Cheri (TsavoCheetah)-

Though I've been to Soysambu with Mary and Cosmas...I'm more a jeans/khaki wearing gal, so no, I don't think we've met. Went to your very good-looking website but didn't see how I could get you the pictures I took this year and last. Actually, last year's pictures were much more ID-worthy, as I got quite close to the cheetahs and they were kind enough to give me front, side and rear profiles for my camera.

I've been lucky to see cheetah when visiting Satao Camp in E Tsavo. The cheetahs were seen on the road to Aruba dam from Satao camp, near Aruba dam, also near Kanderi Swamp. Because the bush is so thick in the Tsavo/Rukinga Conservancies, I've only seen cheetah spoor but never the cats themselves.

Is it possible to obtain a final draft of the NEMA Environmental Impact Study on the Mara "cheetah zoo"? I would think that would be public record. Would love to see how they justify this project.
I don't need to see cheetahs in cages....I could save thousands of travel miles and thousands of USD to stay in New York and visit my local Bronx Zoo....which has it's own "African Safari" feature with caged lions, cheetah, leopards. Once you see the large carnivores living their lives in the parks/reserves the way they were meant to, it's not easy to view them in cages...especially in an African wildlife reserve.

Good luck, Cheri, you have a huge task ahead of you in the vast Tsavo ecosystem!

TsavoCheetah - Karibu sana.
Great to have you on our website and I am very happy (like I am sure we all are) to have someone with your background join us.
Thank you for your interesting imputs so far. I will let Simba - the other Co founder know tonight as he is busy with his business at the moment (so he says... but I know better - he is on some beach with a bottle of something or another .
As you can see from my Avatar - the Cheetah is a unique wonderful animal.

Here is an email I have just received from a friend in central Kenya. I have left out his details to respect his privacy. Please write NEMA. You are the people who keep Tsavo alive. I am sure your words will have valuable influence. Asante. - Cherie

Dear friend of the Maasai Mara,

Thank you for your support in the attempt to stop the establishment of a “Cheetah Zoo” in the Maasai Mara. Your letters, emails, ideas and contributions have been very important. The foreign press, the Kenyan medias, the Kenya public opinion, many travel agents and tour operators around the world are now aware of problem and are asking NEMA and the Kenyan government to stop it.

Conservationists like Laurence Frank of Laikipia Predator Project, Julian Fennessy of Kenya Land Conservation Trust, Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund Namibia, Jonathan Scott, Anne Kent Taylor and many more have shared our opinion that this project is not suitable for the Maasai Mara and has not been sufficiently vetted.
Now we need to establish if the fence build around the proposed Cheetah Zoo can be taken down. It is harmful for wildlife and it is against the law.

Objections and complaints to the project can be emailed (or re-mailed) to: dgnema@nema.go.ke

I’ll do my best to keep you updated on any future development. We are now waiting for NEMA’s answers.

Just saw a twitter message on the web from Kenyan Conservationist, Dr. Paula Kahumbu - dated 2 April.
It reads: "Ill-advised cheetah zoo at Maasai Mara approved by KWS & NEMA HAS BEEN STOPPED."

Being a Twitter Message which only allows 140-characters, there was no explanation if this was a temporary or permanent stop and who stopped it.

Have written to Dr. Kahumbu at wildlifedirect.org where she is Exec Director to get more info.

When I wrote NEMA I sent a copy to Dr Julius Kipngetich, Director of KWS.

This moning I heard from him and he said "The Board of Trustees of KWS has stopped this."

Definitely great news!

Well done to all of you. That is great - well done. Lets hope that this does not get turned around once the waters are still.......