International Cheetah Day (Acinonyx jubatus)
Kenya 2010
Masai Mara
Africa
Since 2010, the world has been celebrating the cheetah each December 4th as International Cheetah Day.
Why December 4th?
It is the birthday of Khayam, a cheetah Dr. Laurie Marker raised from a cub at Wildlife Safari, in Oregon. Khayam was trained for the first research project in re-wilding and inspired her first trip to Namibia in 1977.
Dr. Marker took Khayam to Africa to see if she could be taught to hunt in the wild. Through trial and error, Dr. Marker was successful in her efforts, and she eventually brought Khayam back to the US.
It was during this time that Dr. Marker found out about how cheetahs were being exterminated by Namibian farmers who viewed them as vermin, and she vowed to do something about it. So Dr. Marker became the cheetah’s champion because of Khayam, and chose this animal’s birthday as a day to promote cheetah conservation in her honour.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus; /ˈtʃiːtə/) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in North, Southern and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran.
It inhabits a variety of mostly arid habitats like dry forests, scrub forests, and savannahs.
The species is IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable, as it suffered a substantial decline in its historic range in the 20th century due to habitat loss, poaching for the illegal pet trade, and conflict with humans. By 2016, the global cheetah population has been estimated at approximately 7,100 individuals in the wild.
Several African countries have taken steps to improve cheetah conservation measures.
International Cheetah Day (Acinonyx jubatus)
Kenya 2010
Masai Mara
Africa
Since 2010, the world has been celebrating the cheetah each December 4th as International Cheetah Day.
Why December 4th?
It is the birthday of Khayam, a cheetah Dr. Laurie Marker raised from a cub at Wildlife Safari, in Oregon. Khayam was trained for the first research project in re-wilding and inspired her first trip to Namibia in 1977.
Dr. Marker took Khayam to Africa to see if she could be taught to hunt in the wild. Through trial and error, Dr. Marker was successful in her efforts, and she eventually brought Khayam back to the US.
It was during this time that Dr. Marker found out about how cheetahs were being exterminated by Namibian farmers who viewed them as vermin, and she vowed to do something about it. So Dr. Marker became the cheetah’s champion because of Khayam, and chose this animal’s birthday as a day to promote cheetah conservation in her honour.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus; /ˈtʃiːtə/) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in North, Southern and East Africa, and a few localities in Iran.
It inhabits a variety of mostly arid habitats like dry forests, scrub forests, and savannahs.
The species is IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable, as it suffered a substantial decline in its historic range in the 20th century due to habitat loss, poaching for the illegal pet trade, and conflict with humans. By 2016, the global cheetah population has been estimated at approximately 7,100 individuals in the wild.
Several African countries have taken steps to improve cheetah conservation measures.