A Walk for Change: Recapping Catwalk 2022

This past November, we began our second marathon to save wild cats. Catmosphere and Panthera again called upon the global community to show their support for wild cats — and you answered the call. 

Over 64,000 people around the world took part in Catmosphere’s Catwalk, a virtual or in-person walk or run dedicated to wild cat conservation. As a result of international cooperation and partnerships, big and small, people in 119 countries from Thailand to Canada, Uzbekistan to the United States and beyond showed up to get active for big cats. Over 250 organizations around the world participated, resulting in numerous organized Catwalks, including 100 in Saudi Arabia alone. 

During Catwalk, people were asked to dedicate their walk to their favorite big cat. Let’s see which cats Panthera staff dedicated their walks to:

Staff in our New York City headquarters walked for cats from Asia to the Americas, showcasing the global nature of our conservation efforts. Speaking of the global nature of Catwalk, people walked in Paris, outside the Saudi Mission to the UN in Central Park, in Zambia and many, many more places.

In Saudi Arabia, a Catwalk at Riyadh’s KACST campus saw 2,500 people take part.

In Central America, Panthera Costa Rica Country Director Dr. Roberto Salom-Pérez and his kids walked for jaguars, while Daniela Araya-Gamboa, head of the paradigm-shifting Wild Cats Friendly Roads project, walked for oncillas. Even our hardworking scat-sniffing dog Tigre put his paws forward for his namesake, the tiger.

Elsewhere in Central America, staff walked amongst the jungles for the wild cats of the Americas, like jaguars.

Families in Morocco also got involved — part of Catwalk’s massive growth in the past year, with over 137 percent more people walking in 2022 compared to 2021. Moreover, the number of organized walks increased by over 81 percent, and the number of partnerships by over 110 percent — a true success. In total, news of Catwalk reached 499 million accounts on social media.

Of the more than 64,000 who walked, the cat with the most dedication was...drum roll, please...the leopard! With 14,460 votes, the back-to-back winners beat out their closest competition, lions, by 796 votes. 

We’re certainly looking forward to next year’s Catwalk. But you don’t have to wait until then to get involved with big cat conservation. Practice sustainability, spread awareness about wild cats and make sure to support Panthera. Together, we can continue making an impact for leopards, lions and other wild cats long before November 2023's Catwalk.