AfriCat was founded in 1991 on Okonjima Farm in Central Namibia (though officially registered as a non-profit organisation in 1993) whose mission was to contribute to the long term conservation of Namibia’s large carnivores. AfriCat was created as a result of information gained on Okonjima when it was still a cattle farm losing calves to leopards and the desire and urgent need of sharing this information with fellow farmers. The consequent contact with numerous farmers and AfriCat’s exposure led to the rescue of many trapped large carnivores. Since 1993, 1080 of these predators were rescued. Over 85% were released back into the wild. However, despite concerted efforts, few farmers adopted the tried & tested solutions suggested by AfriCat and AfriCat soon became the easy way out – 'problem' cheetahs and leopards were caught in cage traps and AfriCat was called to collect! AfriCat was soon faced with a dilemma – what to do with the cheetahs and leopards taken off these farms? All rescued animals were first carefully examined. The cats that were fit and not too stressed were released as soon as possible if a suitable place was available. All the others i.e. the orphans, the injured, the weak and the old were taken to the AfriCat Carnivore Care Centre, where, if necessary, a veterinarian was consulted. Over time, the resultant number of 'captive' carnivores increased while the options for release decreased! Food and medical care costs rose to astronomical amounts! Fortunately thanks to Okonjima and AfriCat supporters funding was sourced for their continued upkeep. The problem, however, remained that with the calls from farmers, the numbers of carnivores at AfriCat’s Carnivore Care Centre continued to grow. In essence, detracting from our mission statement, 'to keep wild carnivores wild'! AfriCat has grown significantly since its inception and has over the years identified the need to include a focus on education, community support, research and rehabilitation as being essential to accomplishing our new mission: to make a SIGNIFICANT contribution to CONSERVATION through EDUCATION while still striving towards the long term survival of Namibia’s predators in their natural habitat. The newly completed (May 2010) OKONJIMA NATURE RESERVE is now dedicated to environmental education and to the research and rehabilitation of captive carnivores.