E-letter, March 2007

CCF Supporters' E-Letter
March 2007

Dr. Laurie Marker's Field Notes
March 2007

Dear Cheetah Friend,

As I begin to travel once again in the U.S., UK and Europe this spring, I want to share with you just a few things that have happened since the beginning of the year. Our efforts to help save the wild cheetah continue unabated. Our staff in Namibia, Kenya and the US is working more than full time to make a difference for the future of this most special cat. In Namibia, several more cheetahs have come in from farmers over the last couple of months. Most of them were released back into the wild, while some were orphans and are now living at CCF; you will soon be able to meet them at our Cheetah Sponsorship web page as they, too, will need your support.Incidentally, the 2006 CCF's Annual Report is now available online. Visit our Progress Reports web page to review it.

CCF in Namibia

Art and Susan at the Guest Cottage Dedication As you know we welcome visitors to CCF from all over the world who come for the day and to stay longer.

We are pleased to announce the dedication of the Art Babson Guest Cottage, on CCF grounds adjacent to our Educational Centre. This cottage was dedicated to Art Babson, a member of the CCF U.S. Board of Directors, by his wife Susan Babson, a CCF U.S. Trustee, on the occasion of Art's 80th birthday.

The Babsons have gifted the guest cottage to CCF in the hope that many of you will make the trip to Namibia to see the important pioneering work taking place everyday at CCF and stay at the cottage. We hope you will have an opportunity to come and stay at this beautiful place. For availability and rates, please e-mail ccfstaff@iway.na.

In mid-February, our 31 CCF resident cheetahs underwent their annual medical workups under the guidance of CCF veterinarian Dr. Arthur Bagot-Smith, who recently retired, and veterinarian Dr. Carlos Sanchez from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.

Each cheetah underwent an endoscopy as part of our ongoing study on gastritis in captive cheetahs. Most of our cheetahs came through with no signs of irritation on their stomach lining.

During the workups, 15 of our resident cheetahs from different age groups were chosen to be a part of a study by Dr. Sanchez to try and access a reliable method of diagnosing renal failure in captive cheetahs at an early stage. Renal failure is considered the leading cause of death in captive cheetahs.

All of our cats recovered beautifully and are back running semi-wild in their enclosures. Famer assisting with cheetah workup.

Farmer training courses are again underway at CCF's Education and Research Centre with CCF's project partner Agra. A practical farming training course for farm workers was held 5-9 March and will be presented again 16-20 April.

Ambassador Iipumbu, a board member of CCF Namibia, complimented Agra on this worthwhile investment in Namibia's agricultural sector. One participant from last year said that it was the most enlightening course he had ever attended, while for the majority of participants it was the first time they had ever had the opportunity to attend and fully participate in a formal training program.

Farmers who sent their workers to the course reported that they were impressed by the practical knowledge gained. This year 20 training courses are planned, targeting 500 farmers and land users in the livestock-farming sector of Namibia.

New pups litter born in November. CCF's Livestock Guarding Dog Programme continues to be as popular as ever, with many farmers on our waiting list to receive a puppy. A litter of seven Kangal-Mongrel puppies born last November was placed in January on communal and commercial farmlands. These dogs are doing an excellent job helping cheetahs to avoid conflict with livestock farmers.

During the first week of March, Otjiwarongo children painted three 5m-long pieces of fabric with cheetah images and other designs inspired by local nature and wildlife to help United States fashion designer, Jordan, create a unique piece of fashion to raise funds for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Cheetah Fabric created by Otjiwarongo Children Two fabric panels were painted by students from the Otjiwarongo Arts Centre, among them children from the Joy Centre Orphanage as well as local children and youths who attend the Centre on weekday afternoons. A third piece of fabric was decorated by the learners of the Rogate Primary School in Otjiwarongo.

As I am about to leave for the U.S., I will take fabrics to Jordan. Jordan has invented the Billboard Coat, a unique piece of clothing, created to raise awareness for issues and causes that need public support. The children's designs will the transferred onto silk and Jordan will create a unique, bias-cut coat from it which CCF can use to raise funds for its research, education and conservation work by either auctioning the coat or making it available to ladies who will wear it to functions and pay for the privilege. Jordan's unique CCF coat is bound to be a talking point wherever it is being worn.

CCF in Kenya

East African Scientists in Kenya In February, I travelled to Kenya and attended two important workshops along with Senior Research Assistant Mary Wykstra, who is based in Kenya, to develop range-wide priority conservation plans for the cheetah and the African wild dog. Mary is doing a fantastic job!

We worked in collaboration with the Canid and Cat Specialist Groups of IUCN, and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to initiate a process for cheetah and wild dogs together, drawing on the synergies between the two species as they have very similar conservation requirements. The aim was to:

Identify priority sites for the conservation of wild dogs and cheetahs.
Foster appreciation for the need to conserve wild dogs and cheetahs, particularly at priority sites, among conservation practitioners in range states.
Develop local capacity to conserve cheetahs and wild dogs by implementing conservation action.
Encourage policymakers to incorporate wild dogs' and cheetahs' conservation requirements into land use planning at both national and regional scales.
Prepare specific global and national conservation action plans for both cheetahs and wild dogs.
Collate information on wild dog and cheetah distribution and abundance in an updateable database.

Following the weeklong regional workshop the plan was presented to the Kenya Wildlife Service for their national planning.

While in Kenya, I attended the inaugural meeting of the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT), an initiative started by the Bureau of Oceans and International Scientific And Environmental Affairs, the U.S. Dept. of State. Secretary Claudia McMurray chaired the meeting.

CCF in India

Wildlife Trust of India Workshop Group In January, I was invited to be a part of a Human-Leopard Conflict Management Workshop hosted by the Wildlife Trust of India. Due to a shrinking habitat, the leopard population of India is facing escalating conflict with humans.

The leopards are "straying" into populated areas of the country leading to both human deaths and retaliatory killings as well as the capture of leopards by the public. The Indian governmental agencies charged with monitoring the leopards have very little training and few policies that can assist them in addressing the human-wildlife interaction. This workshop was designed to put some programs in place that will help resolve some of the problems.

It is clear that many of the educational community-based initiatives that CCF has created over the years, if implemented in India, would greatly assist the government in saving the lives of people, leopards and the highly endangered tiger.

Young CCF Scientists visit the U.S.

CCF's Senior Research Assistant Ezekiel Fabiano travelled to the U.S. for the first time to attend a genetics course at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in January. The course was sponsored by the American Genetics Association, and directed by our CCF U.S. Chair Dr. Stephen O'Brien, Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity and the Section of Genomics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 20 young scientists from 16 countries attended the course to solve problems affecting humans and other species in the field of genetics.

Following the course, Fabiano gave talks to the Brookfield Zoo and participated in CCF Chapter meetings in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He also had an opportunity to exchange views with and learn from scientists and colleagues at Princeton University, North Carolina State University, the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Centre, NIH, and Conservation International. Fabiano, and all of us at CCF, thank everyone who opened their arms to him during this first trip to the U.S.

Speaking of CCF's scientists visiting the U.S., many of you who know Matti Nghikembua, Senior Research Assistant, will be happy to know that he will visiting the U.S. in April to attend an Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) conference in Florida. He will also go to Ohio and several other cities and states for talks and to meet with associates and cheetah supporters. Please keep an eye on CCF's Events and Tour Calendar for information on his schedule.

U.S. and Europe Spring Travels

My travels this spring are taking me to Florida to attend and speak at the first Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Summit being held at White Oak on 16-19 March. Also, I will present a paper at the Wildlife Damage Management Conference in Corpus Christi, TX and speak to the School of Environmental Studies, Ecological Studies and African Studies at Princeton University.

In addition to many meetings on both the East and West coasts, I will visit with CCF's D.C. Chapter and CCF's supporters in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and California. This is a very quick trip, but I do hope to see as many of you as possible. If I do not get an opportunity to see you and speak with you personally, please know that we are always grateful for your support that allows us to continue CCF's challenging work in Namibia, Kenya and all the other places where cheetah have a chance to survive.

I will then return to Namibia to host two VIP groups, including one from Cincinnati Zoo led by my dear friend Cathryn Hilker, before travelling to Holland and the UK in late April.

Hosted by CCF's Dutch fundraising partner, SPOTS, I will attend various meetings with corporate sponsors and conservation partners, and will also give a lecture at the Beekse Bergen Zoo on 6 May. I will also have an opportunity to meet with the newly formed Cheetah Friends Europe (CFE).

In the UK, I have some other meetings to attend, as well as a fundraising event organized by Friends of Conservation UK on 8 May. I hope to see many old friends and make new ones during these trips.My tour itineraries are available at our CCF's Events and Tour Calendar.

In closing...

I want to thank all of CCF's staff, volunteers, Chapters, and fundraising partners around the world for all of their dedication and hard work. And on behalf of all of them and the cheetahs, thanks to all of our supporters that make our work possible!

Yours on behalf of the cheetah,

Laurie Marker, PhD
Founder and Executive Director
Cheetah Conservation Fund

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