Wildlife Heritage Foundation with Wild Arena Photographic Workshops  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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 Victoria jumping over her pond If you enjoy seeing big cats and also enjoy taking pictures of them, one of the best ways of doing this is by visiting the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in the heart of the Kent countryside. The Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF) is a UK-based charity working hard to ensure that the big cat species of the world are protected from extinction. It’s a very sad fact that some of the beautiful animals you see here are critically endangered in the wild, so the breeding programme that many of the animals are involved in is vital to ensure their long-term survival.
I last visited here three years ago so I was keen to visit once more to see the changes in the place and also the new additions. When I was last here in 2006 it was hoped, for example, that two of the Sumatran Tigers Nias and Puna would breed successfully. In July 2008 two beautiful male cubs Asu and Babwa were born to Puna and when we saw them they were fast approuching the size of their mother but still very playful.
Other cats I remember very well from my previous visit were the Amur Leopards. This stunning species is the world’s most endangered cat. It is estimated that only 35 are left in the wild. Since my previous visit the two male cats I met last time Artur and Artem have been joined by a female Xizi. Xizi and Artur successfully bred and two very lively cubs Argun and Anuy were born on the 12th October 2008. Just like the tiger cubs they have grown fast and it was hard to tell them apart. They are very agile, fast cats and think nothing of climbing the wire mesh of their enclosures.
The WHF is not open to the public but on certain days hold photographic open days and we booked on ours with Wild Arena, who run Photographic & Wildlife Workshops. Our visit was to last all afternoon and into the evening with a BBQ followed by some free time to visit the cats once more and perhaps have the chance to capture them in the evening light. Our afternoon started with a safety talk and we were shown some “tiger artwork” too. A barrel and a piece of steel that were both full of teeth and claw marks. These were reminders, if we needed them, that these animals are still wild and even if they seemed like sleepy cats this particular day they are still very dangerous. Unlike at a zoo you do not stay behind safety barriers, so there is just two-inch mesh between you and the animals.
 Tamair  Amur Tiger cub
The cats are extremely well looked after and we were accompanied for the afternoon by not only the Wild Arena staff but also by Becky, the Head Keeper. It was her job to see if she could get the cats interested in titbits of meat so they could show their best photographic side. We weren’t to know it was going to be quite as hot as it was on the day we visited, however. With temperatures approaching 30°C it really was too hot for us to feel comfortable being out in the sun, and all the cats really wanted to do was sleep, but Becky did her best to encourage them.
Our first pair of cats was Victoria and Valentina, a stunning pair of female Pumas. Their enclosure was really photogenic too and out of all the pictures I took during the afternoon the ones taken here certainly had the best backgrounds. Victoria has a trick of jumping over her pool so Becky encouraged her to do this while all the photographers tried to catch her mid-jump. Several pictures ended up with just tails or with Victoria out of focus, but the Wild Arena people were on hand to offer some advice on how to get the perfect picture of her.
The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting several more cats but just like us they were feeling the heat and it was very welcome when it was time for the BBQ and we could get out of the heat of the sun for a while. Once we had finished our meal, however, we were back out once more and as it was now a bit cooler the cats were far more active. The first ones we visited this time were the Amur Leopards, but not before we had had an extra safety talk. These animals are truly beautiful but vicious and would think nothing of getting their claws through the mesh of the cage if they took a fancy to something. So we were told to be extra careful here and if the cat seemed to be close to you, then just step back and give it some space. This proved quite hard as it wasn’t always easy to keep your eye on where Xizi and the two cubs were exactly. They are the most stunning animals and I can’t think of anywhere else you get such a wonderful view of this critically endangered animal.
 Amur Leopard  Pepo
The day ended with a chance for us all to visit all the cats except the Amur Leopards in our own time and be able to catch them in the lovely evening light. I headed straight back to Pepo, the male Cheetah who I remembered so well from my last visit. This lovely cat has now retired from the breeding programme but will remain here. There is something about his eyes that I find really captivating.
If you think you may need lots of expensive photographic equipment to get good pictures of these animals then it think again because I’ve included some pictures in the gallery taken by Nigel on his compact Panasonic camera. Because he had no problem fitting the lens through the bars of the cage he has many really good pictures too.
The Wildlife Heritage foundation really is an amazing place to visit and I’ve no doubt in time we will want to return once more.
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