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Summary
Summary
Since the year 1900, cheetah footprints quickly dwindled in African dirt as the species plummeted from more than 100,000 to fewer than 10,000. At the Cheetah Conservation Fund's (CCF) African headquarters in Namibia, Laurie Marker and her team save these stunning, swift, and slender creatures from extinction. Since the organization's start in 1990, they've rescued more than 900 cheetahs, most of whom have been returned to the wild.
But this arduous challenge continues. For most African livestock farmers, cheetahs are the last thing they want to see on their properties. In the 1980s, as many as 19 cheetahs per farmer died each year. Cheetahs were considered vermin--but, in learning more about this magnificent species, we know this is far from true.
Today, CCF acts as a liaison between the farmers and the cheetahs, in order to promote cohabitation in an ecosystem that cannot thrive without the existence of the precious and predatory cheetah. On a wild ride through the African wilderness--sometimes sniffing out scents left in the dirt--Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join CCF in studying the cheetah's ecological, genetic, and behavioral patterns in order to chase down the fastest animal on land and save the species--before it is too late.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-8-Cheetahs, the smallest of the big cats, are superbly adapted to their habitat and to running down their prey with blinding bursts of speed. Here Montgomery focuses her scientific attention and literary craft on the work of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and its efforts to save the cheetah from threatened extinction. Quartered in Namibia, CCF director Laurie Marker and her team analyze scat, measure trees where cheetahs congregate, collect DNA to follow genetic lines, breed cheetahs for ultimate release in the wild, and rescue these animals from captivity when possible. Another major thrust is educating farmers, herders, and future farmers/herders (children) in how to coexist with a large predator that often prefers wild meat to domestic animals. To this concern, CCF breeds large Kangal guard dogs and sells them (at low cost) to herdsmen. Montogomery's lucid prose flows smoothly, and Bishop's elegant color photos bring it all into crystal focus. Interspersed with the narrative are information pages on specific topics, such as "Secrets of DNA" and "Taking the Measure of a Tree." Similar in scope to this team's excellent The Tapir Scientist (2013) and Kakapo Rescue (both Houghton, 2010), this is a readable, informative, and elegant book on an equally elegant feline.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Montgomery introduces readers to Laurie Marker and her team of conservationists, scientists, students, and animals at the Cheetah Conservation Fund's site in Namibia. The book opens with the remarkable description and sight (thanks to Bishop's outstanding photographs) of Marker, accompanied by Tiger Lily, a cheetah who has spent her life at the CCF as an "ambassador." Marker's dedication to saving the endangered cheetah population is readily apparent; she has spent decades in research and outreach, using creative techniques to further the aims of the CCF. Indeed, the science in this volume of the series is more applied than in others: Marker's team engages in everything from assistance to farmers in the form of goat-raising techniques and herding dogs (to prevent cheetah shootings), to presentations in local schools, to DNA testing in support of diversification in the cheetah genetic pool. Throughout, scientific information about the cheetahs and profiles of the people who study and live with them is interspersed with in-the-moment, journal-style accounts of Montgomery's day-to-day activities at the site, especially in pursuit of an elusive wild cheetah that frequents the area. Striking photographs of the cheetahs, the people and landscape of Namibia, and the conservationists fully capture the dedication of these scientists and the awesome power of the cheetahs. Appended with a brief bibliography and an index. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A trusted pair of wildlife observers introduce Namibian cheetahs and a woman who has taken on the responsibility for saving them. Montgomery and Bishop draw readers into the setting from the very beginning with a map, description and photographs of the Namibian savanna where Laurie Marker founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund 20 years ago. There, in an area that is now part of a large nature conservancy, scientists and students take in rescued cheetah orphans, provide sanctuary, return most to the wild, and demonstrate ways farmers and cheetahs can live in harmony. Dogs and goats are key. The CCF raises and sells Kangal dogs, a breed large enough to guard goats, sheep and cattle from large predators. They raise goats, too, to use in training the dogs and Namibians who want to learn to farm. Like many of the best titles in this series, this focuses on a single scientist and her work, describes how she got there, what she does, the tools she uses and why her work is important. As always, young people are included in the storyhere, visiting U.S. high school seniors who participate in a wildlife census. Bishop's stunning cheetah photographs will draw readers into this appealing and balanced picture of a conservationist at work. Another winning combination of elegant design, thoughtful organization and fascinating information. (bibliography, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The latest entry in the Scientists in the Field series finds award-winning collaborators Montgomery and Bishop visiting a cheetah reclamation preserve in Tanzania for close-up looks at how orphaned or injured animals are rescued, nurtured, and prepared (when possible) for release back into the wild. Along with sharp views of the facility's experts and student volunteers working with cheetahs and taking general wildlife counts, Bishop provides plenty of stunning cheetah photography both full-body and head shots to beautifully complement Montgomery's detailed descriptions of daily routines, research projects, and medical procedures. The text also extends its coverage of wildlife conservation issues in explanations of how the facility's passionately dedicated head, Laurie Marker, works to turn local herders from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution by working to save these beautiful, threatened creatures. This is yet another engaging, well-designed entry into an essential series.--Peters, John Copyright 2014 Booklist