Grant Pitch PMC

African cheetahs are one of the

top predators that contribute

to livestock depredation.

Individual identification

of cheetahs provides

invaluable insight

into home ranges

and distribution, which

inform conservation decisions to

mitigate conflict

between humans and these carnivores.

The knowledge gap is

that the current status of

cheetah populations is

unknown due to inconsistencies

in identification techniques.

Our study plans

to combine two methods:

GPS collars and standardized

photo identification

to track cheetahs' whereabouts

and expand the database

of individuals with

a confirmed identity.

With this knowledge, we

will be able to know how much

of an impact they are having

on the humans they share

resources with.

The aims of this project are

to establish if cheetahs

have overlapping territories

and to determine the

extent to which

territories coincide with

the homes of humans.

Our team has spent several years

surveying Kenyan wildlife parks

and developing relationships

with their staff and neighboring citizens.

This past year, our team

successfully sedated and collared

a male cheetah

whom we are still tracking.

Our database already has

dozens of identified cheetahs

across Kenya, and we have shared this

information with conservancies to help

them manage relationships

with community members.

We plan to primarily focus our

work on Loisaba, but if there are

too few cheetahs, we always

have the opportunity to expand

our work to Mugie and Suiyan due

to our established relationships

with these neighboring conservancies.

The next phase of our

project involves conducting interviews

to understand the needs and

hesitations of people living near parks.

Combined with the cheetah data,

we can use their answers to

develop an integrative approach

to alleviate human-wildlife conflict.

The societal impact

we strive for is to promote

the safety and prosperity of all

parties: humans, livestock, and wildlife.

This embodies Tufts’

mission of bringing different minds

together to develop innovative

solutions for challenging problems.

Our next steps will

involve applying to other funding

sources to continue this critical work.