Cheetah Conservation Fund Celebrates the 15th Annual International Cheetah Day – 4 Dec.

OTJIWARONGO, NAMIBIA, HARGEISA, SOMALILAND, ALEXANDRIA, VA, USA, (3 December 2025) – In recognition of International Cheetah Day on December 4th, Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) collaborates with fellow conservationists from around the world to highlight the plight of the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah. This year, CCF will be celebrating International Cheetah Day at their two African Field Stations with very different programs and invite the world to join in the celebration.

International Cheetah Day Celebration at CCF’s New Education and Training Centre, Somaliland

In cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), government officials and NGOs will join Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund for a tour and opening of its new Education and Training Complex outside of Hargeisa. Supported by a generous sponsorship investment from the Royal Commission for AlUla, CCF’s Education Complex has been under construction for the past year. Its opening will be a welcome event, joining with people around the world to celebrate International Cheetah Day. “Education, training and awareness are critical for helping save the cheetah for the future,” states Dr. Marker. “We have been working on the ground in this region for the past eight years out in the communities to stop the illegal wildlife pet trade. The Education Complex will allow us to work closer with the communities and government to help stop the trade, develop conservation and environmental awareness that will allow the country to see wildlife as a valuable part of the environment.”

International Cheetah Day Celebration at CCF’s Research and Education Centre, Namibia

In Namibia, International Cheetah Day will be held on Saturday the 6th of December at the CCF International Research and Education Centre outside of Otjiwarongo. This will be the 15th Annual Celebration of the Cheetah held in Namibia, known at the Cheetah Capitol of the World. CCF welcomes families from throughout Namibia as they join together to celebrate the 15th annual International Cheetah Day. CCF opened its doors at the Field Research and Education Centre in Otjiwarongo free-of-charge and is offering fun and educational activities throughout the day, with booths and talks about all the various activities of the research and conservation center. Video form CCF Staff in Namibia – https://youtube.com/shorts/ddOxdJcOwk8?si=RRTX8nvaTGhsxMZz

CCF’s staff and interns from the University of Namibia (UNAM), the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), and from various countries from over the world set up station tables and shared their knowledge representing CCF’s dynamic programmes and departments such as genetics and ecology with the crowds learning about trail camera traps set up around the centre with photographs of individual cheetahs, and learned how to distinguish the different spot patterns. Other booths will include playing forensic detective during CCF’s Kill Identification Workshop, learning the different traits to look for to identify which carnivore made the kill, and they put their creative skills to the test colouring pictures for International Cheetah Day and writing short stories.

At noon, CCF staff and interns will share presentations during the daily cheetah feeding see the cheetahs come racing into their feeding camps for their meals. CCF education staff will share cheetah stories and lead visitors through the Cheetah Museum. Kids and adults alike will get up-close and personal with some of CCF’s Anatolian shepherds that make up their Livestock Guarding Dog Programme and meet some of the bottle-raised goats from the CCF Model Farm as the staff educated them on the important role that the dogs play in protecting the livestock which then ensures a future for the cheetahs.

Cheetah mascots will dance and sing as they offer “high-paws” to passing children, there will be a local community band and dance group and other fun games including volleyball. The Cheetah Café will have delicious chocolate cheetah spotted cookies and a braai (for a fee) for those visiting.

A Global Call to Action

In observing International Cheetah Day, we underscore the need for a balanced approach to cheetah conservation, considering both human development and wildlife conservation. CCF’s research emphasizes the pivotal role of the cheetah in African ecosystems and the importance of environmental education in altering perceptions about predators. As Dr. Laurie Marker points out, “coexisting with human communities in rural Africa and building community alliances is vital. We are deeply involved in enhancing livelihoods and promoting predator-friendly farming practices.”

Dr. Laurie Marker stresses the urgency: “On this International Cheetah Day, we issue a global call to action, urging not only awareness but active engagement in cheetah conservation. The challenges of climate change, especially in dryland ecosystems, highlight the need for integrated conservation strategies. Our collective efforts are crucial for cheetah survival.”

Cheetahs are Africa’s most endangered big cat due to the lack of understanding of how they live and how we can learn to live with them. Both of CCF’s International Centre’s Namibia and Somaliland, play very roles in the helping save the cheetah for future generations.

Notes to editors
International Cheetah Day
Dr. Laurie Marker, a renowned cheetah expert, designated December 4th as International Cheetah Day in honor of Khayam, a cheetah she raised at Wildlife Safari in Oregon. This day commemorates Dr. Marker’s pioneering research in Namibia in 1977, where she demonstrated that captive-born cheetahs could learn to hunt. Her experiences in Namibia, witnessing the conflict between farmers and cheetahs, inspired her to establish the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990. Choosing Khayam’s birthday for International Cheetah Day, Prof. Marker aimed to highlight the global efforts in cheetah conservation. This day is now celebrated worldwide, emphasizing the importance of this magnificent species and the ongoing conservation efforts. For more information on International Cheetah Day events and resources including educational materials, CCF’s Conservation Passport, activity packet, cheetah photos, videos and social media links can be downloaded for free – visit www.cheetah.org/international-cheetah-day/ or www.internationalcheetahday.org

Cheetah Conservation Fund
The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs and is dedicated to saving cheetahs in the wild. CCF has created a set of integrated conservation programs to address threats to the cheetah and its ecosystem. Celebrating its 35th year, CCF was founded in 1990 as an international non-profit organization headquartered in Namibia with a field base in Somaliland. CCF is the longest running cheetah conservation organization andhas restored thousands of acres of Namibian farmland, while also establishing training programs to enhance the livelihoods of thousands of rural residents. One of their signature programs is the livestock guarding dog program, where over 800 Anatolian and Kangal guarding dogs have been bred and placed with farmers since 1994 to protect their livestock from predators. The CCFs Research and Education Centre is based near Otjiwarongo within the Waterberg Conservancy, on a private wildlife reserve and model farm. In 2017, CCF set up a field base in Somaliland to care for confiscated cheetah cubs from the illegal wildlife pet trade and have developed programs in the Horn of Africa to help stop the illegal wildlife trade.

For more information about CCF’s work and how you can help protect cheetahs in the wild please visit www.cheetah.org

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Media Contact: Elissa Buchter, [email protected], Phone & WhatsApp +13109634808, or

Teresia Robitschko, [email protected], Phone +264814564965, WhatsApp +49178272234, or

Dr. Laurie Marker, [email protected], Phone & WhatsApp +264811247887