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The Soirees Special Guest's
this week is
Claudia Whitehead
Arizona Chapter Chairman
of
The Cheetah Conservation Fund
Claudia Whitehead
To Contact Claudia:
The Cheetah Conservation Fund is dedicated to the long-term survival of the cheetah and its ecosystems. The Fund’s activities include working actively with farmers, schools, and communities, as well as conducting international research on cheetah demographics, ecology, biology, and the human impacts affecting cheetah survival.
It is my pleasure to host Claudia Whitehead Chairman of the Arizona Chapter of the Cheetah Conservation Fund as this week's Soiree Special Guest. Claudia has headed up the Arizona Chapter for five years and is looking forward to meeting all of you animal lovers.
Claudia was working with the International Executive Service Corps in Namibia, Africa in March 2001. During that time, her consulting group was invited by the Cheetah Conservation Fund to visit and assist in making contacts in the U.S. for assistance with their Bushblok Project to manufacture Duraflame-type logs out of a thorny bush that has taken over much of the cheetah’s natural habitat in Namibia. There Claudia met Chewbaaka, Cheetah Conservation Fund's Ambassador Cheetah and the Cheetah Conservation Fund's Founder Dr. Laurie Marker and witnessed first-hand the dedication and efforts of the Cheetah Conservation Fund to ensure the cheetah’s survival in the wild. Claudia quickly became a huge fan of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and when she returned to Arizona was inspired to work with the local Arizona Chapter. She now heads up its efforts to raise awareness and funds for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Arizona with dedicated volunteers and sponsors through the Annual Run for the Cheetah every April in association with Earth Day. This upcoming April will be its fourth annual run! Claudia has also been working with the Cape of Good Hope Wine Company to develop special South African wines for the Cheetah Conservation Fund through the Hoopenberg winery. The wines debuted this month featuring some of Cheetah Conservation Fund's special resident cheetahs and are currently available at the Wild Oats at Raintree and the 101 freeway, 40th Street and Camelback and the AJ’s at Via Linda and Mountainview or through mail order. Click on the following links for more information about the Cheetah Conservation Fund wines >>> Wine Descriptions and Mail Order Form
The Problem
The world's fastest land animal, the sleek and long-legged cheetah, Acinonyx Jubatus, is losing its race for survival. Once a common animal found on five continents, the cheetah is now an Endangered Species.
 Loss of habitat, conflict with humans, as well as its own loss of genetic variation, are the main threats facing the cheetah today. The cheetah needs large expanses of land to survive, but with changes in land use and habitat pressures, such as bush encroachment, this area is becoming smaller and smaller. Unfortunately, captive breeding efforts have not proven meaningful to the cheetah's hopes of survival.
Cheetahs can reach speeds of over 70 mph, but are extremely clumsy fighters. The result is that although the cheetahs are the best hunters in Africa, they lose much of their prey to the more aggressive predators, such as lions and hyenas, who chase them away and steal their food.
The largest population of cheetahs is in Namibia, a country that is now growing more independent and democratic. With the country's expansion, there was a drastic decline of the cheetah population in the 1980s, when the population was halved in a 10-year period, leaving an estimated population of less than 2,500 animals. At the beginning of the 1990s, when the Cheetah Conservation Fund began its work with the farming community, a gradual change has occurred within Namibia, and over the last couple of years the population has stabilized. The Cheetah Conservation Fund's research has shown that most recently farmers have more tolerance for cheetahs and are killing less and those that are being killed are linked to livestock losses. More frequently farmers are calling the Cheetah Conservation Fund to help them.
I want to play!
Only the "human animal" can save the cheetah from extinction. And that is why the Cheetah Conservation Fund now works in Africa.
It is with great pleasure that Claudia Whitehead of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, will be my Special Guest this week.
Please plan on joining us to socialize and meet new friends. Thanks all.
Cheetah Links for those of you who want to learn more! Click the title to learn more.
Cheetah Kids
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Defenders of Wildlife
National Geographic Magazine
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