2018 Annual Progress Report Reporting Period January-December 2018 By Dr Laurie Marker Executive Director Cheetah Conservation Fund P.O. Box 1755 Otjiwarongo, Namibia Phone: 067 306225 Fax: 067 306247 Email:
[email protected] Internal Use Only 1 Table Of Contents I. Executive Summary 4 II. Organisational Structure 6 III. Research 7 A. POPULATION DYNAMICS 7 B. MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS 8 1. EXAMINATIONS UNDER ANAESTHESIA 8 2. EXAMINATIONS WITHOUT ANAESTHESIA 9 3. HEALTH-RELATED MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS: CAPTIVE CHEETAHS 10 4. DENTAL PROCEDURES ON CCF’S WILD AND CAPTIVE CHEETAHS 12 5. RELEASED CHEETAH EXAMINATIONS 12 6. WILD CHEETAH EXAMINATIONS 13 7. DEATHS, EUTHANASIA, AND NECROPSIES 13 8. NON-CHEETAH CARNIVORE EXAMINATIONS AND NECROPSIES 14 C. HEALTH AND REPRODUCTION 16 1. GENOME RESOURCE BANK 16 D. CONSERVATION GENETICS 16 1. LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CONSERVATION GENETICS LABORATORY 16 2. SCAT DETECTION DOGS 20 E. LARGE CARNIVORE RESEARCH AND ECOLOGY 23 1. GO GREEN PROJECT – CARNIVORE LANDSCAPE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE 23 2. PILOT PROJECTS: E-SHEPHERD COLLARS AND FOXLIGHTS 32 3. CHEETAH RELEASES AND MONITORING 46 F. ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH 54 1. WEATHER MONITORING 54 2. GAME MONITORING 55 3. BUSH ENCROACHMENT AND BIODIVERSITY 62 4. CHEETAH/LEOPARD CAMERA TRAP STUDY 63 5. GIRAFFE IDENTIFICATION 64 6. CCF RHINO RESERVE 66 7. VISITING RESEARCHERS 66 G. SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS 67 1. BOOKS 67 2. BOOK CHAPTERS 67 3. PAPERS 70 4. SUBMITTED PAPERS 70 5. PAPERS IN PREPARATION 70 IV. Conservation 71 A. LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOG PROGRAMME 71 1. PROGRAMME OVERVIEW 71 2. BREEDING AND PUPPY PLACEMENTS 72 3. FOLLOW-UP ON PRIOR PLACEMENTS AND HEALTH SURVEY 74 4.