Rescues and research are focussed in the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa. The GPS collars serve two main functions – protection and conservation. We have rescued 42 cats and GPS collared 22 since 2004.
Protection: GPS collaring is done in response to rescue cases. GPS data provides proof of any livestock losses in an area. If data and site of a loss match we can then offer a farmer compensation. Compenastion is only granted when the livestock are protected through non-lethal methods (like dogs or protection collars) and no lethal controls are used on the farm.
Conservation: The data collected from the cats gives exact details of their territorial ranges, its sizes and boundaries. This assists us in establishing a) accurate population densities, b) understanding their territorial needs and c) establishing where corridors are present and where mitigation work needs to be focussed to ensure these cats’ genetic survival.