From Gigi in Indy - in addition to being a great driver with a mercurial personality (fine with me), Tony has a very big place inside him for others. He travels with his cats, is a founding member of the Victory Junction Gang (donates 1M per annum), his foundation does the Prelude to the Dream, which benefits Children's Hospitals for one, and NOW the Cheetahs! I am proud to call Tony My Driver!
Tony Stewart has teamed up with the Indianapolis Zoo and Dr. Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund to help the cheetah win its race for survival. Cheetahs will call the Indianapolis Zoo “home” as of Memorial Day Weekend 2010 & Tony is doing his part to help remove the cheetah from the endangered species list. Given the cheetah is the fastest land mammal and, well, Tony is the fastest race car driver, it seemed a natural partnership from the first inquiry made by the Indianapolis Zoo (
www.indyzoo.com).
Did you know that the cheetah is the oldest & most unique of the big cats in Africa? It’s taken 4 million years to develop into the unique species it is today. But, it’s taken only 100 years to bring it nearly to extinction with the cheetah population decreased by 90%! The wild population of these magnificent cats is thought to be less than 10,000. Cheetahs have become extinct in more than 16 countries where they once roamed freely. At this rate, the wild cheetah could be extinct in the next 20 years.
Starting in January, TSF will feature a special section of our Web site to share the creation of the exhibit, the work of Dr. Marker, and, of course, feature a fun message from Tony. Rumor has it that cheetahs on loan from the Columbus (OH) Zoo will be traveling to Kannapolis, North Carolina to meet their favorite NASCAR champion. While you’re waiting for the fun facts & photos on this site, you can visit
www.cheetah.org to learn more about Dr. Marker’s extraordinary work in Namibia, Africa.
