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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Otjiwarongo, Namibia (March 13, 2025) Dr. Laurie Marker will travel from Namibia to the U.S. to commence a month-long tour for the Cheetah Conservation Fund with the goal of raising awareness to the plight facing the world’s fastest land animal. The Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), has single-handedly shaped the trajectory for cheetah conservation in Africa while restoring thousands of acres of African farmland and improving the livelihoods thousands of rural residents.

The conservation scientist and one of the world’s leading cheetah experts, founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990, the first predator conservation program outside a protected area, setting the stage for her research into cheetah biology, ecology, conservation and integrated livestock, wildlife, and rangeland management techniques to mitigate conflict and the illegal pet trade. In 2023, Marker helped reintroduce cheetahs to India, where they had been extinct for over 70 years. Set on a 158,000 acre private wildlife reserve, CCF’a International Cheetah Research & Education Center features a modern genetics lab, veterinary clinic, model farm, livestock guarding dog program, and an eco-tourism operation. In 2018, Dr. Marker set up a second Center in Somaliland to care for nearly 100 cheetah cubs confiscated from the illegal pet trade. With fewer than 7,000 cheetahs remaining in the wild, Dr. Marker has committed her whole life to one purpose – saving the planet’s fastest land animal from extinction.

During her tour, Marker will visit more than 15 cities across the country, making public appearances, and giving lectures at zoos and universities about the programs CCF has developed and implemented to help the cheetah win its race for survival. Marker starts her tour in Mobile, Al as a speaker at the Educational Travel Conference (March 18 – 20). She’ll then share her experiences with cheetah breeding and conservation strategies during an appearance at the Gulf Coast Zoo (March 20th) which recently received cheetahs.

March

March 20 – Mobile, AL: Private event hosted by Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
March 23 – Miami, FL:
6:30 PM: Public event at Zoo Miami – Wild Tales by Dr. Laurie Marker ($10 members / $20 non-members). Wild Tales with Dr. Laurie Marker
4:00 – 5:00 PM: Lecture at Tampa University – The Cheetah’s Race for Survival (Open to the public). [email protected]
March 25 – Tampa, FL: 12:00 PM: Overview of CCF for the staff of Busch Gardens. [email protected]
March 27-30 – San Francisco Bay Area, CA: Private events.
March 30 – Walnut Creek, CA: Public talk for the Explorers Club, Society of Women’s Geographers, and CCF supporters.
[email protected]
March 31 – San Jose, CA: Visit to Leland High School (Dr. Marker’s alma mater, Class of ’72).
6:00 PM: Public event – Meet and Greet at Narrative Fermentations, hosted by Happy Hollow Zoo. Meet and Greet at Narrative Fermentations [email protected]

April

April 1 – Santa Cruz, CA: 6:30 PM: Public event – Meet & Greet at The Crow’s Nest. [email protected]
April 2 – Phoenix, AZ: Private event hosted by CCF Chapter Dinner.
April 3 – Phoenix, AZ: Private event hosted by World Wildlife Zoo.
April 5 – Aspen, CO: Lecture and book signing at Explore Book Club. [email protected]
April 6 – Denver, CO: Meeting with CCF supporters. [email protected]
April 7 – Seattle, WA: Public event – CCF Fundraiser at Structure Winery.
April 10 – Minneapolis, MN: Private event hosted by CCF supporters.
April 11 – Minneapolis, MN: Private event hosted by Minnesota Zoo.
April 14 – Royal Oak, MI: Public event – Lecture at Oakland University. [email protected]
April 15 – Columbus, OH: Private event hosted by Explorers Club.
April 16 – St. Louis, MO: Visit to the St. Louis Zoo and meeting with CCF supporters.
April 21 – Springfield, MO: Visit to Dickerson Park Zoo – presentation on cheetah conservation.
April 22 – Lincoln, NE: Private event hosted by Lincoln Children’s Zoo.
April 23 – Manhattan, KS: Public event – Talk at Sunset Zoo.
April 25 – Kansas City, MO: Public event – Lecture at Kansas City Zoo.
April 26 – New York, NY: Private event hosted by Explorers Club ECAD.

May

May 1 – Washington, DC: Public event hosted by Explorers Club [email protected]

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About Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
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. Founded in 1990, CCF is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Namibia with a field base in Somaliland. CCF is the longest running cheetah conservation organization and has restored thousands of acres of Namibian farmland, established a training program to enhance the livelihoods of tens 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 on a158,000-acre private wildlife reserve/ conservancy and model farm, veterinary clinic and genetics laboratory. 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.

Visit www.cheetah.org to learn more about CCF’s work and how you can help protect cheetahs in the wild.

About Dr. Laurie Marker
Dr. Laurie Marker is a Conservation Scientist and one of the world’s leading cheetah experts. She founded Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990 as the first predator conservation program outside of a protected area, setting the stage for her research into cheetah biology, ecology, conservation and integrated livestock, wildlife, and rangeland management techniques to mitigate conflict and issues surrounding the illegal pet trade.

In 2023, Marker helped with the reintroduction of cheetahs to India, where they had been extinct for over 70 years. Through her work in Namibia, as a global model, she now works to develop range-wide research and community-based programs. Marker DPhil in Zoology from Oxford University in the UK, is an A.D. White Professor-at-Large Emeritus at Cornell University in New York. She has more than 170 peer-reviewed scientific papers and four books on cheetah. Marker’s awards include the President’s Award for Conservation (2020) and the Lowell Thomas Award (2010) from the Explorer’s Club, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2010), the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award (2015), and a Hero for the Planet from Time Magazine.

Media Contact
Elissa Buchter
[email protected]
Phone and WhatsApp: +1 310-963-4808
Dr. Laurie Marker
[email protected] Phone and WhatsApp: +264811247887

Challenges Faced by Cheetahs:

Habitat Loss: As human populations grow and expand, vast areas of natural land are converted for agriculture, infrastructure, and other developments. This relentless push into wild spaces has fragmented and diminished the habitats cheetahs depend on for survival, leaving them with fewer areas to find food, water, and mates. Climate change further exacerbates these pressures by altering rainfall patterns, degrading land, and reducing the resources available to cheetahs and their prey. Together, habitat loss and climate-driven changes make the delicate ecosystems cheetahs rely on increasingly inhospitable. Sustainable land management and conservation efforts are critical to securing these areas as functional habitats, ensuring cheetahs have the space and resources they need to thrive.

Human-Wildlife Conflict: As cheetahs are pushed closer to agricultural lands, conflicts with livestock farmers become more frequent. These interactions can lead to retaliatory killings and competition for space, which further endanger cheetah populations. By promoting coexistence through education, community engagement, and non-lethal protection measures, CCF helps reduce conflicts, supporting the needs of both local communities and cheetahs.

Illegal Wildlife and Pet Trade: Closer proximity to human settlements due to habitat loss heightens the risk of poaching and illegal capture for the pet trade. Economic pressures, worsened by climate impacts on traditional livelihoods, can drive individuals to wildlife crimes. CCF and its partners advocate for stronger law enforcement and international cooperation to curb these illegal activities and protect vulnerable cheetah populations.