THE Africat Foundation has won the 2011 conservation award in the category Best Wildlife Organisation at the annual Indaba held in Durban, South Africa, over the weekend.
Indaba 2011 is Africa's biggest travel and tourism show with 13 000 delegates from the travel, tourism and related industries attending.
The other nine organizations nominated in this category were Children in the Wilderness, David Sheldrick Trust Animal Orphanage, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Jane Goodall Institute, Ol Malo Trust, South Luangwa Conservation Society, Uthando and Wilderness Wildlife Trust.
The Africat Foundation, consisting of two centres, one in the heart of Namibia's commercial farmland and, the other bordering on the communal areas west of the Etosha National Park, is making significant progress in mediating human-wildlife conflict through education, awareness and mitigation.
The Africat centre, based on the farm Okonjima, has rescued and released more than 1 000 large predators. Its highly active welfare carnivore welfare centre works hand in hand with a rehabilitation programme.
Today, the primary focus is on education and awareness, bringing the vital message of environmental conservation to the people of Namibia.
Africat North is reaching out to vulnerable communities who, while living side by side with lion, leopard, cheetah and hyaena, are farming with livestock in the arid areas of northwest Namibia. Through the repairing of fences, building of kraals and developing of predator-friendly farming techniques, the foundation is alleviating poverty and improving livelihoods.
The Africat Foundation began in 1992 as a small welfare organisation when 'Chinga' the cheetah was bought by the Hanssens at a cattle auction and given a home on Okonjima.
Ever since, Africat has dedicated efforts to rescuing carnivores from inhumane conditions, taken care of those too injured to be set free, rehabilitated and released more than 1 000 large carnivores back into the wild.
The day-to-day costs are covered by and large from visitors to the centre. Education and human-wildlife conflict mitigation are two of the key pillars to successful conservation of Namibia's large predators.
Through the Africat education and awareness programme, children and adults are taught the value of wildlife and the vital need to conserve it.
Schoolchildren visit the AfriCat centres at Okonjima and Kavita to witness conservation in action.
Not stopping at education, Africat is stepping out into the "combat" zone where conflict between humans and wildlife is at its most vicious: working with farmers to develop measures to protect livestock, limit losses and allow the two worlds to live side-by-side
Article taken from: http://allafrica.com/stories/201105120239.html