Cheetah fund celebrates speed and elegance for the 20th consecutive year, awards achievers in conservation
Dr Jock Orford was recognised for his years of conservation work by the Cheetah Conservation Fund at its recent annual gala dinner and awards ceremony. Dr Orford received the Conservationist of the Year award from the Otjiwarongo-based cheetah protector.
Johannes and Thomas Andjamba were also awarded, but for their conservation-oriented farming practices for which they received the Farmer of the Year award. They have been very successful in using guard dogs provided by the cheetah fund to protect their livestock.
In the business category, the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre received the CCF Business of the Year award for their support earlier this year to an international conference organised by the fund.
The awards were presented by the cheetah fund’s founder and Executive Director, Dr Laurie Marker. She also gave an update on the status of the local wild cheetah population, emphasising the need for conservation and the need to support an economic system where people can live within the natural scope of a healthy, intact and bio-diverse landscape.
Dr Orford was nominated for an award based on his years of dedicated service to conservation. A medical practitioner by profession, his extracurricular interest in nature brought him in contact with other conservation pioneers like Bernabe de la Bat and Dr Hu Berry together with whom he developed alternatives to culling. He is a founding member of the Cheetah Conservation fund.
The father and son team of Johannes and Thomas Andjamba, obtained an Anatolian shepherd dog from the fund to help them curb livestock losses on their farm Oshipaya Maroela Vaal in the Tsumeb district. Since using this special breed of dog to protect their herd, they have reduced mortalities due to predation to zero. They are set to introduce a second guard dog soon.
The Safari Hotel and Conference Centre was recognised for its unstinting support in hosting an international conference in January this year. Looking in depth at the human dimensions of wildlife and its protection, this conference received more than 200 international contributors from 28 countries. The hotel and conference centre staff, under the direction of Ina Spies, the Group General Manager were outstanding in all aspects of hosting the conference.
The cheetah fund’s annual gala dinner was addressed by Zimbabwean naturalist, Dr Gregory Rasmussen, and the proceedings were guided by local tourism expert, Jackie Asheeke.
Caption: From the left, Dr Laurie Marker, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Hon Bernadette Maria Jagger, the cheetah fund’s international patron, Honourable Professor Dr Peter Katjavivi, the personal assistant of Safari Hotel’s Ina Spies, Charné Kloppers, Thomas Andjamba, and Dr and Mrs Orford.
