Saving the Big Cats
Photos Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel
On July 2, Moscow’s Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel hosted a tea party to
celebrate the launch of Club 485, the Russo-British charity AMUR’s latest
initiative to help save the Amur tigers and leopards of Russia’s Far East from
extinction. The club’s name is a reference to the small number of these majestic
animals remaining in the Siberian wild — 450 tigers and 35 leopards — and each
membership represents one of these animals. With its 450 “tiger” memberships
($500 apiece) and 35 “leopard” memberships ($1000 apiece), the club hopes to
raise $300,000 annually, or 25 percent of the funds necessary each year to protect
the cats and their habitats. AMUR’s preservation activities include awareness
and education campaigns in Russia and Europe as well as field projects such
as fire fighting teams, research, veterinary work, and animal-protection efforts
in cooperation with local hunters. Since its establishment in 2001, AMUR has
donated over $500,000 to its conservation work, thanks in part to such corporate
sponsors as Land Rover, KPMG, and A1 (Alfa Group).
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