Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) cares for a number of orphaned, old or injured cheetahs who cannot be released back into the wild as they do not have the skills or physical capability to survive. By sponsoring a resident, non-releasable cheetah living at CCF’s headquarters in Namibia, you can help to cover the annual costs of care. Each cheetah costs an estimated £3,000 a year including food, veterinary care, enrichment and monitoring the expansive natural enclosures.
Each cheetah at CCF has its own unique story, personality, and circle of friends.
Aurora
Aurora was brought to CCF as a cub only several weeks old in April, 2013. A farmer found Aurora without any sign of her mother and kept her for two weeks before calling CCF. When she arrived at CCF her claws had been cut, she was malnourished, and was extremely frightened. Since being at CCF she has been introduced to another female cub, Rainbow, who arrived at CCF around the same time. The two have been inseparable companions ever since.
Dominic
Dominic was brought in after we had a report from a farmer that someone had dropped off a cub at her farm. She looked after the cub for a week but became concerned when he started having health problems. It’s unclear how he was separated from his mother. He was 10-14 days old, with his eyes barely open and was so young his teeth hadn’t developed yet. CCF staff prepared a nursery area and began a feeding schedule of cat milk supplement. He was very responsive to care, and is now a happy, healthy adult cheetah.
Hans
Hans arrived at the centre in late 2020 at around 6 months old. He was the only member of his family to have been caught in a capture cage on a farm. When he arrived, he was very wild and scared and sat crying for hours, probably missing his mother and siblings, so we decided to pair him with some friends ASAP. Wherever Rocket goes, Hans follows and the two are inseparable. Despite being much smaller than his friends, Hans thinks he’s much bigger than he is and tries to keep up with the others as much as possible.
JEV
JEV was caught in a trap cage on a farm near Gobabis by a farmer trying to protect his livestock from predators. As JEV was caught without his mother and siblings, he could not be easily reunited with his family. He was approximately five months old when we received him, and would not have survived on his own in the wild. He settled into life at CCF very nicely, and quickly made a best friend – Khaleesi. When he first arrived, he was calling a lot and was very lonely, so we are very fortunate we had Khaleesi who is only about three months older than him to bond with. He quickly got used to our routines, and is always very happy at mealtimes.
Katiti
Katiti came to CCF in December 2017 having been kept on a farm with a female cheetah, Bella. The farmer was denied permits to keep them, so they were handed over to CCF. Before arriving, they’d had a poor diet so were fed on a diet of red meat with vitamin supplements to help them grow. Katiti is shy and tends to follow Bella around, which helps him gain confidence, along with the hard work of our keepers. They’re inseparable, spending most their days together exploring their enclosure and meeting other cheetahs.
Khaleesi
In 2019 we released a female cheetah, Daenerys, into Erindi, but were concerned in 2021 after noticing there was a problem with her data. When we went to investigate, we discovered that Daenerys had a broken leg so we took her back to our centre, later discovering that she was pregnant. Daenerys had several surgeries and while in recovery she gave birth to Khaleesi. Due to the nature of her injuries, she could not take care of her cub, so we stepped in and now Khaleesi is growing up as a resident cheetah at CCF’s HQ.
Koya
Koya came to CCF in July 2017 with his brother, Niko, at six months old. They’d been captured and were kept in a small chicken coop for over two months, fed a poor diet and were suffering from early stage bone disease. Koya had had no exercise, so was overweight. When he first arrived he were nervous but now, Koya is confident and loves stalking birds and running on the lure course. He’s one of our largest cheetahs and his long legs mean he’s pretty close to out-running the lure!
Rainbow
In February 2013, a local farmer found Rainbow by the side of the road and brought her back to his farm. After a week of trying to nurture her back to health, he called CCF. Rainbow was in a small cage, frightened, and while the farmer had been able to give her a little food, she was very thin. She was given the name Rainbow, in honour of the bright rainbows that were in the sky during the three-hour+ drive to retrieve her. Rainbow has formed a coalition of sorts with Aurora after both were rescued from different farms.
Rocket
Rocket (HeChee) came to CCF at 7 -8 weeks old in 2019. He was very small, tired and scared when he first arrived. Rocket was caught by farmer after his dog was found chasing it. The farmer kept Rocket for a week and tried to get a permit to keep him but was denied. Rocket was paired with Jaya who arrived shortly before he did. They became adoptive siblings and are very close now. In 2020 the pair became friends with Hans and they can usually all be found snuggling or playing together.
All sponsors will receive two updates per year to find out how their cheetah is doing, what new friends they have made and whatever mischief they have caused with their keepers. Please include your email address when you’re sponsoring a cheetah so we can send these to you, or the email address of the person you have bought the sponsorship as a gift for.
If you choose sponsorship of over £600/year, you will also receive:
A personalised sponsorship certificate
PLUS a personal letter of thanks from Dr. Laurie Marker
For sponsorship or donations of £3,000 or more:
All of the above, plus:
A personalised plaque will be erected at CCF’s centre in Namibia as a big thank you for your support.
