In Partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Network
Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder & Executive Director of Cheetah Conservation Fund
The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal, an iconic creature with the amazing ability to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in only three seconds. It takes an enormous amount of energy to produce this kind of speed and it can only be maintained for a very brief period of time. To save energy before unleashing their speed, cheetahs have evolved exceptionally keen eyesight to scan their grassland environment for signs of prey such as antelope and hares. Cheetahs are the oldest of the African big cats and their fascinating evolution can be traced back more than three million years. Sadly, their populations are in decline, affected primarily from changing habitat and human conflicts. Fortunately there is a ray of hope for the cheetah and her name is Dr. Laurie Marker.
Laurie is a research scientist and conservation biologist recognized as one of the world’s leading cheetah experts. As Founder and Executive Director of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), she has pioneered research, established conservation models and created cooperative alliances on behalf of the cheetah that had never before existed. She began working with cheetahs at Oregon’s Wildlife Safari in 1974, where she developed the most successful captive cheetah-breeding program in North America. She then traveled to Namibia in 1977, bringing along a young cheetah named Khayam, that she helped raise, to determine if this species could be taught to hunt. Khayam did learn to hunt, opening the door for future research into species re-wilding. This early work set the stage for her career-long research into cheetah ecology, biology and conservation strategies. Laurie was named a “Hero for the Planet” by TIME and has been featured in Smithsonian, National Geographic, Discover and The New York Times. Her book, A Future for Cheetahs, with images by acclaimed wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, will be available for signing at the conclusion of the event.
