To most of the world, the cheetah is an amazing animal admired from afar. To Dr. Laurie Marker, cheetahs are close friends with whom she works on a daily basis. Yet, in spite of being the fastest creatures on earth, even cheetahs cannot out run extinction. Please join Safari West in voting now!

About Dr. Laurie Marker
As recently featured in the Smithsonian, Dr. Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Foundation, (CCF) has dedicated her life to studying the cheetah and its habits, and preserving its way of life. She set up the not-for-profit Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1990, moving to Namibia to develop a permanent Conservation Research Centre for the wild cheetah. In 2000 Dr. Marker was recognized as one of Time Magazine's Heroes for the Planet and given the prestigious Burrow's Conservation Award. Dr. Marker was just featured as Person of the Week on ABC's Charlie Gibson's show. We are honored to have her visit Safari West for our staff, guests and friends.

More Cheetahs at Safari West.

Have you ever gone eye to eye with a Cheetah? Do you know the story of the Cheetah Spots...how did they get their tears?

Cheetah - Their tears...The world’s fastest land animal is quickly vanishing from the earth. The cheetah, Africa’s most endangered cat, is losing its natural habitat, prey base and suffering from the encroachment of people and livestock.

Cheetahs at Safari West are an integral part of our conservation program. They serve as ambassadors for their species, allowing us to share the story of the need to save this critically endangered species.

When you visit Safari West, we hope you’ll learn more about one of nature’s most graceful creatures, enjoy our glorious animals and spend time with some of our cheetah experts. The race is on; help us make sure the cheetah comes out victorious.

For an exclusive Behind the Scenes or Fast Cat Alley visit with our cheetah handlers, please email Marie Martinez at mmartinez[@]safariwest.com. You may also call her at (707) 566-3623.

For Behind the Scenes there is an additional fee involved. Please understand we cannot accomate everyone-visits are based upon the discretion of the animal keeper. You need to call ahead for this special animal encounter. Safari West collaborates closely with the following organizations in our global effort to save the cheetahs.