ONGOING

The Sanctuary Project: South Africa

By far the greatest threat to lions all over the world is human encroachment and expansion. We have destroyed and co-opted 94% of their historic range. This means less available prey to feed existing populations, interruption of migratory routes, increased human wildlife conflict, poaching, trophy hunting, & bushmeat are all secondary causes of the rapid decline of lion populations.

Decreased lion populations lead to increased inbreeding and lack of strong genetic diversity. We have already driven 5 subspecies of lion to extinction - (Cave Lion, American Lion, Barbary Lion, European Lion and Cape Lion) and are on the brink of a 6th, the Asiatic Lion.

Human expansion has also driven down the amount of captive territory we afford; the cost of land and the cost of protecting those habitats is often unsustainable.

While we can’t give them back all that’s been lost, we CAN improve on how we care for captive populations by providing more naturalistic enclosures and engaging local communities in the desire to protect, rather than hunt them. We can improve breeding programs through genetic testing. We can power their enclosures with renewable energy instead of expensive fossil fuels. We can breed prey ourselves so we don’t have to outsource their food supply. Combined with protecting the last remaining wild spaces on this earth, we can educate and encourage current and future generations to shift focus back towards what we GIVE our top predators, rather than what we can get out of them. 

The Sanctuary will be home to our 16 lions, employees, volunteers, and guests. The Sanctuary will be a self-sustaining community comprised of an education center for both in person and virtual workshops, 4 community gardens, a solar farm and grid, and rainwater harvesting technology for those who live here as well as the greater community during times of drought or natural disaster relief. This will be our hub for teaching the world on how to coexist with lion, man, community, and the planet. The Sanctuary will be a model sustainable community that can be replicated anywhere in the world. Through the utilization of sustainable housing, renewable energy sources and community farming, we can direct the Foundation’s profits into our animals and employees by adding new services, rescuing more animals, accommodating more tourists and volunteers, and providing better salaries and career advancement and educational opportunities for our staff.

Educational Workshops: USA 

The goal to be achieved is to raise awareness for the plight of lions worldwide, improve the lives of lions in captivity, and support initiatives in sustainability and community development. Through education, modeling and practice, we promote three main objectives to the public: The preservation and protection of big cats and wildlife around the world, introducing affordable ways to become self-sustaining, and also educating the community on farming for a healthier and greener lifestyle. Where we differ from many organizations is through our holistic approach to tackling these issues. Instead of addressing one issue globally, we are addressing the issue of how to create thriving, scalable mini-ecosystems, anywhere, that benefit not only the community, but the planet. One Cat’s goal is to have The Sanctuary become 100% self sustaining with water, shelter, food, energy (including transportation), finances, and community within 4 years (year 2025). One Cat US has partnered with Project Green Schools, and is now partnered with 6,400 schools nation wide reaching 500,000 students for our upcoming educational virtual tours of The Sanctuary.

The One Cat Community Farm will be able to sustain 100 people in the community. This Community Farm will be open to the public with a Public Education Center that will be run on solar and rainwater harvesting. The Community Education Center will house a public library to aid their gardening and sustainability skills. The program will outreach to the local schools to participate in learning affordable and easy farming tips that they can bring home. 

Our Community Educational Programs are workshops open to the public and tourists. The workshops will be hosted in our education centers and focus on the preservation and protection of big cats and wildlife around the world, introducing affordable ways to become self-sustaining, how-to’s on water harvesting, filtration and recycling, various indoor and outdoor organic growing techniques, & opportunities for community members to plant and harvest on our farm.

Our School Educational Program allows virtual and in-person visits to the most reputable endangered animal sanctuaries in the US and The Sanctuary in South Africa. Get up close and personal, even from far away, to some of the world’s most fascinating animals, through online learning experiences and interactive Q&A sessions. Our network of partners and teachers reaches 500,000 students in 6,400 schools nationwide and across the globe, and growing!

Harvested Rainwater Catchment caught from the education center, offices, and employee homes will be both utilized onsite and filtered for animals, employees, and guests along with being stored and distributed for community disaster relief.