Author Peter Allison Signs On To Lead The Very First Cheetah Safari

Online, April 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The cheetah is the fastest mammal that has ever set foot on our planet. In one form or another, cheetahs have been around for four million years, and the present species represents the pinnacle of felid evolution - there has never been a cat more finely tuned to it's method of hunting - that being pure, blinding speed.

Join conservation photographer and National Geographic contributor, Marcy Mendelson, and famed safari guide and author, Peter Allison on a unique journey as we explore the best regions in Southern Africa to see cheetah in the wild. Luxury accommodations in spectacular settings include all game drives in open vehicles with experienced game rangers on private land that allow off road access and the ability to follow animals at night. This is truly the trip of a lifetime.

Limited to 12 guests, this eleven day rare, intimate experience will take us from South Africa's Phinda Game Reserve to Kirkmans Kamp bordering the famed Kruger National Park and then on to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. We will be visiting areas known for wild cheetah, and will have lectures and hands-on experiences with cheetah researchers and experts. While these wonderful cats will be our focus, we will experience a great diversity of habitat and spend time tracking all the other magnificent animals and birds of the region, from the shy and elusive leopard to elephant, rhino and all the way down to the dung beetle!

There are a number of excellent cheetah conservation organizations in Africa, and some great places where their populations are relatively healthy, but across the continent they remain highly endangered. We have created an incredible cheetah-focused safari - the first of its kind - to not only experience these magnificent creatures in the wild, but to help in securing their tenuous future.

The cheetah's adaptation, its specialized hunting method, makes it most deadly, but also the most fragile of the large cats. Added to this, a frightening period in their evolution some 10,000 years ago left only a few individual animals alive, from which all living cheetahs are descended. This results in very low genetic diversity across the species, and renders them highly vulnerable to changes in environment, human encroachment and disease.

In the spirit of protecting this graceful cat, we will donate a percentage of each guests safari cost to Cheetah Conservation Botswana. CCB works diligently to foster the coexistence of wildlife and people, and serves as a role model to newer organizations in best practices for a predator friendly future. More importantly, by visiting Africa and going on safari, we not only encourage the protection of cheetah habitat, but come back as ambassadors for the continent and the species.

Marcy Mendelson states, "A healthy cheetah population means a healthy ecosystem. We are committed to the cause of helping the cheetah survive."