About Us

Who is CCFA

Cheetah Conservation Fund (Australia) Limited [ABN 67 143 460 397] is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission and is listed on the Australian Government’s “Register of Environmental Organisations”, ‘Department of the Environment and Energy.

CCFA is the Australian chapter of the Cheetah Conservation Fund – the Namibian-based internationally recognised centre of excellence for the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems.

  • Our purpose is to raise awareness of the plight of the cheetah as an endangered species.  Time is fast running out in our race to save the Cheetah from extinction.
  • We aim to raise funds to assist the CCF in ensuring the survival of wild cheetahs through the development of sustainable conservation practices.
  • In doing so we look to raise hope for the long term survival of wild cheetahs – it takes a lot of work to save a species from extinction!
    CCFA is working hand-in-hand with CCF in Namibia, and the other CCF chapters worldwide, to ensure that everything is done to give the Cheetah its best chance of success.

Cheetah Conservation Fund Australia (CCFA) is a registered charity, formed in 2014 by concerned Australians with the aim to expand the network of CCF chapters around the globe.

Focussed on raising awareness, funds and hope for saving the wild cheetah, CCFA is stridently looking to the future with this vision.

Founded by Dr Laurie Marker in Namibia in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs, and is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild.

 
Explore CCF Namibia

The CCFA aims to collaborate with Australian zoos, travel agencies, universities, and schools.

  • We have already formed close bonds with two Australian zoos, forming partnerships and talking about displaying posters about the plight of the cheetah.
  • Associations are established with the Conservation Medicine department at Murdoch University, who will offer as part of their program, internships for students at CCF Namibia. We are working on establishing more connections with other Australian universities.
  • We are hoping to enlist the help of travel agencies to include visits to CCF Namibia as part of their packages.
  • We will be promoting public education programs by giving presentations to school students and the general public, and running market stalls at which people can obtain educational literature and buy CCFA merchandise.

ZoosSA ZoosSA

Cheetah Conservation Fund Australia is proud to partner with ZoosSA – and would like to thank them for their donations and support in spreading the message of cheetah conservation to the public through both AdelaideZoo and MonartoZoo.

Adelaide Zoo

 

monartozoo_logo_lg

 

 

The Cheetah Needs Your Help

What Needs To Be Done

Urgent action is required … and CCFA is dedicated to providing avenues for raising awareness of the cheetahs’ plight, and to also aide concerned Australians to assist our cause.

RAISING AWARENESS

Our primary aim is to raise awareness of the plight the Cheetah faces.

During the last century, cheetahs have been disappearing from Africa – 90% of the cheetah population has been lost.
Cheetahs once ranged across the entire African continent (except for the Congo Basin) and into Asia from the Arabian Peninsula to eastern India. Today, cheetahs are found in only 23% of their historic African range and are extinct in their Asian range except for a small population in Iran of about 100 individuals.

They fall victim to conflict with farmers, disappearing habitat, and loss of prey, and the CCFA is dedicated to finding ways to minimise these impacts.

RAISING FUNDS

Saving the cheetah means addressing its entire ecosystem, including the people who live in the cheetah’s range.

Ninety percent of cheetahs in the wild live outside protected areas, alongside human communities. Securing a future for the cheetah means securing the future of the people who live in cheetah country.

For nearly 25 years CCF has been raising money worldwide – to fund our celebrated Livestock Guarding Dog program, our award-winning habitat restoration project Bushblok, and Future Farmers of Africa – an initative working to alleviate human-wildlife conflict.

Most importantly, your donation helps change the face of Africa not just for wildlife, but for its people. Saving the cheetah can save people, by supporting the human communities that live alongside the cheetah.

RAISING HOPE

With every dollar funded, with every day volunteered, with every bit of awareness raised – so too hope is raised.

It takes a lot of work to save a species from extinction, and CCFA is working hand-in-hand with CCF in Namibia and the other CCF chapters worldwide, to ensure that everything is done to give the Cheetah its best chance of success.

With many international efforts at education, raising awareness, funding, fighting wildlife trafficking, re-intorduction programs, and wildlife-human interaction the prospects for Cheetahs is looking better … but they are not out of danger yet …

Our team

Behind the scenes

CCFA Director - Ruth

At the age of 7 my grandma gave me a few books about the life of African animals. The cheetah book was the one that captured my heart and ever since I have been in love with these spotted cats.

Ruth

Director

CCFA Director - Michelle

I have always had a fascination for the big cats.  

In July 2000 I started working at Monarto Zoo where I went on to be appointed Cheetah Round Keeper in 2003.  In 2004 I headed the team that hand raised 6 cubs, and again in 2012 raising a single cub.

In 2005 I was sent on a cheetah expedition to Africa for three months, visiting all major cheetah centres across Africa, most notably CCF Namibia.

Laurie Marker is such a huge inspiration to me and my two beautiful little girls.

Michelle

Director

CCFA Director - Steven

The late Jennifer Bone was passionate about conserving big cats in the wild – and appointed me to distribute part of her estate to ‘Big Cat Conservation’.

In 2009 I visited CCF in Namibia, and was so impressed with Dr Laurie Marker and her team, that I arranged a substantial donation to be used to erect additional housing facilities for volunteers travelling to assist at CCF.

It is an easy decision to devote my time and effort to CCF Australia.

Steven

Director

CCFA Director - Lauire

As Founder and Executive Director of CCF in Namibia, I have dedicated my life to raising the awareness of the plight of the cheetah, and working to promote initiatives that may help save this magnificent creature from extinction.

I am delighted to have the support of the volunteers at the Australian chapter of CCF helping to promote the cheetah and CCF’s activities right here in Australia.

Laurie

Director

CCFA Director - Jamie

From a young age I grew to love Africa’s animals, particularly the cheetah – with it being the fastest land animal on earth.  As I grew older I learned that the future of these magnificent creatures was uncertain, and I made my first trip to Africa in 2013 to volunteer at CCF in Namibia.

On returning to Australia I was delighted and honoured to find CCFA and be invited to join.  It is my privilege to raise the awareness of the plight of the Cheetah here in Australia.

Jamie

Director

The rest of the CCFA Committee

Chris

Director

CCFA Director - Kathleen

There is something special about Africa and its fauna.  From childhood, I have been captivated by the elegant grace of cheetahs, their incredible speed & dignified reserve.

A planet without cheetahs running wild is unthinkable.

Kathleen

Director

CCFA Director - Jaimee

I have worked in the Zoological field for over 3 years, first at Adelaide Zoo (giant panda and big cats) then Monarto Zoo – where I currently work with the cheetahs, lions, hyena, painted dogs, Fennec fox and Australian natives.

Jaimee

Director

Jayson CCFA Web designer

My whole childhood I dreamt of going to Africa to see the animals.

In 1995 I left everything I had ever known to embark on a 12 month expedition through Africa that would change my life forever.

There, I achieved a life-long dream of seeing cheetah in the wild … and ever since I have been driven to do everything I can to ensure that my children have the same opportunity I did – to see wild cheetah in their natural habitat.

Jayson

Marketing, Web Designer

PLIGHT of the CHEETAH

Population Decline

Cheetah numbers at less than 8.000

Habitat Loss, fragmentation & degradation

Cheetahs require vast expanses of land with suitable prey, water, and cover sources to survive.  As wild lands are destroyed and fragmented by the human expansion occurring all over the world, the cheetah’s available habitat is also destroyed, fragmented, and degraded thus reducing the land’s carrying capacity (number of animals an area can support) of cheetahs and their prey.

Numerous landscapes across Africa that could once support thousands of cheetahs now struggle to support just a handful.

Nowhere is this more visible than Namibia – which supports the world’s largest population of cheetahs.  90 percent of this population lives outside protected reserves on farmlands – which make up 85 percent of the country.  With 70 percent of the Namibian population involved in agriculture, bush encroachment poses a major livelihood threat to communities, the cheetah and other indigenous wildlife species.

Cheetahs hunt using bursts of speed in open or semi-open savannah, however, as a result of unpredictable droughts, climate change, and certain livestock farming practices,  the native thornbush species are growing out of control and encroaching on Namibian farmlands.

 This loss of habitat not only further reduces the available farmland and the available habitat both for cheetahs and their prey species.  With less usable land for humans and wildlife, human-wildlife conflict is exacerbated.

Human-Wildlife Conflict

In protected areas like national parks and wildlife reserves, cheetahs do not fare well as these areas normally contain high densities of other larger predators like the lion, leopard, and hyena, all of which compete with cheetahs for prey and will kill cheetahs given the opportunity. In such areas, the cheetah cub mortality can be as high as 90%.

Therefore, roughly 90% of cheetahs in Africa live outside of protected lands on private farmlands and thus often come into conflict with people. When a predator threatens a farmer’s livestock, they also threaten the farmer’s livelihood. The farmer of course acts to protect his resources, often trapping or shooting the cheetah.

Because cheetahs hunt more during the day, people see them more often than the nocturnal predators and are therefore blamed for livestock kills they are not responsible for. This, coupled with the fact that the majority of cheetahs live on private farmlands, results in a high rate of persecution on the cheetah, making human-wildlife conflict one of the leading causes of the cheetah’s endangerment.

Illegal Wildlife Trade

For thousands of years, the ancient world’s rich and royal kept cheetahs in captivity.  The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt kept cheetahs as close companions.  Italian nobles, Russian princes, and Indian royalty used cheetahs for hunting and as a status symbol for their wealth and nobility.

Because cheetahs do not breed well in captivity, they had to be caught from the wild to support this exorbitant demand, which wreaked havoc on cheetah populations, especially in Asia – and is likely the leading reason that the Asiatic cheetah is extinct throughout the majority of Asia.

Today, there is still a high demand for cheetahs as pets. To supply this demand, cheetahs are illegally captured from the wild and then smuggled to the different parts of the world where they are desired. Out of all the cheetah cubs smuggled, only one of in six survives the journey, meaning that even more cubs than needed are captured from the wild to meet the demand.

The illegal trade in cheetahs is a significant contributor to the cheetah’s population decline and endangerment.

Some facts about Cheetahs

which are cause for concern

Remaining cheetah population

% Remaining cheetah habitat range

% Cheetah cub mortality rate

% of illegally trafficked cheetahs who die in the process

Upcoming Events

After the encouraging success of Dr Laurie Marker’s
recent Australian Tour, we are planning more events.

At this stage, there is nothing to report, but please check back regularly to see what is happening in the world of CCFA.

NEWS

Newsletters

View and download CCFA Newsletters here.

Dr Laurie Marker Aus Tour PRESS RELEASE

BIO – Laurie L Marker

Cheetah Spots 4 Jan2016

Cheetah Spots 3 May 2015

Cheetah Spots 2 Feb2015

Cheetah Spots 1 Spring2014

MEDIA

Dr Laurie Marker’s talks

“Why saving the cheetah is saving the world“, a talk by CCF founder Dr Laurie Marker.
[Check out the slo-mo cheetah running at the start, and keep an eye on the stopwatch …]

 Celebrating 25 years of Cheetah Conservation Fund

Articles in the media

four-cheetah-cubs

Cheetah smuggling driving wild population to extinction.


cheetah-anatolian-shepherd

The secret to preserving Namibia’s big cats? Big dogs.

Volunteer stories

Kathleen, the CCFA Secretary, recently spent a month at the Namibian base of the CCF. You can read about her experiences here.

Jamie also spent time at CCF; read about it here.

And as you may know, two of our committee members, Jaimee and Michelle, work with big cats at Monarto Zoo (SA). Here is a day in their life.

Our Partners

In Australia

ZoosSA

Zoos SA is a conservation-based charity with more than 41,000 members.  Since 1878, we’ve long been established as a treasured part of the community representing a significant part of South Australia’s heritage and social history.  Since Adelaide Zoo first opened to the public in 1883, generations of South Australians have shared the wonder of our zoos.

Our Mission

We’re a charitable conservation society that exists to save species from extinction and connect people with nature.

It’s a mission that’s easy to become passionate about! We strive to improve the quality of life for both animals and people so both can continue to thrive together.

Adelaide Zoo

Adelaide Zoo – Australia’s second oldest zoo, and proudly run by ZoosSA – is a relaxing green city oasis and vibrant sanctuary that gives you the feeling of stepping into another world.

It’s full of diversity, colour and unique things to see and do. It offers an intimate zoo experience speckled with elements of curiosity, fantasy, fun and surprise.  More than 3,000 exotic and native animals call Adelaide Zoo home and enjoy eight hectares of beautiful botanic surrounds.

Monarto Zoo

Monarto Zoo is Australia’s largest open range zoo.  It’s grown from humble beginnings since it was first established as a breeding and pasture area in 1983.  Ten years later it opened to the public and is now home to over 500 animals roaming in amazing vistas. It’s an escape from the city that immerses visitors in a natural safari style setting.

Celebrated with outstanding breeding success and our captivating, quirky and unique animals have captured the hearts of our visitors.

Our Partners

CCF Chapters around the globe

CCF Namibia
CCF UK
CCF Belgium
CCF Canada
CCF Japan
Spots Netherlands
CCF France

“We cannot allow these beautiful creatures to disappear. I much admire the work of The Cheetah Conservation Fund Australia and I do hope that you will be able to support this important project.”

Alexander McCall SmithAuthor - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Kids

The future of the Cheetah

SPEED

the FASTEST land animal

the FASTEST land animal

The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal. They can run 110 km/h (70 mph), which is as fast as cars drive on the highway. The cheetah can reach this top speed in just 3 seconds! (as quick as a Lamborghini Aventador)

TEAR MARKS

Tear marks

TEAR MARKS

Cheetahs have special “tear marks” that run from the inside corners of their eyes down to the outside edges of their mouth. These marks help reflect the glare of the sun when they are hunting during the day.
They work just like the black marks that American Football  players put under their eyes during the games. These marks also work like the sights on a rifle, to help the cheetah “aim” and stay focused on their prey when they are hunting.

CLEAT FEET

Cleat feet for grip

CLEAT FEET

Unlike other big cats, the cheetah has “semi non-retractable claws” (almost like dog claws) that work like the cleats on a football shoe to give the cheetah a lot of traction when running. The pads of most cats’ paws are soft, but the cheetah’s pads are hard – kind of like the rubber on a tire. This also helps them grip the ground when they are running so fast.

Flying

just like flying

Just like FLYING

When cheetahs are running full speed, their stride (length between steps) is 6-7 meters (21 feet) and their feet only touch the ground twice during each stride.

It’s almost like they are flying!

Spotted

Spots galore

SPOTS GALORE

Did you know?

The cheetah’s fur is covered in solid black spots, and so is their skin! The black fur actually grows out of the black spots on their skin.
The spots help to break up the cheetah’s shape, so they can remain unseen by their prey until they are close enough to launch!

Funny Haircut

Cheetah cub fur

FUNNY HAIRCUT

Cheetah cubs have long tall hair that runs from their neck all the way down to the base of their tail, which is called the mantle. The mantle makes a cheetah cub look like a honey badger and makes them blend into tall grass, which helps keep them safe from threats like lions and hyenas.

Tail Rudder

Tail rudder

TAIL RUDDER

The cheetah has a long, muscular tail that has a flat shape. The tail almost functions like a rudder on a boat because they use it to help control their steering and keep their balance when running very fas

Most Endangered

Most Endangered Big Cat

MOST ENDANGERED

There are only 10,000 cheetahs left in the wild, making the cheetah Africa’s most endangered big cat.

PLEASE HELP SAVE THE CHEETAH!

DONATE NOW

Coalition

The rest of the CCFA Committee

A cheetah coalition

A group of cheetahs is called a Coalition.  Usually related and almost always males, cheetahs sometimes form coalitions of 2-3 in order to defend more land.

Get Involved

Choose how you want to support CCFA

Volunteer

FREE

  • Unlimited opportunities to help
  • Leverage your skills
  • Help as little or as much as you can
  • Help CCFA to grow
Volunteer

Sponsor

$250+

  • Sponsor a CHEETAH
  • Sponsor a DOG
  • Recurring Gift
  • Wishlist (Donate Items)
Sponsor

Participate

$3,000+

  • Guided tours of CCF Centre (Namibia)
  • Internships
  • Working Guests / Volunteers
  • Visitors
Participate

“We cannot allow these beautiful creatures to disappear. I much admire the work of The Cheetah Conservation Fund Australia and I do hope that you will be able to support this important project.”

Alexander McCall SmithAuthor - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency


Welcome to our CHEETAH SHOP

Our popular 2016 CCFA Calendars have SOLD OUT
Thank you for all your support!

Now available – a range of the fantastic Goodwill Wines …



 

 

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