Cheetah Conservation Fund
To promote the survival of cheetahs in Namibia through research, conservation, education and capacity building
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) was once one of the most widely distributed of all land animals. In 1900, approximately 100 000 cheetahs were found in at least 44 countries throughout Africa and Asia. The last century has witnessed a dramatic decline in the cheetah, and it is estimated that less than 12 000 animals remain. In the past 60 years, the cheetah has become extinct in at least 16 countries and is now found in only 27 to 29 African countries. The last of the Asian cheetahs, fewer than 100 individuals, are found in Iran.
Cheetah numbers have declined due to the loss and fragmentation of habitat, killing and removal by livestock farmers and a declining prey base. Competition from more aggressive predators, such as lions and spotted hyaenas, decreases cheetah survivability in protected game reserves. With protected game reserves not offering an adequate alternative, the vast majority of cheetahs live outside protected areas. This puts them in increasing conflict with humans and their agricultural interests, as human populations change the landscape of Africa by increasing the numbers of livestock and fenced game farms throughout the cheetah's range. Addressing this conflict has become the most important factor in cheetah conservation.
The Cheetah Conservation Fund works to ensure the long-term survival of the cheetah and the species' ecosystem through research, conservation, education and capacity building. Namibia remains the cornerstone for cheetah conservation. The work being done there must continue to grow and develop beyond borders, beyond lifetimes of the people involved and beyond the expectations of its founders, and serve as a model for cheetah and all other wildlife conservation.
WAZA Conservation Project 10009 is implemented by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). As the organisation that houses the International Cheetah Studbook, CCF is in contact with all international cheetah facilities regularly. Main supporting zoos include Beekse Bergen and Amersfoort in the Netherlands, Paradise Wildlife Park in the UK, and Boras Zoo in Sweden, in the US, National Zoological Park, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Oregon, San Diego zoos among several others that provide lesser support. In addition to the Namibian community, funding and research contacts and affiliations are many, including the Cheetah SSP and EEP, the Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo, University of California at Davis, the United States National Cancer Institute, Miami University in Ohio, the Oregon and Washington State University, EarthWatch Institute, White Oak Conservation Centre, Disney Conservation Fund, Busch Conservation Fund, World Wildlife Fund among others.
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