Help Dogs Save Cats

CCF’s renowned Livestock Guarding Dog Program has been highly effective at reducing predation rates and thereby reducing the inclination by farmers to trap or shoot cheetahs. CCF breeds Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs, breeds that for millennia have guarded small livestock against wolves and bears in Turkey. The dogs are placed with Namibian farmers as puppies. They bond with the herd and use their imposing presence and loud bark to scare away potential predators.

But Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs aren't the only predator deterrents.  Cheetah Conservation Fund’s Human Dimensions Research team, consisting of a conservation biologist, a veterinarian and CCF’s smallstock manager, were off January 22nd to Otjituuo Conservancy in the Eastern Communal Conservancies of Namibia to deploy an innovative new predator deterrent. E-Shepherd collars, made locally in South Africa, are a relatively inexpensive (N$1359) per unit method of preventing livestock losses to carnivores in the field. As most losses to carnivores occur whilst livestock are out grazing, the E-Shepherd collar could be an invaluable solution for farmers who are unable to hire full-time herders.

The E-Shepherd collar goes around the neck of a goat, sheep, or calf and when a predator chases the animals in a herd, this triggers the collar to emit a high-pitched sound alarm that is meant to deter the predator that is attacking. E-Shepherd collars are used in a ratio of 1 collar per 10 livestock, so it is best that they are used in small herds. The first study of its kind in Namibia, the collars will stay in place late Jan 2018 – late Jan 2019 (as the collars have an average battery life of 15 months, and come with the battery in place). We are testing how well the collars work to prevent livestock losses to carnivores, and will follow up with individuals every four months in the study period, as well as with their neighbours who do not have the collars, to do questionnaires to record livestock losses to predation. 

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Guard dogs are not the only species saving cheetahs.  We also have champions for cheetahs in the form of humans.  Champions such as, Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF’s) European Goodwill Ambassador Anna Vieth who took home the silver medal for Austria in the Olympic super-G on February 17th, 2018 during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games. Not only is Anna a true champion on the slopes but also a true champion to the cheetah.  In October 2014, Anna donated her famous cheetah print helmet together with a cash gift to CCF in Namibia to help rebuild its Visitor Center, which was destroyed by a fire in 2013. Anna wore the custom-made race helmet during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where she won a gold medal in the super-G and a silver medal in the giant slalom.  

In 2014, CCF was so proud to watch as its European Ambassador, Austrian alpine skier, then known as, Anna Fenninger, take gold in the Women’s Super G and silver in the women’s Giant Slalom events during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Wearing her cheetah print helmet for her races, Anna used her moment of Olympic glory to garner attention to the world’s fastest land animal and its race against extinction. We like to think that wearing a cheetah helmet gave Anna “cheetah speed!” That was certainly our wish for her as we cheered her on in Sochi from Otjiwarongo, Namibia.  “By incorporating cheetah spots into her race gear, Anna was also able to bring international attention to Africa’s most endangered big cat and inspire people everywhere in the to fight to save them.” Dr. Marker says she plans to create a permanent exhibit in CCF’s new Visitor Center to display Fenninger’s cheetah helmet and share her story with visitors.

Anna has been a friend to the cheetah and a friend to CCF for quite some time. With a life-long devotion to big cats and especially the cheetah, Anna came to visit CCF in Namibia to learn more about the cheetah in the wild and to shoot a calendar.  The large-format 2014 calendar, released at the end of 2013, features Anna around CCF’s ambassador cheetahs in gorgeous, sweeping images, which can be viewed at this link http://cheetah.org/gallery/anna-fenninger/. 

During her time in Namibia, she learned how CCF is reducing human-wildlife conflict that threatens the cheetah by breeding and placing Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs with Namibian farmers.  The dogs bond to the herds and protect them, scaring off predators with their imposing presence and ferocious bark. She met our resident cheetahs, most of whom are at CCF because they were orphaned as cubs — their mothers often shot or trapped.

Since visiting Namibia and getting to know CCF and Dr. Laurie Marker’s work, Anna has been a tireless advocate for the cheetah. At nearly every opportunity, Anna has cast a spotlight on the cheetah’s race against extinction. During appearances on Austrian television, and even during the interview following her post-gold medal winning run, Anna has constantly sought to draw attention to the cheetah and the work that CCF is doing to save it. We at CCF have so appreciated her dedication to our mission. Her efforts have paid off, drawing many new supporters and fans of our work.

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