Cathrine & Lizaene - Founders
Rescued white lion
Panthera is a big cat sanctuary situated near Hermanus in the Cape Province, South Africa.
Founders Lizaene Cornwall and Catherine Nyquist had both witnessed first-hand the horrors of lions and other big cats being bred in captivity for commercial purposes. Mainly for tourism experiences – cub petting, walking with lions etc. but also for the unbelievably cruel industry of canned hunting. This experience motivated them to set up Panthera in 2014, a sanctuary where animals rescued from these industries could be placed and given a second chance at a life worth living.
Today they have 28 cats in their care including leopards, lions, tigers, cheetahs, servals, caracals and a jackal. On visiting Panthera the dedication, love and respect for these animals was inspirational.
What Panthera Africa does
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Provide life-time care for rescued big cats in their custom-built sanctuary
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Raise awareness of issues surrounding keeping big cats in captivity through sanctuary visits, volunteer programmes and educational outreach activities
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Work in collaboration with other key organisations who also address issues relating to captive wildlife
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How Olsen Animal Trust helps
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Provided support for the sanctuary during difficult Covid era and during 2021
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Became a significant seed funder for the building of their new veterinary facility which opened in November 2021
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Extended a grant for the development a solar project to provide reliable, off-grid power for the sanctuary
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Project Images - hover over for details
Canned hunting
Tiger & lion bone trade
Breeding farms in South Africa
Cub petting
Circus exploitation
Grim zoo conditions
Unsuitable pets
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New veterinary clinic
Specialist vet at work
Vital health checks
For further information on the work of Panthera Africa please visit www.pantheraafrica.com