In late 2007, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks volunteering with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia (www.cheetah.org). It was a wonderful chance to get to know these beautiful cats and to learn about and assist in projects to help their survival - the worldwide cheetah population has dropped from roughly 100,000 a century ago to about 10,000 today. It also provided some unique photo opportunities as any volunteers not on duty were free to walk the grounds and photograph the resident cats.

Although the number varies over time, CCF typically has 40-50 resident cats. Most often, these were cubs whose mother was shot by a rancher who feared the cheetah might hunt his livestock. Because the cubs never had the chance to learn hunting techniques from their mother, they do not have the skills necessary to survive in the wild. However, CCF has been working on a program where these cats will essentially teach themselves how to hunt while still in a controlled environment. Those cheetah that are successful will then be released into the wild.

CCF also used the strong chasing instinct in the cats to exercise them by having them chase a rag tied to a string that whips around a track about 200 feet on each side. These sessions provided some amazing chances to see the speed and agility of the cats in action.

CCF has also selected and raised a few cubs to serve as "ambassadors." These cheetah are raised in close proximity with people so that they can safely be a part of education programs for local schools and for visitors to the CCF compound. Cheetah are the only big cat that purrs and it is a sound to behold.

Finally, as long as we were "in the neighborhood," two other volunteers and I added an overnight trip to Etosha National Park in northern Namibia to our adventure. The seemingly endless Etosha Pan was a sea of white dust that stretched as far as the eye could see. On its edge, a surprisingly large variety of wildlife used a number of watering holes fed by underground springs to survive. The photographs from Etosha have been given their own sub-gallery.