The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) was founded in Namibia in 1990 by Dr. Laurie Marker. Before founding CCF, Dr. Marker worked for 16 years at Wildlife Safari in the United States, where she established the most successful captive cheetah-breeding program in North America.
On a trip to Namibia in 1977, Dr. Marker learned that livestock farmers were trapping and killing hundreds of cheetahs. Later research showed that in the 1980s, more than 7,000 cheetahs were killed, reducing Namibia's population by half.
Alongside researchers at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Marker discovered the speciesβ dangerously low genetic diversity, including poor sperm quality and disease suitability. This explained the challenges of captive cheetah-breeding.
Determined to protect cheetahs in the wild, Dr. Marker chose newly independent Namibia as the home of CCF. She left her position at the Smithsonian, moved into a modest farmhouse, and launched the organization with little more than an old Land Rover purchased from selling her belongings. Her vision led to one of the world's leading cheetah conservation organizations.
