Alianza Gato Andino

by Michael
(London, UK)

I would like to tell people about the Alianza Gato Andino AGA, which is an international initiative that involves 40 researchers, educators and students. These people come from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, the countries where the Andean cat is found and they give their time without charge to this fantastic cause. They are wonderful people concerned about this special wild cat species. Their mission can be simply stated as:

..the conservation and long term maintenance of the Andean cat population and its habitat including the development of a harmonious relationship between the Andean cat and local communities..

Above: Andean cat - photos from top and clockwise Jim Sanderson PhD, PoC, Wikipedia Commons.

Alianza Gato Andino activities are wide ranging. They use every means at their disposal to meet their objective. These include:

• education of the local people
• education at children level
• the setting up of park rangers to better manage the remaining population of the Andean cat
• securing the cooperation and involvement of government technicians
• instigating field research on the diet of this rare wild cat
• research on the prey of the Andean cat
• research on the competition to the Andean cat of other carnivores

The Alianza Gato Andino has:

• completed genetic studies
• assessed conservation threats
• lobbied for an increase in protected areas
• completed radio tracking and ecological studies

The Alianza Gato Andino is vital to the survival of the Andean cat and they are doing great work. They are a fine example of international cooperation in conservation.

I would hope people will visit their website to learn more about this cat and perhaps other pages on this website as well. Here are the links:

• AGA website (new window)
• Andean Cat
• From Alianza Gato Andino to Andean Cat Range
• Andean Cat Conservation and Monitoring Center
• We Drop Rocks on Andean Mountain Cats

I would also ask people to think about a small donation to AGA. Thanks for visiting this page.