Big Cat Odyssey Opens Our Eyes

I was enthralled while watching the breathtaking cinematography of Big Cat Odyssey.

Award-winning National Geographic explorers and filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert created the series, which is presently on the Nat Geo Channel as part of Big Cat Week, a week-long celebration of big cats in the wild.

I was riveted to the first episode, even brought to tears as the impending doom these big cats face was revealed.

Some Big Cats Have Already Been Lost Forever

Already lost to our planet forever are: the Cape Lion, extinct since the 1860s; the Barbary Lion, extinct since the early 1920s; the Bali Tiger, extinct since the late 1930s; the Caspian Tiger, extinct during the 1950s; and the Javan Tiger, extinct since the 1970s.

An Initiative to Save Big Cats

Thankfully, National Geographic Society has started the Big Cat Initiative, a long-term commitment to save lions, tigers, cheetahs and other big cats around the world from extinction.

"Right now there are 20,000 lions left in the wild and about 3,000 cheetahs. There are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild," says Geoff Daniels, senior vice president of Nat Geo Wild and National Geographic Channel International. "In about 10 years, if we do nothing at all to preserve their habitat and stop poaching, they could all be gone."

National Geographic's Big Cat Initiative hopes to prevent this disaster by preserving habitats, putting an end to poaching and making people aware of the situation.

Saving Big Cats is Our Responsibility

We have reached the tipping point. We, the caretakers of animals, are the ones who have disrupted the balance of nature. In order to preserve the delicate balance of nature on which our planet depends, we must quickly find answers or face the tragic disappearance of the incredible wild big feline species.

To learn more about the dilemma big cats in the wild are facing, watch this short, compelling video uploaded to YouTube by ajmithra.

What concerns do you have about the threat of big cats living in the wild going extinct? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Image Source: Flickr user manager_2000