Botswana provides a home for approximately 30% of the earth’s remaining cheetahs—there are less than 10,000 cheetahs worldwide; it is the only country where their population remains stable.
Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s main task is reducing human-wildlife conflict.
The cheetah’s lean build gives it the speed and agility that make it famous. However, this rangy physique also means that the cheetah struggles to live alongside bigger cats such as lions in reserves and national parks—the cheetah is too small to compete.
Cheetahs therefore live mostly on non-protected land surrounded by farmers and rural communities. Sharing this land is difficult because farmers perceive cheetahs to be a threat. Human-wildlife conflict is largely responsible for the loss of 90% of the cheetah population (around 90,000 individual cheetahs) during just one century.
Botswana is a remaining stronghold for cheetahs, providing a home for approximately 30% of earth’s remaining 7,100 cheetahs, it is the only country where their population remains stable. Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s main task is reducing the conflict and improving community perceptions towards cheetahs and other carnivores. Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) works together with the communities that live side-by-side with cheetahs, creating initiatives tailored to meet community needs and priorities. They aim to allow cheetahs to remain as a flagship species for the delicate Kalahari ecosystem and its rich biodiversity.
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The fastest animal on Earth is rapidly in need of help.
Cheetah Conservation Botswana's Rebecca Klein tells us about the threats facing cheetahs and how CCB is working to protect them. Learn more in this video from TV network HITN.
Botswana has an incredibly important role to play in cheetah conservation globally. It is one of the last and best hopes for the preservation of our earth’s declining cheetah population.
Rebecca Klein
Rebecca Klein, Executive Director
Rebecca grew up all over the world, moving frequently with her adventurous parents. She has always felt as comfortable around animals as she does around people. She moved to Botswana in 2001 to work at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve and while there cared for two orphaned cheetah brothers who had lost their mother to conflict with farmers.
After working with the orphaned cheetahs, Rebecca tried to find an organization dedicated to protecting Botswana’s cheetahs. Upon discovering that there were none, she decided to start Cheetah Conservation Botswana along with Dr. Kyle Good and Ann Marie Houser. She lives in Botswana and hopes that Cheetah Conservation Botswana will help the cheetah remain as the flagship species for the country’s biodiversity.
To reduce conflict between cheetahs and livestock, CCB trains a local breed of Tswana livestock guarding dogs to protect livestock from threats. With a network of over 100 participating farmers, CCB trains puppies and provides free veterinary care and information. CCB continues to monitor all active dogs in the program to assess the effectiveness of this intervention.
Biodiversity in Non-protected Areas
A great deal of biological research has been conducted in protected areas where wildlife roams free and without persecution, but there has been far less research held on farmlands, where the real threat to cheetah survival exists. CCB’s research mainly centers around human-wildlife conflict and finding out how cheetahs are hunting, to ensure that cheetahs are protected with the most useful and evidence-based approaches.
Bush Camps
CCB’s education department conducts four-day educational camps, where children and adult groups are immersed in experiential learning and come to appreciate Botswana’s environment and carnivores. At CCB bush camps, participants are exposed to a range of important environmental ideas through lectures, bush walks, activities, and fun games.
Farming for Conservation
Many farmers who share the land with cheetahs often consider these animals as pests due to the perceived threat that they pose to their livestock. Through CCB’s “Farming for Conservation” program, CCB is trying to help farmers implement inexpensive carnivore control methods to curb losses and improve productivity, thereby improving livelihoods.
Communities for Conservation
Through CCB’s community participatory planning processes, they ensure communities’ social needs are addressed, and a sense of pride for the San’s natural and cultural resources is celebrated, through traditional dances or murals painted at local schools. These partnerships allow communities to be supported and improve their ability to manage their natural resource base.
To reduce conflict between cheetahs and livestock, CCB trains a local breed of Tswana livestock guarding dogs to protect livestock from threats. With a network of over 100 participating farmers, CCB trains puppies and provides free veterinary care and information. CCB continues to monitor all active dogs in the program to assess the effectiveness of this intervention.
A great deal of biological research has been conducted in protected areas where wildlife roams free and without persecution, but there has been far less research held on farmlands, where the real threat to cheetah survival exists. CCB’s research mainly centers around human-wildlife conflict and finding out how cheetahs are hunting, to ensure that cheetahs are protected with the most useful and evidence-based approaches.
CCB’s education department conducts four-day educational camps, where children and adult groups are immersed in experiential learning and come to appreciate Botswana’s environment and carnivores. At CCB bush camps, participants are exposed to a range of important environmental ideas through lectures, bush walks, activities, and fun games.
Many farmers who share the land with cheetahs often consider these animals as pests due to the perceived threat that they pose to their livestock. Through CCB’s “Farming for Conservation” program, CCB is trying to help farmers implement inexpensive carnivore control methods to curb losses and improve productivity, thereby improving livelihoods.
Through CCB’s community participatory planning processes, they ensure communities’ social needs are addressed, and a sense of pride for the San’s natural and cultural resources is celebrated, through traditional dances or murals painted at local schools. These partnerships allow communities to be supported and improve their ability to manage their natural resource base.
Impact by the Numbers
114
local farmers trained
through CCB's programs that teach human-cheetah conflict reduction in Botswana
85%
reduction of livestock predation
CCB expanded their livestock guarding dog program to reduce livestock predation and enable coexistence between cheetahs and farmers
350
people engaged through conservation education activities during 2022
This is achieved through bush camps and school visits
Donations of any amount can help pay for school visits that help children learn the importance of predators and conservation.
$50 provides a school kit of learning resources to a school in the cheetah’s Kalahari stronghold.
$100 sponsors a child to attend a 3 day environmental bush camp at the CCB center.
$150 pays for one mobile livestock protection workshop for 20 farmers.
$250 sponsors the medical treatment, vaccination and sterilization of one livestock guarding dog for one year.
CCB Shares Their Latest Work at Expo
Cheetah Conservation Botswana shares how they are protecting cheetahs and how their team is adjusting to due to challenges after the pandemic.
News & Stories
Restoring Peace Between Cheetahs and Farmers
The farmer’s wife greeted Cheetah Conservation Botswana’s (CCB) rapid response unit as they approached the homestead, heralded by a choir...
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How Street Dogs Become Cheetah Protectors
The dogs were already barking when his truck pulled up to the Ghanzi camp. As he left the vehicle, desert...
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The Secret to Coexisting with Cheetahs
There is a clearing on Callie’s farm where wild antelope gather. Callie and his daughter Alida arrived at this clearing...
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Communities for Conservation
After 30 miles, Jane and Britz finally drove past the last of the commercial cattle ranches. The Kalahari Desert transformed...
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A Snapshot of the 2019 Spring Wildlife Conservation Expo
On Saturday, April 13th, we hosted the Spring Wildlife Conservation Expo, bringing together some of the world’s most pioneering conservationists...
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A Snapshot of the Fall 2018 Wildlife Conservation Expo
October in San Francisco signals the return of our flagship Wildlife Conservation Expo, providing wildlife enthusiasts with the opportunity to...
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Meet 2018 WCN Scholar Phale Max Seele
Lithe and strikingly beautiful, with intense amber eyes and a graceful gait, the cheetah is world-renowned for being the fastest...
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Uncovering Conservation Secrets from an Unusual Source
Collecting scat or animal poop may not be the most glamorous or enviable part of conservation fieldwork, but it’s essential...
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A Cheetah's Journey
Thaki is a female cheetah that used to inhabit a farming area in Botswana, where local communities depend on livestock...
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Botswana: A Critical Stronghold for Cheetahs
Cheetahs once roamed vast expanses of Africa and Asia, from South Africa all the way to India. Today we find...
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Dogs and Cats: Helping Farmers and Cheetahs Coexist in Botswana
When people think of sub-Saharan Africa, they are often imagining the landscape of Botswana, although they may be unaware of...
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The Legacy of the Record-Breaking Cheetah Legolas
Legolas was a record-breaking large male cheetah that, during his life, managed to endear himself to both cheetah conservationists and...
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World Environment Day 2018
Today—on World Environment Day—we'd like to highlight some of the actions our Conservation Partners are taking to help create a...
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Photography Credits: Eric Ash, Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Arnel DeLeon, Ken and Michelle Dyball, Jane Horgan, Susan McConnell, Jon McCormack, Tom Stahl