International Cheetah Specialist, Dr. Laurie Marker, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Zoological Society of San Diego

San Diego, CA, May 17, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Marker founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund and based its international Centre in Namibia, the country with the last large remaining wild cheetah population. The world population of wild cheetahs is approximately 10,000 individuals and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Through her work in Africa she has conducted extensive research into cheetah biology and ecology which has greatly increased the world’s understanding of the fastest land animal. Through education programmes for local African schools and the livestock farming communities where cheetahs roam, she has helped change public attitudes to allow this unique predator and humans and their livestock to co-exist. Marker has eased local community conflicts with cheetahs by inducing non-lethal predator control like the Kangal Anatolian Shepherd Livestock Guarding Dog. In the lab, she has helped to identify the lack of genetic diversity in some cheetah populations. Her decades of effort represent a lifetime achievement.

Marker’s conservation programme in Namibia was the first long-term study of cheetahs outside of protected areas, where 90% of the remaining cheetahs are found due to conflict with larger predators in game reserves. However, despite the many successes of Marker’s CCF programmes, the cheetah is still Africa’s most endangered big cat.

The Zoological Society's of San Diego Conservation Medal seeks to support effective conservation accomplished by direct effort and advocacy. The Lifetime Achievement Award will also include a monetary award to assist with the conservation work being done by the recipients.

Editor's Notes:

· The Cheetah Conservation Fund, Founded by Dr. Laurie Marker in 1990, is an international non-profit trust with offices in Namibia, Kenya, USA, UK, and Canada, dedicated to the long-term survival of the cheetah and its ecosystems.

· Since 1990, the organisation has developed education and conservation programmes based on its bio-medical cheetah research studies, published scientific research papers and has presented educational programmes to over 200 000 outreach school learners and over 1000 rural farmers. In addition, CCF has donated over 280 Kangal Anatolian Shepherds, livestock guarding dogs to commercial and communal farmers in Namibia as part of their innovative non-lethal livestock management programme.

· If you would like more information on Dr. Marker or CCF’s conservation and education programmes, please contact CCF at:

Cheetah Conservation Fund
PO Box 1755, Otjiwarongo
Tel : (067) 306225
Fax: (067) 306247
E-mail: cheeta@iafrica.com.na
Website: www.cheetah.org

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