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Dogs That Are Helping to Save Cheetahs
 For centuries, Kangal dogs from Turkey have been livestock guardians, defending herds from bears and wolves and protecting the livelihood of local farmers. They are a strong and powerful breed, light fawn to a slate grey in color and characterized by a black mask around the face. Able to withstand remarkable temperature extremes and live with the flocks of animals they are guarding, these are serious working dogs—not pets—that stand over 30 inches at the shoulder and weigh in at 120 lbs.
Namibia, Africa, is home to the largest extant cheetah population on the planet, which consists of several thousand of these endangered animals. The problem is that about 95% of the cheetahs in Namibia live on managed farmland where farmers are allowed to trap or shoot predators that are a threat to their domestic stock—including cheetahs. Photo by Angela McColgin
In 1994, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, or CCF, started a livestock guardian program in Namibia in an effort to protect cheetahs. CCF was looking for a way to protect livestock from predation and convince farmers that killing cheetahs was not the answer. The strategy they developed is called non-lethal predator management. Placing the fearless Kangal dogs with herds of livestock has reduced predation by approximately 75%. Since cheetahs have a strong flight response, all the dog has to do is scare the cheetah away. The result is less predation by cheetahs and other predators, and less culling of cheetahs by farmers.
Two Kangal dogs at the Zoo will help tell the story of the successful protection of the cheetah, and how a simple idea can have a big impact on animal conservation. Solo and Ayla should be a big hit with the visitors who attend their daily demonstrations near the cheetah exhibit.
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