Annual General Meeting, January 18, 2014 (via teleconference)
Dr. Laurie Marker:
It is a pleasure to be with all of you on the call tonight. It is presently 7:15 pm here on a Saturday night, and we have thunder and lightning in the background with the potential of a storm. Heavy rains at Christmas, after a two year drought, means that we finally have water in our dams and a decreased chance that this storm will have the same impact as a similar storm in October that burned down our Visitor Centre through a lightning strike. I enjoyed meeting everyone on the Board in Toronto last October, and look forward to returning to Canada again this year.
Question 1:
I read that CCF’s Visitor Centre recently burned down. Can you tell us about any plans to rebuild? ANSWER
Question 2:
How many cheetahs are under your care at the moment and how many will you be able to release in the future? ANSWER
Question 3:
How are the local communities around Otjiwarongo benefiting from all the work that you are doing on the ground in Namibia? ANSWER
Question 4:
Sadly, we only have cheetahs in Canada in zoos or safari park settings. What’s the most compelling story for Canadians to help them understand why saving the cheetah is so important? ANSWER
Question 5:
We know you are also working with other countries in Southern Africa to help save the cheetah. Can you give us some examples? ANSWER
Question 6:
Farmers in Canada have issues with wolves and coyotes attacking their livestock – what insights and practices from CCF’s work would help them? ANSWER
Question 7:
With all your experience, how best do you think you we can ensure we have good stewardship for the planet once the older generations pass on? ANSWER
*Please note that we have edited Laurie’s and Bruce’s answers slightly for presentation here.
