Mission

Leopard

Mission: Conservation of wild felines through educational opportunities, responsible ownership and advocacy.

Vision: To bridge the gap between professional zoos and private institutions to strengthen the genetic diversity of felines within zoological settings.

Purpose: To support our members by offering resources that are current and progressive that promote optimal welfare and safety.

Education: Through award winning Journals, professional development courses, access to professional members via mentorship program and educational presentations and networking at annual conference, education is key to feline sustainability.

Conservation: Members have access to ex-situ and in-situ conservation grants, members’ captive felines are part of a feline species database, and members have opportunities to participate in real world conservation projects all over the world; conservation of felids is what we do.

Advocacy: We have partnered with A federal affairs firm in Washington, DC that has created a strategy to protect the rights of our members and supports our mission on capital hill.

Feline Ownership Position Statement

The FCF supports responsible licensed members whose values and ethics align with the organization’s mission and supports conservation of wild felids. We do not support unlicensed individual’s owning big cats.

Feline Breeding Position Statement

The FCF supports responsible breeding of captive-born wild felids when there is a value in reproduction for education, conservation, and genetic diversity. There should be a plan in place for whole life care by the breeding facility.

Free Contact With Big Cats Position Statement

The FCF believes it is up to an individual owner whether or not they are going to implement free or protected contact with their wild cats. The FCF recognizes the levels of risk inherent in any type of contact with wild cats of any size, and strongly supports professional training in operant conditioning for anyone working with these animals, especially big cats. The FCF strongly supports the use of operant conditioning training focused on alleviating the stress that may be caused by normal husbandry practices and discourages training that is focused on behaviors not related to those natural to the animal.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Feline Conservation Foundation strongly believes that we need a diverse community involved in all aspects of this organization to save the world’s felines. We strive to create an inclusive environment for anyone who wishes to participate in FCF efforts, and conservation in general, and value inclusion and equity in all of our initiatives and programs.

We are proud to work with passionate people from various backgrounds and experiences who want to make a difference in feline management, care, education, conservation, and research. We welcome people of all backgrounds, skill levels, and perspectives who are dedicated to the conservation of felines, wildlife, and the environment. We provide many opportunities for all people to gain experience, training, and education in this field. Through our programs, we aim to further create a diverse network of environmental stewards. We also aim to improve our organization’s cultural competency, increase inclusion, engage the widest audience possible, and recruit partners, staff, volunteers, members, candidates for Board of Directors, and interns with different social and cultural characteristics, including but not limited to race, color, ethnic heritage, class, religion, geography, gender identity, orientation, mental/physical ability, and age.