ABOUT

Cheetah Watch is a conservation project undertaken by photographer & filmmaker, Marcy Mendelson.

Over 90% of the world’s cheetah population has been killed in the last century, vanished from their vast historic territory, dropping from 100,000 to under 7,100: Lower than anyone imagined, these numbers reveal an emergency situation.

The purpose of this work is to raise awareness of the issues that threaten the cheetah, specifically human-wildlife conflict, and to promote solutions and new ideas that will secure the long-term survival of the cheetah for future generations.

The images and content gathered from this project are intended to promote human-predator co-existence and political will to protect the species.

Opportunities for involvement include joining us on safari, sponsorship of the documentary Chasing Cheetah, purchasing of prints, publishing stories, and pre-ordering the forthcoming book.

 

More on the project

 

70 miles per hour. Zero to 40 in three strides at 25 feet per stride.

The world’s fastest land animal and it’s most graceful hunter is on the brink…

Once widespread across arid Africa, into the Middle East and east to India, the cheetah has suffered dramatic declines over the last century. It now lives in Africa, and a critical survive in Iran. Hunted for their spotted coats and because they sometimes attack livestock, they disappeared from many areas. More recently, widespread habitat destruction has fragmented the cheetah’s range, isolating many populations. In many areas, the cheetah’s prey has been overhunted by humans.

Conflict between cheetahs and humans needs to be moderated. The problem continues to grow and according to some ecologists, within 20 years the cheetah population could be extinct.

New methodologies for predator-safe farming are underway and showing progress in areas such as Namibia where populations are beginning to stabilize; however, without more aggressive global intervention the loss of this species may occur within our lifetime.

Marcy has traveled to remaining cheetah strongholds in Kenya, Namibia, Botswana & South Africa to expose the human-wildlife conflict through contrasting visual profiles of rural communities protecting their livelihoods and the conservationist whose mission it is to preserve and protect the last of the cheetah populations.

The cheetah’s story is a global one, of conflict vs. co-existence, of tradition vs. change.

More than ever, humans are worried about our own survival and extinction, and how we show up for these incredible cats offers insight into how we forge a sustainable future for ourselves and our fellow creatures on planet earth.

Marcy Mendelson

Creative Producer

Director

Photographer

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CHEETAH WATCH