‘The Cheetah Lady’ Dr Laurie Marker
Introduction
Dr Laurie Marker is arguably the most influential person alive when it comes to Cheetah conservation.
We stopped by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) when we were in Namibia in early 2023, and Laurie gave us a tour and let us take a couple of portraits.
While we saw the traditional ‘cheetah run’ (the morning feeding of the cheetah), I was most intrigued by the CCF’s program Livestock Guarding Dogs program. The dogs (Anatolian shepherds) are bred and trained at the CCF facility in Namibia, are placed with farmers in hotspots of human-wildlife conflict.
The dogs use their imposing presence and loud bark to warn off cheetah and other predators, which stops attacks on the herd. This makes farmers less likely to trap or shoot the cheetah. The dogs provide a non-lethal protective layer of the herd. The program has reduced livestock losses of predators by 90%.
see more at cheetah.org
with thanks for art direction, production & support by Bella Kotak, Keoni Chun. Hair and makeup by Jess Lazell with Jeff Lazell as assistant.
