Catmosphere Announces Catwalk, a Global Walk to Raise Big Cat Awareness

Igniting physical movement locally, triggering the Big Cat conservation movement globally

November 1, 2021 – Catmosphere is launching its inaugural campaign Catwalk, taking place on November 6th, 2021.  A fun, free, open-to-all, 7km walk or run, Catwalk’s aim is to activate fitness and learning, and in doing so create a community that is not only informed, but also invested, and whose engagement in the support of Big Cat conservation becomes ongoing.

The future of Big Cats is under threat, due to loss and fragmentation of habitat, conflict with people and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade, with the tiger, lion, leopard, and cheetah having disappeared from 65% to 96% of their historic range (source: Panthera.org). Accordingly, Catwalk is striving for a healthy habitat for Big Cats, and healthy habitats start at home.  A healthy and active lifestyle helps us to respect our own bodies, and engaging with our natural environments gives us an appreciation for the fundamental roles they play in all life.

Participants can take part in two ways:

Catwalk: Walk up to 7 kilometres and dedicate your walk to your favorite Big Cat.

Catwalk Cubs: Walk 700 metres and add on an activity that reflects the behaviour of your favorite Big Cat. This shorter distance is designed for children and families.

Catwalk is open to participants of any age / ability who register at catmosphere.org/register

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 24% of all global human deaths are attributable to environmental factors, while a quarter of the world’s population are at health risk because they don’t get sufficient exercise in our increasingly sedentary society. Catwalk invites participants to get active in nature as a way of underlining the critical contribution that Big Cats have to their natural habitats, while simultaneously triggering appreciation of the physical and mental benefits of outdoor physical activity.

As participants learn about the Big Cats, they will be encouraged to choose which Big Cat they will Catwalk for on November 6th, 2021. The Cat Crew that collectively walks the longest distance will be crowned the Winning Cat. Designed to increase Big Cat awareness through a fun and engaging physical activity for all ages and fitness levels, Catwalk’s efforts are being supported by partners that include Google, as well as endorsements from the International Olympic Committee, TAFISA, and Peace and Sport.

Catwalk is sponsored by Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), which has also partnered with Panthera to recover the critically endangered Arabian leopard and leopard populations around the globe. 

Catmosphere’s Founder Ambassador Reema Bandar Al Saud says: “What’s unique about Catwalk is that we are crafting creative partnerships to align unlikely mandates, and one example of that is how Catwalk is aligning health and well-being to Big Cat conservation.

“The reality of the pandemic and the experience that the whole world just had of separation and isolation from human communities due to Covid-19 has parallels with what Big Cats experienced when we cut off their territorial corridors and isolated them from their natural habitats in nature. Just as we have seen that impact on us, imagine what that impact has been on them. Therefore, Catwalk is hoping to highlight a very simple fact: that our collective wellbeing is interconnected, and so it is incumbent on all of us to operate through empathy and provide spaces that we as humans would want to live and thrive in, and ensure the same for Big Cats.”

About Catmosphere

Launched in 2021, Catmosphere is a US non-profit 501 (c)(3) foundation created to activate innovative engagement and storytelling around Big Cat Conservation. Catmosphere’s awareness-raising campaigns are positioned to amplify the work of Panthera, an organization devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 40 wild cat species and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world’s premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements strategies to study and protect cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards and tigers and the 33 small cat species and their vast landscapes.