A collared wild cheetah going for the food provided by one the Cheetah Conservation Fund staff members in an open area in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. Based on research, the CCF has created a set of integrated programs that together address the threats both to the animal and its entire ecosystem, including human populations. [Photo/AFP]

A century ago, there were 100,000 cheetahs across Africa, the Middle East and into India.

Now, less then 12,000 remain in the wild, all in Africa, except for a tiny population of less than 100 in Iran.

The rapid decline of the cheetahs could have been sharper without Marker's high-profile tireless efforts.

A formidable campaigner and acknowledged world expert, she founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in 1990.

She saw her first when she was 20 and went to work at a wildlife park in the US state of Oregon.

"It was one of the few places in the world that had cheetahs. They had come from Namibia and they fascinated me," she recalled.

"I wanted to know everything about them, but the more questions I asked people would say 'Hmm, we don't know much about them, if you find out something, let us know'."