Life in the Desert

Kenzie Armstrong

Cincinnati, OH

Cheetah Conservation Fund

Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Hello! My name is Kenzie Armstrong and I am a recent Zoo and Conservation Science graduate. I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio but am currently in Namibia interning with the Cheetah Conservation Fund! It was a long journey to get here (6 hour car ride, 23 hours in planes, 14 hours in layovers, another 4 hours in the car) but I finally made it to CCF, my home for the next 2 months. CCF was founded in 1990 by Dr. Laurie Marker and has since become the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs. As an intern, it was my responsibility to help CCF succeed in three main programs, research, education, and conservation.

Currently, there are 36 cheetahs under CCF’s care, 7 of which will be released back into the wild within the next year and a half. The other 29 are permanent residents, working as ambassadors to help CCF educate the public. In order for a cheetah to be a release candidate, it must come to CCF at least 6 months old and display wild behavior. At 6 months old, the cheetah has had enough time with mom to learn the necessary hunting and survival skills to make it in the wild on their own. Those cheetahs that come to CCF younger than 6 months old or have become too habituated to humans unfortunately must live at CCF permanently, as they are less likely to survive on their own in the wild. Jaya (pictured right) is the newest resident of CCF. When CCF got a call that an orphaned cub was found, the head cheetah keeper and the curator made the long 9 hours round trip drive to go get her and bring her here to ensure she was healthy. It was determined that she was only about 6 weeks old. She is now about 9 weeks old and once she is big enough she will move into a new enclosure with other cheetahs.

Other than cheetahs, CCF has goats, sheep, and Anatolian Shepherds to take care of every day. The goats and sheep act as a model farm for CCF to teach local farmers sustainable farming techniques and show that livestock and predators can live side by side. One of the tasks interns are assigned is Goat Checks, morning and evening, where we go out into the goat yards with a vet or vet tech and check all the goats and sheep to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. We check for lameness, thorns on the hooves, ticks, and general health. Once everyone is checked in the morning, the shepherd takes the goat and sheep out in the reserve to graze.

The Anatolian Shepherds are one of the many highlights here at CCF. These dogs are absolutely wonderful and are so important to CCF’s mission to save the cheetahs. There are currently 19 dogs that are working, breeding, or visiting CCF, two liters of puppies and two expecting moms. One of my favorite dogs is named Karibib (pictured right) who I will start taking out during the day to perform Dog Talks to inform the public about the Livestock Guarding Dog Program. She is 8 years old originally from Germany and came to Namibia to be a guarding dog until she ran away to live in the bush for a year and when she returned she came to live at CCF where she continues to work as a guarding dog.

There are many tasks the interns can be assigned to and one of my favorites is husbandry where we go out with the cheetah keepers and feed 23 of the 36 cheetahs. Other tasks throughout the day include Meat Prep where we prepare the meat for the cheetahs by cutting off any fat and loose bones, Pen/Enclosure Cleanings, and Center Feeding.  During Center Feeding the remaining 13 cheetahs are fed for the public to watch and learn a little bit about the cheetah and what they eat. Interns are able to practice their public speaking during this time by performing the Meat Talk. During the Meat Talk we discuss why these cheetahs are residents, what we feed them and why, and various facts about the cheetahs.

            Even though I have only been here at CCF for about 2 weeks, I have already learned so much and experienced so many new things. My next post will include more updates on the projects I will be assigned and new things going on here at CCF!