#JustIn: Turkish dogs help to conserve cheetahs

Dogs from Turkey, better known as Turkish Kangals, appear to reduce livestock losses to wild predators by as much as 80%. The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) recently released a video about its research project involving this dog breed as livestock guardians - a project that enjoys the support of the Turkish Embassy in Namibia. These large dogs are commonly used in other countries to keep bears and wolves away from livestock. In Namibia, it seems that these dogs are effective in keeping predators such as cheetahs and leopards away from sheep and goats. Livestock losses to these predators can be reduced by approximately 80%. Eveline Ikondja, manager of dog trainers at CCF, says the dogs are placed among the goats or sheep when they are four weeks old. After that, they consider them family and protect the flock from predators. CCF sees this as a way to protect endangered cheetahs, as the dogs reduce human-wildlife conflict and prevent farmers from feeling the need to eliminate cheetahs.