With Felis, we make it a point to visit our diverse projects around the world. We believe it's crucial to demonstrate our support and appreciation to our local partners and communities by being there in person. Beyond expressing our support, these visits provide invaluable insights into local challenges, helping us better understand the situation and identify potential needs.
As you read earlier, Sophie and Manuel visited India, connecting with the people of Shergaon and meeting the project managers of WTI. Recently, Ruben undertook a journey to the Patagonian Cat project in Argentina alongside our partner Mauro Lucherini. The primary objective of this project is to determine the presence of Pampas cats, Geoffroy’s cats, and Pumas in Patagonia, as there is still limited knowledge about their distribution in this region.
Over a span of two weeks, Mauro, with the assistance of Diego Procopio and accompanied by Thamara Farinas, guided Ruben through the work they are doing in the Puerto Deseado area, where their operations are currently based. Project activities include visiting schools to educate about wildlife and deploying camera traps to monitor cat populations. Given that almost the entire Patagonia region consists of privately owned sheep farms, farm visits are essential for installing camera traps. During these visits, Mauro and Diego inquire with farmers about cat sightings and assess any livestock predation issues – the primary driver for carnivore persecution in the region.
We spent multiple days in the field, checking and relocating camera traps in the vast surroundings of Puerto Deseado. At times, this meant staying several days on remote farms because the sheer size of Patagonia makes traveling back to Puerto Deseado impractical.
This experience made Felis realize the immense task that the Patagonian Cat project has taken on and the resources they need to succeed, especially in terms of acquiring more camera traps.
During this visit, Ruben contributed by bringing six camera traps to the Patagonian Cat project, and later, volunteers added another two traps from Felis. This brings the current tally of donated camera traps to 12. It's heartening to witness the direct impact of our support and to see the tangible contribution Felis is making to conservation efforts on the ground.
We have found a solid and reliable partner in Mauro and Diego with this project and they are doing excellent work. Because of how much work they have in this project they can use all the help they can get. If you are interested in supporting this project or want to learn more please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.