Craig Saffoe

WETA Hometown Hero April 2006. Craig Saffoe is a cheetah keeper and biologist at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

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Craig Saffoe, a cheetah keeper and biologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, is the WETA Hometown Hero for April 2006.

WETA selected Saffoe for his dedication to providing leadership in the care of cheetahs and for educating others about the species.

Saffoe has worked with cheetahs at the National Zoo since 1994. His efforts make a significant difference in the struggle to protect and preserve the large cats. An endangered species, cheetahs once could be found in Africa, India and the Middle East. Today, they can only be found in Africa and a very small number remain in parts of Iran. In the wild, the species suffers from loss of habitat, competition with predators, low genetic variation and a high instance of disease susceptibility. In captivity, they are notoriously hard to breed.

The National Zoo cheetahs have flourished under the care Saffoe and his colleagues at the Cheetah Conservation Station. One of the most exciting results of his work occurred in November 2004 when a National Zoo cheetah gave birth to the zoo’s first-ever litter of cheetah cubs. A second litter was born to another Zoo cheetah in April 2005. The two litters Saffoe and his colleagues cared for account for 20 percent of all cheetahs born in North America since the beginning of 2004.

In addition to caring for cheetahs, Saffoe dedicates extra hours beyond his work schedule to share his knowledge with the Greater Washington area, participating in a variety of community gatherings and screenings. He encourages a new generation of animal enthusiasts through talks and tours with area elementary, middle and high school students.

Saffoe also trains the Cheetah Conservation Station volunteers at the National Zoo. The volunteers help educate daily visitors to the Zoo’s cheetah exhibit. Saffoe provides the volunteers with updates on the latest cheetah research, as well as information on exhibit changes and the health and well being of the cheetahs.

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