THE RIDGEWAY TRUST FOR ENDANGERED CATS

THE PET TRADE

Wild cats are just that, wild, and they do not make good pets. More than that, they are protected by law, and this trade is illegal. But that doesn't mean that in many countries in Latin America you won't see them for sale.

Kittens as young as three weeks old are captured to be sold as "pets". Most of these are margays, but some ocelots are taken. Their mothers are shot. Many of the orphans also die. Often they are fed an inappropriate diet, such as tortillas, which results in crippling bone deformities. They are shut in tiny cages, poked with sticks for amusement, and when they become too big and aggressive they are finally dumped, often at the local zoos which lack resources to care for them all. Central American zoos are full of sad results of this trade.

Solo, a ten-month-old margay we saw on a recent trip through Mexico and Guatemala, was the saddest yet. The previous week he had been handed in to a zoo, and was still completely traumatised. Imprisoned in a tiny birdcage, his reaction whenever he saw a human was to cringe in a corner and let out a wailing growl. In his short life he had known nothing but abuse, and merely trying to put food or water in the cage makes him panic. Unable to be returned to the wild, his future will be as a zoo exhibit.

Legislation is in place to prevent this trade, but all too often there are no resources to implement it. Very few rescue and rehabilitation centres exist in Central America.

Rescue

LiFeline will work against the trade in illegal pets and build facilities to take in rescued "pet" cats. With proper diet and healthcare these abused animals do recover. Although most of them are not suitable for return to the wild we can give them the next best thing - spacious natural enclosures in their native forest.

We already have some rescued cats at our headquarters in the UK, but the work needs to be done out there. There is no rescue centre for wild cats, so nowhere for the authorities to place them if they were confiscated. The first stage will be to set up facilities to take in rescued cats. We then aim through education and pressuring the authorities, to make sure legislation is enforced to protect them.