Celebrating International Cheetah Day in the Cheetah Capital

December 4, Cheetah Conservation Fund celebrated the 9th annual International Cheetah Day (ICD) with the rest of the world. On this day we celebrated the magnificent cheetah and how far CCF has come in promoting coexistence between farmers and cheetahs through our various education, research and conservation programs.

CCF staff and interns took to the town of Otjiwarongo – the Cheetah Capital, to celebrate with residents through various fun information sharing activities such as quizzes & games for all ages, and face painting for the little ones. This was a great opportunity to engage entire families who stopped by our booth to ask about CCF and what we do – the booth location in one of the busiest malls in town was perfect. A total of 60 residents participated in ICD activities. The youngest was 5 and the oldest 51 years old. Below are answers to some of the questions on the quiz. These results although on a small scale highlight some of CCF’s celebration worthy achievements through our outreach and centre-based education programs.

The centre was also open to residents with the standard admission fee waived from December 1st – 4th. Visitors at the centre enjoyed a guided tour around our facility and had the opportunity to meet some of our Livestock Guarding dogs, and some of our resident ambassador cheetahs.

The Livestock Guarding Dog program is one of our success stories promoting tolerance as well as appreciation for the cheetah on many Namibian farmlands, and because of this we have farmers constantly inquiring about this program every time CCF branded vehicles are in town. ICD was a perfect opportunity for CCF staff and interns to answer questions on the LSGD program, and it was clear how farmers want long lasting solutions to predator problems on their farmland. This was affirmation for CCF to continue providing these very much needed solutions.