feline rehabilitation, reintroduction, eco-system monitoring, and in-depth studies of wild cats. This commitment is reflected in the FCF Conservation Grants Committee, advised by Dr. Jim Sanderson, PhD. that reviews applications and awards funding. Survival of all feline species in nature is supported by FCF in parallel with its managed captive programs. Species of special interest to the grants committee include the Andean cat, bay cat, clouded leopard, fishing cat, flat-headed cat, geoffroy’s cat, guiña, pampas cat, margay, and marbled cat. FCF has partnered with T.I.G.E.R.S., The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species to manage the Rare Species Fund for feline conservation. Operated independently from the Conservation Grants committee, the RSF shares the same feline conservation interests and has focused support to Andean cat, clouded leopard, tiger, cheetah, leopard, and black-footed cats in 2009. 2009 Highlights: FCF members raised more than $10,000 for the Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center, proposed by Dr. Jim Sanderson to create a research and monitoring base for Andean Cats and the fragile eco-system that supports this feline. The FCF managed Rare Species Fund (RSF) donated $5,000 for development of the andean cat center. The Conservation Grants committee awarded $1,400 to support Javier Pereira’s study of habitat fragmentation and effects on genetic diversity of geoffroy’s cats in Argentina. The Conservation Grants committee approved $1,200 to purchase a computer and multimedia projector to aid in school educational programs presented by Marion Holmes and the Cat Conservation Trust. FCF director Robert Johnson flew to South Africa to deliver this hardware and also donated camera traps and a trailer purchased with funds from the Rare Species Fund to monitor and research black-footed cats in the Karoo of South Africa. The RSF provided $2,000 to the Matabeleland Leopard and Cheetah project in Zimbabwe. Radio transmitter collars on leopards and cheetahs provide important information about behavior and territories. The group also live traps problem predators on private lands and safely relocates them into protected wildlife parks. The RSF gave $1,000 in ongoing support to the Carnivore Conservation Project in Northern Thailand. This RSF support to in-country teams is for the purchase of anti-poaching equipment to secure the wild population of tigers in the Khao Yai National Park. Facility accreditation is legitimate peer review of husbandry The FCF facility accreditation is the only accrediting board that examines all forms of captive habitat, from private collection to public exhibit, and evaluates all types of facilities for their safety, structure, design, management, and professionalism of operation. FCF accreditation distinguishes establishments from substandard facilities. Feline owners, conservation breeders, zoos, exhibitors, and refuges have achieved this honor. FCF accreditation is the assurance that the highest level of husbandry and management are being practiced. The FCF accreditation board is appointed for their knowledge and experience and operated independently from the FCF board. 2009 Highlights: Three more facilities achieved FCF accreditation in 2009. Bucks County Zoo, a diverse wildlife collection consisting of reptiles, birds, and mammals including small cats, gained FCF accreditation for its enclosures, enrichments and educational programs. Zuzana Kukol and Scott Shoemaker, state licensed private owners of both large and small cats was found by the committee to be outstanding in both owner knowledge and facility design. A1 Savannahs, a USDA licensed breeding facility for servals was also accredited. Captive populations will protect against extinction Habitat loss threatens all populations of felines. Not only those in nature, but just as ominously, populations managed in captivity are also experiencing a catastrophic loss of available habitat. Economics and recent trends in legislation are both conspiring to hinder dispersal options, stop conservation and displace felines. Responsible breeding and captive husbandry of non-domestic felines is vital to the survival of these threatened populations. FCF is working to protect captive habitat from these threats by educating legislators and community leaders on the need for a legislative and regulatory climate that is favorable to captive conservation. 2009 Highlights: Over 193 member facilities provide captive habitat for cats. The FCF feline census documented 2150 cats held. FCF feline census lists the following species held by FCF members: cougar, lion, tiger, leopard, amur leopard, jaguar, cheetah, Canada lynx, bobcat, caracal, serval, leopard cats, geoffroy’s cat, fishing cat, clouded leopard, ocelot, Siberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, Gordon’s wildcat, jungle cat, pallas’ cat, sand cat, amur leopard cat, black-footed cat, and jaguarundi. Annual Financial Report January - December 2009 Income Accreditation Fees Advertising Convention Donations FCF Store Sales Husbandry Course Wildlife Educators Course Interest Membership Dues Miscellaneous Registered Exotic Feline Handler Fees $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 120.00 2,675.00 17,318.31 34,617.27 558.00 2,712.21 1,425.00 917.42 18,992.42 982.77 1,500.00 Total Income $ 81,818.40 Expenses Accreditation Advertising/Promotional Conferences Conservation Grants Convention FCF Corporation FCF Contract Labor FCF Store FCF Journal Husbandry Course Legislation Membership Wildlife Educator Course Husbandry Course $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 142.40 2,643.29 375.41 10,741.19 14,645.35 7,655.10 11,223.06 500.62 14,405.23 1,696.20 1,504.23 1,485.44 1,356.64 1,696.20 Total Expenses Net Income $ $ 70,070.36 11,748.04 Total Assets end of 2009 $98,856.59
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