Dr. Laurie Marker to talk in the European Parliament on October 25, 2012

Dear Friends, 

Dr. Laurie Marker, Founder and Executive Director of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) located in Namibia, has been invited to speak at the European Parliament in Strasbourg during the Session of October 2012. 

Dr. Marker has been invited as an Expert of Excellence to participate in the regular meetings of the Intergroup for Animal Welfare and Conservation, and will lecture on the special programs of Fund which she created in 1990 in Namibia, near Otjiwarongo, after having chosen Namibia as “The Cheetah Country,” from 1974 onwards.

We are very happy to have been selected by an Italian Member of the European Parliament, Mrs. Cristiana MUSCARDINI, who is one of the Vice-Chairs of this group. Thanks to Mrs. MUSCARDINI’s invitation, Dr. Laurie Marker will be in Strasbourg from 24 October. To honour her visit, there will be an photo exhibit of the cheetah and of CCF’s Centre of Research and Education. This will be inaugurated and a cocktail will then take place in the European Parliament, to facilitate contacts and exchanges of information with Dr. Laurie Marker.

During her visit in Strasbourg, Dr. Laurie Marker will be able to express her views and expertise of the cheetah and the conservation programs from CCF and speak about her international role and missions. We have organised a special dinner on behalf of CCF to honour her presence.

We sincerely believe that she really deserves to be helped to carry on with her intensive, continuous efforts, working tirelessly, with unwavering convictions and unequalled courage for about 30 years to protect ecosystems, biodiversity and cheetah conservation. Cheetahs are among the animal species which are threatened with extinction. It is also very important to emphasize the fact that all her efforts involve a great deal of care for the local populations, by improving their living conditions by creating jobs and by spending a very large part of her budget to develop education and training in Namibia. She also has developed Eco-tourism which contributes to improving the local economies and motivating the local population to become real participants in the protection of their environment and of their heritage, which includes wildlife.

Dr. Marker’s innovative methods in research, education and conservation show a great deal of originality and many countries are working with CCF as they provide all the necessary expertise to any country that is determined to fight against extinction, elimination, and the poaching of cheetahs. Cheetahs are the fastest mammals on earth. They have a slender, strong body, a small head and a sight allowing them to detect a prey up to three miles away; however, cheetahs are among the most threatened animal species of all predators because they show a lack of genetic diversity making them very fragile. The number of cheetahs still present in Africa and in the rest of the world is very limited (10,000 to 12,000) with the majority in Namibia, the Cheetah Capital of the World. 

We are excited to invite you to come to Strasbourg to participate in this special event and to have the opportunity to join all the Associations working in close cooperation with Cheetah Conservation Fund. Your presence will represent a European effort to fight for the survival of one of the most beautiful animals on our Planet. Cheetahs truly deserve to be saved from extinction and, like every species on earth, they are essential to the preservation of biodiversity and a sound ecosystem.

A friendly dinner will be arranged in the historic centre of Strasbourg. You will have the opportunity of tasting the authentic, delicious specialties of Alsace, while spending a special evening with the Friends of CCF. This dinner will also be the opportunity to help Cheetah Conservation Fund by collecting funds so they may continue in their long-term scientific research, their efforts in education and training, and their special projects for cheetah conservation as well as CCF’s continued actions to develop a peaceful cohabitation between human beings and wildlife. Thus, your kind contribution will support this vast projects concerning not only Africa, but also other cheetah range countries in the world.

Since the European Parliament demands the detailed list of participants entering the Parliament building, it is very important for us to know the exact number of persons who will participate in this event. We thank you very much in advance for sending your answers regarding your participation in order to allow us to possibly make the necessary bookings at a restaurant, or hotel.

Sincerely yours,

Betty von Hoenning

Cheetah Conservation Fund Support Group Italy

Catherine Ebbs Perin

Amifelins, France

Birgit Braun, AGA, Germany

 Thank you for circling the option you have chosen and for crossing off the 2nd option

Speech of Laurie Marker in EP (max 50 persons) :YES                     NO

Photo Exhibit and cocktail in EP :                               YES                     NO

Alsacian Dinner :                                                             YES                     NO

Hotel (booking) :                                                              YES                     NO

Other :

 Please contact Betty von Hoenning at  bvonhoe@gmail.com for further informations. Thank you!