Saving lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and other big cats in the wild

The Problem

        Big cats worldwide are under threat—for many populations, local extinctions are imminent. As few as 3,000 tigers, 7,500 snow leopards, 10,000 cheetahs, and 30,000 lions likely remain in the wild. They are victims of habitat loss and degradation as well as conflicts with humans.

The Solution

       Big Cats Initiative is taking action now to assure big cats in the wild are not gone forever. Partnering with some of the world’s leading big cat experts, the Big Cats Initiative funds on-the-ground research and innovative conservation projects to protect our planet’s top felines.

About the Big Cats Initiative

National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative was founded in 2009 with Dereck and Beverly Joubert—filmmakers, conservationists, and explorers-in-residence—as a long-term effort to halt the decline of big cats in the wild. The Big Cats Initiative supports efforts to save big cats through assessment, on-the-ground conservation, education, and a global public-awareness campaign to shine a light on this issue called "Cause an Uproar," launched in partnership with Nat Geo WILD. With your support, the Big Cats Initiative has funded over 80 grants across more than 25 countries. See where in the world we're supporting on-the-ground research and conservation to help save big cats in the wild.

Populations of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top felines are declining at an alarming rate. They are victims of habitat loss and degradation as well as conflicts with humans. In response, National Geographic, with filmmakers, conservationists, and Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert, launched the Big Cats Initiative in 2009, a comprehensive program that supports on-the-ground conservation and education projects combined with a global public-awareness campaign.