Cheetah Conservation Fund

Category: Cheetah - Research | Date: May 27 2008 | By: cheetahconservation

Greetings from Mary Wykstra, CCF’s Senior Research Assistant in Kenya!

The National Cheetah Census was completed in 2007 (see map below) and the findings are being used to compliment a National Cheetah Strategic Plan which is being implemented this year by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). We continue the Human Impact studies through cheetah conflict evaluation, prey monitoring and community development in the Salama area (120 km East of Nairobi). Beginning this year (2008) there will be two programs added to CCF work in Kenya. Spoor counting and camera trapping will be conducted in the Tsavo region by an affiliated researcher. Advanced radio telemetry (radio collars) and faecal hair analysis will be used by a PhD student to compare and contrast home range, social groupings and food preference of cheetahs in the Salama area with cheetahs in the Samburu area.

The Census is vital in order to assist KWS with identifying sustainable and unique populations of cheetahs to compare with historic cheetah range in order to focus future studies and programmes in the areas where they can have the most positive impact.

Menawhile, the CCF Kenya team continues to work hard analyzing tracking and conflict data a part of its Human-Wildlife Conflict program, and working with the community.

For more information about CCF’s activities in Kenya, please click here. To read CCF Kenya’s most recent newsletter, click here. (Opens with Adobe Acrobat).