woman helping to save cheetahs, Africa's most endangered big cat

[ellenrr]

---inspiring story of what one dedicated person can do--

Cheetahs, which move at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, were being blinded by running through thick, prickly thorn bush undergrowth that is eating up Namibia's land, causing problems for farmers as well as big cats. Unable to hunt wild game, the injured animals were preying on livestock, causing farmers to trap them.

Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has a solution: Send in the wood chippers.
The chipped thorn bush now is turned into ecoblocks, which are sold as fuel in South Africa and Europe. Studies show that both cheetahs and leopards are returning to the cleared areas. Marker is also contemplating turning thorn bush chips into biomass, which could be used to generate electricity. More than half of Namibia's citizens still lack electrical service.

Marker's approach is to find a solution that benefits both the animals and the people of the region.
Another example of this win-win approach is CCF's guard-dog program. Marker sat down with farmers and discovered they were using small herding dogs instead of guard dogs and thus losing valuable livestock to cheetah attacks. CCF set up a program to give farmers large Turkish Kangal dogs, which bond with the herd and scare off the cheetahs.
The result: an 80 percent dip in livestock losses, a long waiting list for Kangal dogs, and fewer cheetahs killed by farmers.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/making-a-difference/2011/0214/Using-a-wood-chipper-to-save-cheetahs-Africa-s-most-endangered-big-cats

[tabatha]

1. CCC has an awesome website

http://www.cheetah.org/