Dr. Laurie Marker, World’s Leading Cheetah Expert is Nominated for the Indianapolis Prize as She Arrives in the USA

Otjiwarongo, Namibia (September 19, 2024) Dr. Laurie Marker has been nominated for the Indianapolis Prize for her pioneering work, which has shaped the trajectory of cheetah conservation. As founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Dr. Marker has restored thousands of acres of Namibian farmland, introduced the concept of livestock guarding dogs to Africa, established a training program to enhance the livelihoods of rural residents, and regularly consults with government officials to work on issues surrounding the illegal pet trade. The prestigious Indianapolis Prize is considered the Nobel Prize for Conservation.

On the heels of her nomination, recognizing the work of ‘distinguished animal conservationists who’ve had success conserving species around the world,’ Dr. Marker will travel from Namibia to the U.S. for a tour to raise awareness for the plight facing the world’s fastest land animal, with fewer than 7,000 cheetahs remaining in the wild.

The stops on Dr. Marker’s fall tour include: the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) annual conference, several Universities, and a visit to Oregon’s ‘Wildlife Safari’ where her pioneering research with wild cheetahs changed her life, before moving to Namibia permanently in 1991, where she Founded Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and developed an international research & education center based on their 158,000-acre private wildlife reserve. Today, the CCF boasts a full-scale genetics lab, registered veterinary clinic, a biomass research & production facility, model farm, goat milk creamery, and livestock guarding dog program, and eco-tourism operation and lodge that’s open to the public 364 days a year, employing several staff in some of Africa’s most rural and economically challenged areas.

In 2022, Dr. Marker set up a second Centre in Somaliland to care for nearly 100 cheetahs confiscated from the illegal wildlife pet trade. Based on 3000 acres, the center is being developed utilizing similar conservation strategies: saving cheetahs from extinction while developing community-based conservancies and working to pull whole communities out of poverty. Two years ago, Dr. Marker also helped re-introduce cheetahs to the wild in India where they have been extinct for over 70 years.

Growing up, Dr. Marker was a member of ‘Future Farmers of America’ (FFA). The spin-off organization she created, Future Farmers of Africa, has trained more than 50,000 rural Namibians and Somaliland farmers. With a Doctorate in Zoology from the University of Oxford, the global conservation leader has committed her life to one purpose – saving the planet’s fastest land animal. Her motto, Changing the World to Save the Cheetah.

Cheetah Conservation Fund Event Dates September – November 2024

Sept 23: Conservation Rally at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE

Sept 27 – 29: CCF Board Meetings in Safari West, Santa Rosa, CA

Oct 1 – 3: Visit Oregon with Cheetah Talks at the following locations:

• Juniper Preserve, Bend, OR
• Wildlife Safari, Winston, OR
• Oregon State University, Corvalis, OR
• Portland Zoo, Portland, OR

Oct 5 – 6: Wildlife Conservation Network, San Francisco, CA

Oct 9: Lunch Talk at the Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, CA

Oct 15: Cheetah Talk at Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma City, OK

Oct 17: Lecture at University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Oct 18: Lecture at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Oct 28: Annual CCF DC Benefit, Arlington, VA

Nov 1: Cheetah Talk at Austin Zoo, Austin, TX

Captions: Above photo: In Namibia, CCF’s Founder and Executive Director Dr. Laurie Marker Founder – photo by Photo by Felix Kuhne

Caption: Dr. Marker with CCF’s field team in Namibia, performs a work-up on a releasable cheetah

Caption: Dr. Laurie Marker delivered the opening speech at The Global Cheetah Summit in January 2024. The opening speech is available https://cheetah.org/ccf-blog/outreach/dr-laurie-markers-opening-speech-at-the-global-cheetah-summit/

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About Dr. Laurie Marker

Dr. Laurie Marker is an American scientist, widely recognized as the leading expert on the cheetah. Dr. Marker began her ex-situ cheetah work at the Wildlife Safari in Oregon in 1973 and her in-situ cheetah research in Namibia in 1977. In 1988 she joined the Smithsonian Insisitution as the Executive Director for the New Opportunities in Animal Health Sciences (NOAHS Center) and Founded Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1990. From humble beginnings in a tiny farmhouse in rural Namibia to an unparalleled conservation model for predator conservation, Dr. Marker has built a world-renowned organization. She received her PhD. from Oxford University in the United Kingdom and is an Emeritus Professor- at- large at Cornell University, in New York and an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska. She is the recipient of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Tech Museum’s Intel Environmental Prize, the Explorers Club President’s Award for Conservation and the Lowel Thomas Award, the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award among many others. She was named a Hero for the Planet by Time magazine and has been featured in Smithsonian magazine and National Geographic, and numerous television shows, including The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, CNN and the Today Show and has published over 150 scientific paper and 4 books.

Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)

Established in 1990, CCF is at the forefront of global cheetah research and conservation efforts, dedicated to ensuring the survival of the cheetah in its natural habitat through research, conservation strategies, education, and partnerships. With its headquarters in Namibia and a field base in Somaliland, CCF operates the world’s longest-running program dedicated to cheetah conservation. For more on how to support CCF’s initiatives, please visit www.cheetah.org.

Media Contacts:

For media inquiries, please contact:

Dr. Laurie Marker, director@cheetah.org +264 811247887

Elissa Buchter, elissa.buchter@cheetah.org +1310 963 4808

Photos available upon request