With the world’s fastest land animal in a race for survival, Hampshire school children helped us to launch SPRINT, a new and exciting campaign to help conserve cheetahs and their habitats today (Friday 13th February).

Like the other members of the big cat family, cheetahs can be found living in southern and eastern Africa, and they have even spread as far as the Sahara and Iran. Despite their large range wild cheetahs now face many threats. Loss of natural habitat to persecution and illegal trapping are just a few of the many problems which threaten their continued survival. With less than 10,000 in the wild, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists the species as vulnerable.

The SPRINT campaign will help fund various conservation projects for cheetahs and their habitats in Africa. In Zimbabwe SPRINT will fund work to help resolve conflicts between farmers and cheetahs, as well as enable researchers to track cheetahs to assess its unknown population status. In Northern Kenya and Niger SPRINT will help fund work to assess the cheetah’s population size and range. SPRINT will also bring benefits to Marwell’s cheetah with funds going towards a new home, which is due to start work in 2010.

Dr. Tim Woodfine, Marwell’s Director of Conservation said: “As key predators cheetahs help to maintain the equilibrium in their ecosystems, so losing these animals has a massive impact on habitat biodiversity. Marwell has been involved in cheetah conservation work in Africa for a number of years and the SPRINT campaign will help fund the vital work towards safeguarding these beautiful animals for future generations”

Will be running lots of cheetah activities during February half term (Saturday 14 – Sunday 22 February). Meet Marwell’s cheetah keepers at 3.30pm every day, watch cheetahs being fed, follow a free cheetah trail to win a big cat encounter, plus receive a free cheetah goodie bag with every child’s day pass purchased.

Children from Fair Oak Infant School took part in a ‘sprint’ run next to the cheetahs today to officially launch SPRINT

Find out more about cheetahs and SPRINT here

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13 February 2009