Cheetah Conservation Fund Celebrates 15 Years of its Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Heike Stackmann, (ph: 067-304806, cell: 081-8197976, fax: 067-304430 Email: ccfinfo@iway.na)
Dr. Laurie Marker (ph: 067-306225, cell: 081-1247887) or Dr. Bruce Brewer (cell: 081-124-7799)

CHEETAH CONSERVATION FUND CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF ITS ANNUAL FUNDRAISING GALA DINNER

[Otjiwarongo, Namibia] 24 June 2013 – Tickets for the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s Annual Gala Dinner, highlighting the Magic of the Waterberg, are now available.

For the 15th consecutive year, the Cheetah Conservation Fund will host its annual fundraising gala and dinner celebrating the cheetah’s speed and elegance. The popular and much-anticipated event will be held at the Windhoek Country Club on 12 July from 6 to 10pm. This year’s theme, Share the Waterberg Magic, celebrates the magnificent landmark that is the jewel of the Greater Waterberg Landscape, and will highlight CCF’s long-term efforts to ensure the survival of the wild cheetah. Tickets are available for $400 per person, or a table of 10 for $4000.

The lively evening will include music by award-winning Namibian Afro-Jazz musician Erna Chimu & Band, followed by a silent auction, candlelight dinner, and a conservation awards ceremony, featuring noted speakers. CCF Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Laurie Marker, will present this year’s Cheetah Conservation Awards.

Our Special Guest for the evening will be Mr. Valli Moosa, Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund South Africa. Mr. Moosa is globally recognised for his expertise in sustainable development and environment. A South African, Mr. Moosa served as Minister of Constitutional Development from 1994 to 1999, and as Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism from 1999 to 2004. He was Chair of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development from 2002 to 2003, and served as President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from 2004 to 2008. He is the principal of the Lereko Metier Capital Growth Fund, serves on a number of boards including Sanlamand Anglo Platinum, and is the Non-Executive Chairman of Sun International.

The traditional Silent Auction of items donated by local businesses includes recreational ‘get-aways’ at exclusive tourist venues, artwork, jewellery and Namibian craftwork. Partygoers always look forward to the auction, and the sale of the wide range of items supports CCF’s research, conservation and education programmes. As a not for profit, all of CCF’s programmes are largely supported through donations. To learn more about CCF’s conservation, education and research programmes visit www.cheetah.org.

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Editor’s notes:
About Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF):
The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is a Namibian non-profit trust dedicated to the long-term survival of the cheetah and its ecosystems.

Since 1990, the organisation has developed education and conservation programmes based on its bio-medical cheetah research studies, published over 60 scientific research papers and has presented educational programmes to more than 300,000 outreach school learners, donated over 400 livestock guarding dogs to commercial and communal farmers as part of the CCF innovative non-lethal livestock management programme, and has established a cheetah genome resource bank of cheetah sperm, tissue and blood samples.

Research into cheetah biology and ecology has greatly increased our understanding of the fastest land animal and education programmes for schools and the farming community help change public attitudes to allow predator and humans to co-exist. However, despite the many successes of CCF programmes, the cheetah is still Africa’s most endangered big cat with ~10,000 cheetahs remaining.

For more information:
Heike Stackmann – Gala Coordinator
Phone: 067-304806 Cell: 081-8197976
Fax: 067-304430
Email: ccfinfo@iway.na
Cheetah Conservation Fund
PO Box 1755, Otjiwarongo – Namibia
Tel: (067) 306225
Fax: (067) 306247
E-mail: cheetah@iway.na
Website: https://www.cheetah.org