WildCats Conservation Alliance

07/08/2026

When we sat down with Dr Luke Hunter, Executive Director of the Big Cats Program at Wildlife Conservation Society and one of the world’s leading experts on big cat conservation, we talked about the exciting possibility of tigers returning to Kazakhstan after an absence of nearly 70 years.

Just two days after we released the episode, it happened.
A tiger was released into the wild in Kazakhstan, marking a huge milestone in efforts to restore the species to part of its former range. 🐅🌿

In the full episode, Luke joins us to explore a much bigger question: is tiger conservation working? We discuss what the first IUCN Green Status Assessment for tigers tells us about their recovery, where progress is being made, and what it will take to bring tigers back to more of the places they once roamed.

🎧 Listen to the full ep - https://open.spotify.com/episode/427IBzY04962bmkudw0O82?si=0W_ww7x0Q2CxxVMWzg_72Q&utm_source=copy-link

Release footage: Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

31/07/2026

This , we celebrate the people at the heart of protecting big cats, their habitats and the communities that live alongside them.

In 2025, ranger teams supported by WildCats Conservation Alliance helped to protect 12,737 km² of tiger habitat, spending a combined 2,630 days on patrol.

They also:
📷 Deployed 487 camera traps to monitor tigers, their prey and potential threats
🌳 Detected, disrupted and reported 337 signs of poaching and habitat encroachment
🤝 Responded to and managed 13 cases of human–wildlife conflict

Every day, rangers help create safer landscapes for big cats and for the people who share their habitats.

Today, we thank them for their skill, dedication and extraordinary contribution to conservation.

📷 All images and video taken of our project with Freeland Thailand / Freeland / กรมอุทยานแห่งชาติ สัตว์ป่า และพันธุ์พืช in Thailands Western Forest Complex.

29/07/2026

Can tiger numbers ever fully recover?

This International Tiger Day, the answer is hopeful.

In the latest episode of the WildCats podcast, leading big cat conservationist Dr Luke Hunter from Wildlife Conservation Society explains where tiger recovery is happening, why progress varies so widely and whether tigers could one day return to more of their historic range.

From protecting prey and reconnecting fragmented habitats to reducing conflict between people and wildlife, we explore what it will take to sustain tiger recovery over the next 100 years and potentially go from around 5,000 to 25,000 tigers in the wild.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wildcats-podcast/id1604877085?i=1000778704245
🎧 or Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/427IBzY04962bmkudw0O82?si=dacff274d7234b36
🎥 Watch the full conversation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ehjJ-KN0Bcg?si=VZkFP2x1KD1pQg-X

IUCN IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

29/07/2026

🐯 This International Tiger Day, we’re asking: is tiger conservation working? 🐯

Explore the answer in the latest episode of the WildCats podcast:

🎥 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ehjJ-KN0Bcg
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/427IBzY04962bmkudw0O82
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wildcats-podcast/id1604877085?i=1000778704245

In this episode, we’re joined by Luke Hunter, Executive Director of the Conservation Society's Big Cats Program, to discuss the first IUCN Green Status Assessment of the tiger. We cover what the assessment reveals about the state of tiger recovery and what the future could hold.

The tiger is currently classified as Critically Depleted, with a recovery score of just 14%. But there is also real cause for hope. Conservation efforts have already made a significant difference, and tiger populations are beginning to recover in several parts of their range.

Luke explains where recovery is happening, why progress varies so widely between regions, and how tigers could one day return to parts of their former range through natural recolonisation and carefully planned reintroductions.

IUCN IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

06/07/2026

In Nepal’s Parsa National Park, a single camera-trap image helped trigger a rapid response to prevent human–tiger conflict.

When a real-time monitoring camera captured a tigress with two cubs close to forest-edge communities, conservation teams had just eight days before Dashain, a major festival when local forest use was expected to increase.

Using tiger identification, risk mapping and a local network of trained community volunteers, the team moved quickly to share safety information in the settlements most at risk helping protect both people and tigers before conflict occurred.

Read the full story: https://conservewildcats.org/2026/07/03/tigress-nepal/

ZSL

Real-time camera traps helped conservation teams in Nepal respond quickly after a tigress with cubs was recorded near forest-edge communities before a Hindu festival.

03/07/2026

Deep in tiger territory with our ZSL Nepal family we’re using drones for good 🐅

During a recent visit to Parsa National Park, I joined…

Sunjeep, Prachanda and Sandeep, my ZSL Nepal colleagues and good friends.

In the dry months, riverbeds that once provided water for tigers and their prey run dry in Parsa.

As we crossed one of these dry rivers in the Bolero, the importance of careful habitat management was clear.

Managed waterholes can provide vital sustenance for wildlife during these challenging months.

As tiger numbers grow in Parsa, this kind of work helps ensure tigers have the resources they need inside the protected area.

This reduces the risk of them straying into nearby communities and helping protect both people and wildlife.

Using drone surveys, the team can map key areas, monitor habitat conditions and help identify where management is needed most.

This information is all scientifically mapped with a variety of other factors like human settlement locations, community forests entry points and camera trap data.

We are proud to support and work alongside colleagues who know this landscape so deeply and are committed to keeping tigers, prey and people safe.

01/07/2026

It's one week until young Alexander takes on his run for WildCats Conservation Alliance. Please give him your support! Just Giving link in the post below.

Fundraiser highlight!

Eleven-year-old Alexander, also known as Simba, is taking on a 10 km run in support of WildCats Conservation Alliance.

Alexander is passionate about helping animals threatened by poaching, deforestation and climate change, especially endangered Amur leopards and tigers.

Please support Alexander’s challenge and help protect these incredible cats in the wild >
https://www.justgiving.com/page/alexandra-farr-3?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

07/06/2026

In 2025, WildCats Conservation Alliance support helped Wildlife Vets International and Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology - DICE continue developing an affordable, easy-to-use test for Canine Distemper Virus, a serious disease threat to tigers, leopards and other carnivores.

The project has successfully produced safe, lab-made versions of key CDV proteins, allowing scientists to test for antibodies linked to past exposure without handling the live virus. Early work on an ELISA test showed the method could detect antibodies, but only at very high concentrations, so the team explored alternative approaches.

Trials using dot blot technology produced stronger results, with clearer detection in CDV-positive samples, suggesting this may be a more effective route. Lateral flow tests, similar to COVID test kits, were also explored, but did not yet show strong enough results.

Although further development is needed before validation can begin, the project has made important progress towards a practical diagnostic tool that could help conservation teams detect CDV, understand how it spreads, and guide strategies to protect vulnerable wild big cats.

It is important to support all angles of conservation, from in-situ direct work in the landscape to ex-situ work which can help the teams on the ground. You can contribute to this vital support by donating today > https://conservewildcats.org/donate/

06/06/2026

In 2025, WildCats Conservation Alliance support helped the Wildlife Conservation Society continue vital work to protect Amur tigers and leopards across the Amur region, supporting conservation efforts in Northeast China and the Russian Far East.

In Russia, camera traps were deployed across 133 locations to monitor Amur leopards, while surveys recorded the highest levels of wild boar abundance in the study area since African Swine Fever arrived in 2020, an encouraging sign for prey recovery. The team also identified 10 potential wildlife crossings along a key highway, with six sites assessed using camera traps. These crossings recorded six independent detections of Amur tigers, providing important evidence to support future habitat connectivity work.

In China, community patrol teams carried out 204 daily patrols, covering 1,276 km and removing 54 large snares. New community patrol teams were also established, with local rangers trained in conflict prevention and response. Outreach activities reached 150 people, while flares were distributed to help communities respond safely and non-lethally to tiger and leopard encounters.

This cross-border work is helping improve habitat connectivity, reduce threats, and support coexistence with Amur tigers and leopards across one of their most important landscapes.

Donate today to help us get vital funds to project like these > https://conservewildcats.org/donate/

05/06/2026

In 2025, WildCats Conservation Alliance support helped Thailand and WCC-Wildlife Crime Intelligence Center ศูนย์ข่าวกรองอาชญากรรมสัตว์ป่า strengthen efforts to tackle the illegal online trade of tigers across Thailand.

As wildlife crime increasingly moves online, the project focused on improving digital monitoring, intelligence sharing, and collaboration with law enforcement. A central intelligence database was created to securely bring together information from partners, while monitoring expanded across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to help detect changing trafficking methods.

The team identified 74 online tiger advertisements and 13 individual tigers offered for sale on illegal sites. Six intelligence reports linked to cross-border trade are now under active investigation by law enforcement, helping build a clearer picture of trafficking networks.

Alongside this, 39 Thai law enforcement officers received training in digital forensics and open-source intelligence, improving their ability to analyse online activity and wildlife crime evidence.

This work is helping authorities detect, investigate and disrupt illegal tiger trade, protecting wild tigers from one of the most serious threats to their survival.

Please help us continue to tackle the increasing problem of online tiger trade by making a donation today > https://conservewildcats.org/donate/