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Namibia is one of the few countries where cheetahs still live. To protect them, shepherds must be encouraged not to kill them when they attack their flocks. For this, a sanctuary came up with an idea: breed sheepdogs.
At the Cheetah Conservation fund, a huge sanctuary of 800 hectares, in the very north of Namibia, around thirty survivors are slowly waking up. When Léa Petersen, the head of the cheetahs, enter the enclosure, the cheetahs know it’s time to eat and do some sport. Keeping them in shape is essential. Veterinarians and carers like Léa try to offer them a peaceful life, far from the mistreatment they have previously suffered.
These cheetahs are survivors of their species: thn a century, the cheetah population has decreased by 90%. In 1900, there were more than 100,000 in the world. Today, there are about 7,000 left, half of them in Namibia. “The cheetahs are in very great danger, I think. The problem here is the farmers who can’t live with them, so they kill them“, explains Lea petersen.
To avoid this situation, the sanctuary has implemented a unique program: Anatolian Shepherds protect herds of goats and sheep from cheetah attacks. The latter are indeed afraid of dogs, and avoid them.