Cheetah ConservationSouth Africa

Cheetah Conservation

A Race Against Time

While the world sees cheetahs as an African icon, local famers mistakenly place the blame of livestock deaths on the cats. Today, cheetahs are running out of time with as few as 7,100 left in the wild.

A Shrinking Wildnerness

It’s not always easy getting on with your neighbours, particularly when they are wild animals. As the human population of Africa expands, larger mammals like cheetahs simply don’t have enough space to roam and find food. When this happens, farmers’ livestock can seem like an easy meal.

A Deadly Conflict

Most of us want to save wildlife, but sometimes it’s difficult for the local people to put the lives of wild animals before their own family and livelihood. Desperate to keep their livestock safe and provide for their children, some farmers resort to drastic and deadly measures. Indiscriminate traps, guns and poisons become a way to manage predators. To help put a stop to this, we support Cheetah Outreach’s Guarding Dog Program.

A Cheetah’s Best Friend

In South Africa, where local people farm livestock and natural predators like cheetah roam and hunt, guardian dogs are lifesavers. Chosen for their strength and loyalty, Anatolian Shepherd dogs are placed with herds of cows, goats and sheep, to deter predators and keep the peace.

Give $20 and provide food for the guardian dog for one week to ensure the animal receives a healthy diet and proper nutrition.

Part of the Herd

Just by living with the herd, the dogs are able to alert them to nearby threats, and ensure the younger members have time to gather beneath the safety of the group. If a cheetah or other predator gets too close, the dog will bark loudly and growl fiercely, to scare them away. As the livestock are no longer an easy meal, the big cats retreat and hunt for food elsewhere.

Donate $50 and cover Cheetah Outreach’s field officers fuel costs for one day to allow them to travel to farms and monitor the guardian dogs.

Farmers for Wildlife

As the word spreads about the Guarding Dog Program, more and more farmers join the movement. Thanks to our support, Cheetah Outreach is able to provide caring farmers with a guardian dog, dog food and medical treatment for the first year. In return, the farmers work with the team to report cheetah sightings and facilitate help for injured big cats. It’s a win-win for cheetah conservation and humanity.

Make a gift of $100 and provide the veterinarian team with medical supplies for one guardian dog check-up, to provide the animal with the best care.

Predator Friendly Habitat

With the guardian dogs on farmlands, hundreds of thousands of acres are now safe for endangered cheetah and other predators. Ruthless and lethal predator management methods are becoming a thing of the past, and we’re working together to save cheetahs. Slowly but surely, people are learning about the importance of living harmoniously alongside wildlife, just as Steve envisioned.