Known for her actions in protecting the cheetah
The study of the feline makes possible a more effective conservation strategy
Several rescued cheetahs now live with her

Laurie Marker left her family, friends and country, the United States, to go to the aid of the cheetah. She set herself up in Namibia, since this country shelters the biggest cheetah population in the world, close to 3000 individuals. Because 95% of them live outside protected reserves, many are killed by farmers. The cheetah disappeared long ago from the Asian continent; the situation of the world’s most rapid animal is critical. The cheetah has been classified by the CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) as the most dangerously threatened species, since there remain fewer than 12,000 specimens on the planet. Having studied the animal for more than 20 years, Laurie Marker established the Cheetah Conservation Fund or CCF. One of her maps is dotted with coloured spots representing the cheetahs she has approached. It is not an easy thing to place an transmitter-collar on a cheetah, but her observations have led to the discovery that cheetahs prefer to go where there is a “game tree”, an isolated tree, so planting more trees is sufficient to prevent the installation of a cheetah family. She has also demonstrated recently, with video evidence, that female asses are fervent defenders of their territory and effective protectors of livestock. For Laurie, the objective is twofold: first of all, to succeed in better protecting the animal without requiring people to change their habits. Secondly, to educate the population by carrying out the enormous task of raising awareness in farmers and schools. Which she does in the company of her tame cheetahs.