By Pat Johnson
 A member of Wildlife Conservation Network shows off a live cheetah before the Los Altos Morning Forum audience last week. |
The audience was totally silent as the graceful cheetah took his place center stage. His head swiveled assessing the mesmerized group.
This cheetah and later a mountain lion were at the April 5 Los Altos Morning Forum to be living examples of endangered species.
Charles Knowles, co-founder and executive director of Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), explained to forum members the many problems of wildlife conservation and what his organization does to solve them. The primary threats to animals are loss of habitat, poaching, bush meat and being captured as exotic creatures.
An example of a solution took place in Namibia. Cheetahs were killing livestock, which resulted in farmers killing them. He said livestock-guarding dogs were introduced and the killing stopped.
WCN supports conservationists who work around the world to develop solutions that mitigate human-wildlife conflict. The network provides funds, instruction in grant writing, web expertise, strategic planning, technology and opportunities for networking. The group also presents education programs for both adults and children.
Community-based conservation groups are important, Knowles said, because they outlast different governments. There are programs in Botswana and Namibia for cheetahs, Ethiopia for wolves, Congo for okapi, Zimbabwe for painted dogs, Kenya for elephants, the Himalayas for snow leopards and worldwide for small cats.
Knowles, a Los Altos Hills resident, had 30 pets when he was a child. He attended Stanford and started his own company, Rubicon. When he retired, he said he searched for something to do that would have meaning. He found his calling working with people to find effective solutions that turn wildlife-human conflict into co-existence. This, he said, is the goal of WCN.
Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274.
