The full convention blasts off on Thursday evening with the icebreaker appetizer and cocktail hour, followed by the membership meeting.  Convention registration in Brighton Towers opens that afternoon. Arrive early and visit with members and their kittens.

Friday, July 25 be enthralled with a special tour to T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species), the home facility of Bhagavan (Doc) Antle.  Watch a video clip of the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve.

Doc is world renowned for his trained animal performances on dozens of television shows and films. We’ll meet many of the inhabitants of T.I.G.E.R.S., including orangutan, monkey, birds of prey, elephant, Siberian lynx and regular, white, tabby and the ultra rare snow white tiger. We'll watch adult tigers chase lures. 

Saturday will kick off with a super line-up of interesting and informative speakers including Dan Stockdale, respected conservationist, media spokesperson, tiger trainer, and president of Leadership Conservation Institute.  Dan has been quoted in the national press and interviewed by national TV news shows like CNN and FOX, on subjects as varied as Tatiana's escape from the San Fransisco Zoo, to the accidental death of Steve Irwin.  As a sought-after animal issues expert, Dan can teach us how to deal with the media, and improve our public presentations.

And we are honored to have international naturalist, Nigel Marven, a regular host on Animal Planet and Discovery channel shows, joining us. Nigel just finished his production of Jaguar Adventure with Nigel Marven. Airing now on British television, this fantastic six-part series was filmed in the swamps of Brazil. Watch a video clip of Nigel's Jaguar Adventure. Nigel spends at least eight months a year filming in nature's wildest locations. Nigel began as a researcher on David Attenborough’s First Eden series about the Mediterranean region. Watch Nigel on Reptiles TV.com explain his start in documentary TV. 

FCF Conservation advisor Dr. Jim Sanderson, Ph.D., founder of Small Cat Conservation Alliance, will return with an update on his world travels in search of rare felines. From South America to Southeast Asia, Jim is a man with a mission; to document rare cats in their habitat, to advise nation's on their conservation status, and to provide information to the research and natural resource management community to better protect these vanishing felines.

Check back for updates on other exciting speakers.

Saturday night brings the gala FCF banquet, awards ceremony and live auction. Support the conservation work of the FCF by donating and bidding on the feline related items in the silent and live auction.

Convention registration fee is $225 per person. All villas are now reserved and FCF has only a couple of two bedroom villas available. The special FCF Convention Villa rate is $155 for one bedroom, $225 for 2 bedrooms and $285 for three bedrooms.  Contact Carolyne Clendinden, membership services at membershipservices@felineconservation.org to see about possible villa sharing or to reserve a two bedroom villa.

For more information on the convention and hotel, contact Kevin Chambers, FCF Convention Chairman, at treasurer@felineconservation.org