Namibia (WKRG) – Nearly 8,000 miles from the port city, you will find Dr. Laurie Marker and the Cheetah Conservation Foundation, a country in Africa.
Dr. Marker has spent more than 50 years studying cheetahs and trying to help prevent endangered cats from becoming extinct.
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“To save cheetahs, we carry out a variety of different programs, including research, education and conservation,” Dr. Markle said.
Dr. Marker created the CCF in Namibia about 35 years ago to help save animals to future generations.
Dr. Markle continued: “There are only about 7,000 cheetahs left in the world today, so they are the most endangered big cats in Africa.”
One problem affecting cheetah populations is the illegal wildlife pet trade, mainly from the Horn of Africa.
“Although I live here in Namibia, we have a second base, in Somaliland, a disconnected country in Somalia,” Dr. Markle said. “There are cats coming from Ethiopia and Somaliland, and they poach like bears and sell them to the illegal pet trade.”
Dr. Markle continued that more than 100 cheetahs were rescued from the trade at their research center in Somaliland.
“We usually do most of the time, if you put the pup in, it’s a little pup that has to be on the bottle, and it may not be able to go back to the wild because it’s too used to and used to people,” Dr. Mark said.
Later this month, Dr. Marker will attend Mobile for an educational travel conference to discuss the importance of cheetahs and other animals living in the wild Africa.
On March 20, she will spend time at the Gulf Coast zoo, where two cheetahs will place them in July 2024.
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There are many ways to participate in the CCF, including donating, joining their Facebook page and volunteering at the Research Center.
More information can be found on the CCF website.
Watch the full interview with Dr. Laurie Marker below.
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