Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cat

Since the year 1900, cheetah footprints quickly dwindled in African dirt as the species plummeted from more than 100,000 to fewer than 10,000. At the Cheetah Conservation Fund's (CCF) African headquarters in Namibia, Laurie Marker and her team save these stunning, swift, and slender creatures from extinction. Since the organization's start in 1990, they've rescued more than 900 cheetahs, most of whom have been returned to the wild.

But this arduous challenge continues. For most African livestock farmers, cheetahs are the last thing they want to see on their properties. In the 1980s, as many as 19 cheetahs per farmer died each year. Cheetahs were considered vermin--but, in learning more about this magnificent species, we know this is far from true.

Today, CCF acts as a liaison between the farmers and the cheetahs, in order to promote cohabitation in an ecosystem that cannot thrive without the existence of the precious and predatory cheetah. On a wild ride through the African wilderness--sometimes sniffing out scents left in the dirt--Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join CCF in studying the cheetah's ecological, genetic, and behavioral patterns in order to chase down the fastest animal on land and save the species--before it is too late.

Author: Sy Montgomery
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 04/01/2014
Pages: 80
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.36lbs
Size: 9.29h x 11.30w x 0.52d
ISBN: 9780547815497
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.4
Point Value: 3
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 159530 / Tapir Scientist: Saving South America's Largest Mammal


Award: Cybils - Finalist


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2014
Shelf Awareness 04/11/2014
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2014
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2014 pg. 110
School Library Journal 05/01/2014 pg. 156
Booklist 05/15/2014 pg. 47
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2014 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, newspaper columnist, scriptwriter, and radio commentator who writes award-winning books for children as well as adults. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. Visit her website at www.symontgomery.com. Nic Bishop, who holds a doctorate in the biological sciences, is the photographer of many acclaimed books for children. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Visit his website at www.nicbishop.com.