Conservation Efforts in Namibia: The Anatolian Guard Dog

As it unfortunately tends to be, many species that are beginning to become endangered are attributed to negative human influence. The cheetah, sadly, is not an exception to this rule. Farmers in South Africa, who make a living off their livestock, were having serious issues with cheetahs. Lack of prey sources and the promise of an easier meal were forcing the cheetahs closer and closer to human civilization, where the farmers keep and herd their livestock. Cheetahs would end up killing members of herds to eat and outraged farmers were forced to go out and execute the cheetah that harmed the herd. Clearly there was was a serious issue between these farmers and the big cats. Something had to be done to alleviate the problem.

In 2005, De Wildt's Wild Cheetah Management Project (WCMP) and Cheetah Outreach programs were launched in efforts to bring the Anatolian shepherd, a fiercely protective herding dog, to farmers in the Linpopo and North West South African provinces. Farmers were selected carefully and given the information on how to care for these dogs properly. The cost of caring for these dogs, since it was a trial run for the program itself, was covered for the first year to help convince the farmers to let these dogs become a part of their herd. The dogs themselves were to be trained by the farmers, so it was up to the herdsman themselves to ensure the program's success.

Fortune was on this project's side as the results were nothing short of amazing. The Anatolian shepherds reduced herd losses from 95-100%. This was the first recorded successful attempt at introducing guard dogs to South Africa to protect sheep and goats and the program is continuing to thrive today. Dogs are becoming a part of the lives of the farmers and are successfully forcing not only cheetahs to move away from civilization and back into the wild where they belong,but hyenas and leopards as well.

These guard dogs have impacted South African farmers in a great way. Their devotion to their masters and their herd have shown the farmers that dogs can be a vital part of their lives. The farmers are becoming more passionate about trying to conserve the wildlife that used to harm their herds as well. By obtaining and training one of these Anatolian shepherds, farmers are participating in ensuring that the cheetah population can continue to fight to stay stable. However, this project is not the only one where dogs and cheetahs were introduced for the benefit of both species.

http://www.cheetah.co.za/pdf/Complete%20famers%20manual.pdf

The link above will take you to the manual that all South African farmers, who will receive an Anatolian Shepherd, get before they get their dog.


Neeake on guard with his herd in Molopo River, South Africa. Cheetah Outreach, a conservation program, places dogs like Neeake to protect herds from cheetahs, so that farmers will then have less of a reason to hunt the cheetahs.. 2010.

Works Cited:

 "Cheetah Outreach - South Africa." Cheetah Outreach - South Africa. Cheetah Outreach, n.d. Web. 08 Sept. 2014.

 "Restoring the Balance: Non-Lethal Predator Control." Cheetah Outreach. Web. 8 Sept. 2014.