We Save Wild Cats

Panthera is dedicated to protecting the world’s 40 wild cat species and the wild places in which they roam. Our core programs focus on implementing conservation strategies for some of the world’s most imperiled large cats — cheetahs, leopards, lions, jaguars, pumas, snow leopards and tigers. Panthera’s scientists also implement conservation and research initiatives on many of the 33 small wild cat species around the globe.

Our scientists and law enforcement specialists are on the front lines, fighting to stop poaching, prevent conflict with people, conserve wild cat habitats and more. Panthera’s proven strategies don't just protect wild cats — they also protect their vast landscapes and the endless variety of life within them.

Why Cats?

While Panthera’s efforts are focused on saving wild cats, the impacts go far beyond. The presence of wild cats — our landscape guardians and apex predators — indicate healthy, intact ecosystems that support all life, including people around the world. The loss of apex predators has a cascading negative impact on ecosystems, influencing everything from soil and water quality to wildfires and infectious disease. 

As umbrella species, wild cat conservation initiatives additionally protect other threatened wildlife. Anti-poaching patrols protecting lions, cheetahs and leopards also ultimately protect elephants, rhino and countless other wildlife species.

Found on five continents in some of the world’s most sacred and biodiverse landscapes, wild cats’ wide distribution allows Panthera to protect incredibly vast swaths of some of the world’s most iconic lands, from the Chilean Patagonia to the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia.

Ecotourism and wild cat viewing initiatives also support livelihoods and rural communities around the globe.

Meet the Cats

Scientists initially classified wild cats based on their ability to purr, leading to the categorization of the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar as “big cats” and other wild cat species as “small cats.” Since then, genetic analysis has unveiled eight distinct wild cat lineages.

Utilizing a hybrid model of classification, Panthera considers the seven largest species to be big cats and the remaining 33 wild cat species as small cats, conserved through Panthera’s Small Cats Program.