Run for the Cheetah’s
This past weekend Cheetah Learning went to Portland, Oregon to support our fellow Cheetah’s- and we’re not talking about the fast paced career savvy folks that take our Cheetah Learning courses and move on to conquer the word.
We’re talking about another type of Cheetah, the kind that runs at speeds of 70 mph, the most specialized member of the cat family, and the kind that are now endangered due to a population decline of at least 30% in the past 18 years.
Why have Cheetah’s become endangered? The reason that the Cheetah population has lowered so drastically is threefold:
- Human encroachment
- Shortage of prey sources due to human hunting
- Increased deaths of cheetah cubs due to predation by lions, hyenas, and other carnivores that are
What is being done to reverse population decline?
- Education for live stock farmers about how to reduce cheetah/livestock interaction
- Teaching farmers how to avoid conflict by monitoring breeding schedules.
- Teaching farmers to use dogs to protect livestock rather than guns.
- Promoting stronger enforcement anti-poaching laws and habitat restoration
How can you help? Visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund site to see how you can help.
In an effort to help reverse the cheetah population decline, Cheetah Learning sponsored the Portland Run for the Cheetah, and will be sponsoring the Chicago (April 11th) and the Phoenix (April 25th) Run for the Cheetah events.
Our experience at the Portland Cheetah Run was very exciting. We arrived at the run at 6am sharp to a pitch-black field and a downpour of rain. We found our very cheery Cheetah Run host’s in rain jackets and sipping warm java, and ready to help us set up our booth.
I ran in the 8k run, which helped to warm me up and get me energized on that chilly morning. The run took us by a river, and twice around the Portland International Raceway, and brought us back along the river to a finish line full of cheering cheetah supporters.
As the morning went on, the clouds became less ominous and there was soon just a small drizzle. We couldn’t have asked for a better crowd there, from enthused Cheetah activist to little tykes in cheetah jump suites, the mood was cheerful and upbeat throughout the morning.
We look forward to the next event – Chicago here we come!
