Welcome to 2013!  We hope you had a fantastic end of the year and we are ready to embrace the next one, starting with conservation updates, features, and a contest!

Conservation Updates

With your help, the Cheetah Conservation Fund raised over $470,000 before December 31st in support of cheetah conservation!  Read Dr. Laurie Marker's letter of thanks here: www.cheetah.org/?nd=eoy_messag… or simply view the video below to see how the CCF plans to help cheetahs in the new year!

Features

One of our affiliates, Protect-Wildlife, is leading the charge to help more endangered species.  They are starting with the polar bear, and International Polar Bear Day is scarcely two months away!  Here is their message:

With temperatures rising and ice melting at an alarming rate, the polar bear inches closer and closer to extinction as the ice beneath its paws melts to form a growing ocean.  Action, as for all those endangered, must be taken.  And it must be taken fast.  Education and awareness for endangered species is a crucial step.  Join Protect-Wildlife as we celebrate International Polar Bear Day with art from deviantART's wonderful artists.  Submit your polar bear pieces on the 27th of February!  View details here!

Art features!  Here are a handful of our newest gallery additions from the end of the year!




DID YOU KNOW......

.........that the Saharan cheetah has been photographed in daylight on several occasions?  These rare, never-before-seen photographs will appear in our upcoming subspecies feature!

Upcoming Events and Features

Scavenger Hunt Contest!  This is a contest that will require you to know information about dA, cheetahs, and our group!  The contest is tentatively scheduled to begin in March.  Brush up on your knowledge ahead of time!
Subspecies journal feature!  There are five officially classified subspecies of cheetah, but how do you tell them apart??  And what about the mysterious woolly cheetah recorded only once in history?  Keep watching the group for this special, massive feature that will have you "seeing spots" for days!

Admin Applications

This group needs more admins!!!  It takes a strong team of leaders committed to the group values who can dedicate time each week to getting into the nitty-gritty behind-the-scenes aspects of running this group!  As such, the group is going to accept applications for new admins beginning immediately.  Admin duties can include welcoming new members to the group, accepting and declining art submissions, gallery folder maintenance, member relations, regular communication with other admins, searching for and providing updates from conservation groups, searching for cheetah art to add to the group, and enforcing group rules.  If you are interested and can give a consistent commitment to group management, send a note to the group simply saying that you are interested and we can discuss the deeper details of what the job would entail.


DID YOU KNOW......

.........that when competing for a mate, male cheetahs will chirp, growl, and fight viciously, ignoring everything around them until one of them has won the female?  Check out this startling video that shows what can happen when cheetahs don't pay enough attention to their surroundings: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpqctB…

Questions for You

What kind of educational topics would you like to see discussed in our journal features?  Cheetah history?  Cheetahs and mankind?  Other?
Should we have more gallery folders, and if so, what should they be?
Do you like the appearance of the group?  Are our pages too busy, too sparse, or just right?
Does the group provide enough information about cheetahs and enough help to get started in conservation?
Should we have a donation box on our page?  If so, should the points go toward making it a super group, or contest prizes?
What kinds of things do you want to see as contest prizes?


OH YES, ONE MORE THING......

Our avatar is nice, but we want a better one!  Create an eye-catching avatar that will be irresistible to click on!

Rules and Guidelines

Your avatar must meet the dA required size of 100px by 50px and 30kb in file size, and be saved as a GIF or PNG.
Your avatar must contain the group name, which must be easy to read.
Your avatar must be clear and well-made.
Your avatar must be respectful to cheetahs.
Your avatar can either be animated or flat.
Your avatar should convey the purpose of the group quickly and simply.
Your avatar should be eye-catching and interesting to see.
The deadline is February 10th!
Submit your entry to the group, and state that it is an entry in the contest.  Anyone may enter this contest!

The prize is 150 dA !  The new avatar will be chosen by member vote with admins having the final say.  Voting processes will be determined later.  Here are the entries so far:

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Good luck and stay tuned for the upcoming subspecies feature!  Have a fantastic start to 2013!