Cheetah Conservation Fund Announces 2026 U.S. Tour: “Change the World to Save the Cheetah” with Dr. Laurie Marker

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

World-Renowned Conservationist to Tour the U.S. Raising Awareness for Cheetah Conservation Efforts

OTJIWARONGO, Namibia (March 13, 2026) — Dr. Laurie Marker, the world’s leading expert on cheetah conservation, arrives in the U.S. this month for a high-profile, 70-day national tour to Change The World To Save The Cheetah, to share vital updates on global conservation. With fewer than 7,500 cheetahs remaining in the wild, with the goal of sounding the alarm on a growing conservation crisis. Dr. Marker will visit more than fifteen cities across the country, making public appearances at zoos and universities to educate the public on the ecological catastrophe that would follow the loss of the cheetah.

How to Attend
For tickets, RSVPs, and full venue details, please visit: CCF Events • Cheetah Conservation Fund

A Life Dedicated to Saving the Cheetah From Extinction in the Wild
As Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Dr. Marker has spent 35 years shaping the trajectory of global conservation. Her work spans from restoring thousands of acres of African farmland to the historic reintroduction of cheetahs in India.

Her journey began in 1974 when she moved to Oregon to open the state’s third winery, but her plans were derailed by a cheetah cub named Khayam, whom she met while working at Oregon’s Wildlife Safari zoological park. Dr. Marker hand-raised Khayam and, in 1977, traveled to Namibia as part of pioneering research to determine if a captive-born cheetah could be taught to hunt. She succeeded.

In 1990, she founded CCF and returned to Namibia permanently to develop an international Cheetah Research & Education Center on a 156,000-acre private wildlife reserve. Today, the campus stands as a global model for conservation, featuring a state-of-the-art genetics lab, veterinary clinic, and eco-tourism operation. In 2016, Dr. Marker established a second center in Somaliland to care for cheetahs rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

Why You Have to Change the World to Save One Species
The tour’s title is not a figure of speech. Early in her career, Dr. Marker discovered what conservation science now widely accepts: there is no single solution to saving a species. Habitat protection alone is not enough. Captive breeding alone is not enough. Anti-poaching measures alone are not enough. Every threat is connected to every other threat, and every threat ultimately connects back to how people live, what they earn, and what they can afford to protect.

The cheetah is what ecologists call an umbrella species. Save the landscape the cheetah requires — open savanna, healthy prey populations, unfragmented corridors — and you save the hundreds of other species that share it. But saving that landscape means keeping it viable for the people who live there too. In Namibia, where more than 90% of cheetahs live outside protected reserves on communal and commercial farmland, the fate of the species has always been an agricultural and economic question as much as an ecological one. A farmer who loses livestock to predators isn’t making an ideological choice when he retaliates. He’s making a financial one. Change the economics, and you change the outcome.

CCF’s model does exactly that. By helping farmers improve herd management, breed healthier livestock, and deploy Livestock Guarding Dogs (LGDs) to deter predators without lethal force, CCF increases farm profitability while reducing the pressure on cheetahs. Fewer losses per animal means farmers don’t need to overstock their land, which in turn reduces habitat degradation and supports the prey base cheetahs depend on. The logic is circular in the best possible way: human prosperity and cheetah survival reinforce each other. “Change the World to Save the Cheetah” is, at its core, an argument that conservation only works when it works for everyone.

2026 U.S. Spring Tour Schedule

Note: Public highlights are listed below. For the most current list of 15+ cities and venues, visit our events page:
Public & Featured Appearances
March 14 – 15: Santa Cruz, CA (Contact [email protected] for details)
March 20: Miami, FL – Explorers Club Miami Chapter
March 23: Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil – CMS CoP15 – Cross Border Protection for Cheetahs
March 31: Seattle, WA – Ballard Elks Club
April 2: Portland, OR – Wieden+Kennedy
April 4: Bend, OR – Embark
April 8: Durham, NH – University of New Hampshire (UNH) – 5:10 PM Talk
April 14: Washington, DC / VA Region – Fraser Mansion
April 15: Bridgeport, CT – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
April 23: San Luis Obispo, CA – Cal Poly University
April 26: Bel Air, CA – Bel Air Garden Party (Ticketed Guests)
May 2: Michigan – CCF Honorary Oakland University Crowne Plaza Fundraiser
May 3: Dublin, OH – George Rogers Clark Chapter Explorers Club (Invite Only)
May 14: Santa Rosa, CA – Safari West Fundraiser
May 16: Lake Tahoe, CA – “Set Sail” Boat Fundraiser

Regional Meetings & Private Engagements

April 5: Washington, DC – The Smithsonian (Private)
April 6: Boston, MA – Boston Museum of Science (Private)
April 8: Los Angeles, CA (Meetings)
April 11: San Diego, CA (Private Meetings)
April 22: San Luis Obispo, CA – Cal Poly University (Meetings)
April 30: Rochester, MI – Oakland University (Honorary Degree Ceremony)
May 3: Dublin, OH – Columbus Zoo (Zoo Only)
May 6: St. Louis, MO – Washington University (Student/Faculty Only)
May 13: San Francisco, CA – Private Dinner (Invite Only)
May 18: Houston, TX – Felid TAG Event
Ongoing: New York, NY; Reno, NV; San Francisco, CA

About the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
Cheetah Conservation Fund is the global leader in cheetah research and community‑based programs. Founded in 1990, CCF works internationally to save the cheetah from extinction through science‑driven conservation, habitat restoration, and innovative programs like Livestock Guarding Dogs. CCF operates field research and training centers in Namibia and Somaliland. Learn more at www.cheetah.org.

Media Contact:
Elissa Buchter
[email protected] | 310-963-4808