Please support me over the coming months as I prepare to run a challenging 67 mile race from London to Canterbury in August and my own virtual Marathon late September.

I will be fundraising for the Cheetah Conservation Fund UK (CCF UK), an organisation doing everything possible to secure the future of wild cheetahs. With less than 7,100 individuals left in the wild, cheetahs are now Africa's most endangered big cat. They have vanished from approximately 90% of their historic range across Africa and Asia and are coming dangerously close to extinction. 

Growing up animal obsessed, big cats were always my favourite – and the cheetah, the most breathtaking and striking of them all. Knowing how fragile their population is, I joined CCF UK as a volunteer. I have also been fortunate enough to visit the main centre in Namibia to complete my Master’s research and see first-hand the high-impact programmes being delivered.  

Throughout my time with CCF, I have seen how the organisation is so much more than just cheetah conservation. CCF’s holistic approach means that it's efforts benefit the entire ecosystem upon which the cheetah depends. It’s programmes address concerns for wildlife populations and human communities that share the landscape.

Whether you have a passion for wildlife, or perhaps enjoy the occasional nature documentary, I am sure you would agree that a world without cheetahs would be far less bright. The race really is on to save the cheetah and with your help, it can be won. Please donate today. 

• £10.00 will feed three cheetah cubs at the CCF safe houses in Somaliland for one day.

• £20.00 is needed to deliver community awareness to 10 community members in villages on trafficking routes.

• £50.00 will provide much needed veterinary care for 1 cheetah cub at the CCF safe houses.

Together we can #SaveTheCheetah - we can save a species

So why are cheetahs in so much trouble?

• Habitat loss
  

Habitat loss, whether due to human development or encroaching thornbush is one of the top threats to the cheetah in the wild. To address the latter, CCF is actively engaged in habitat restoration through it's Bushblok initiative. Encroaching bush is harvested and processed into high-heat, low-emission, compacted logs for use as a cooking fuel or for home heating. Bushblok employs local Namibians, providing them with much-needed income and an alternative livelihood to traditional farming. A win-win.

• Illegal wildlife trade
  

In the Horn of Africa, an estimated 300 cheetah cubs per year are taken from the wild to be illegally sold as pets. This is worrying considering the population of adult and adolescent cheetahs is critically endangered, with an estimated 500 remaining in the wild. In recent years, CCF have established three cheetah safe houses in Hargeisa, Somaliland with a vet clinic and a full staff team to take care of the cheetah cubs confiscated from the illegal wildlife pet trade.

• Human-wildlife conflict:
  

Over 90% of cheetahs live outside protected areas, meaning that they live alongside human communities, mostly amongst commercial and communal farming areas. Cheetahs and other predators are commonly viewed as a threat to the livelihoods of these communities due to livestock predation (actual or perceived) and retaliatory killings are therefore a serious problem. In effort to address the issue, CCF runs a renowned Livestock Guarding Dog Program (LGD) which has been highly effective at reducing livestock loss (80 to 100% reduction after placing LGDs on farms) and thereby reducing the inclination by farmers to trap or shoot cheetahs. CCF also works with farmers to develop and implement predator-friendly livestock and wildlife management techniques to prevent losses.

Read more about CCF here: https://cheetah.org and visit the campaign page here: https://cheetah.org/uk/campaigns/

Thank you for your support!