Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are doing their bit for cheetah conservation

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at Cannes Film Festival 2007. © George Biard

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are no strangers to the world of philanthropy. When the star couple aren't walking the red carpet, they're putting their time and money into a number of charitable causes. Their latest contribution is a new enclosure for endangered cheetahs at the Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia.

"Five … magnificent cheetahs are strolling into their new seven-hectare enclosure, purring their appreciation for the Jolie-Pitts," the Naankuse Foundation said in a newsletter.

The cheetah enclosure is the latest in a series of ongoing donations the couple has made to Naankuse through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation – an initiative that the pair started to mark the birth of their first biological daughter, Shiloh. To avoid international media attention, Jolie and Pitt retreated to Namibia to prepare for Shiloh’s birth in 2006. “We want her to be very involved and grow up with the understanding of her country of birth,” Jolie states on the Naankuse website.

Jolie first became involved with Naankuse after working with co-founder and conservationist Marlice van Vuuren on a shoot for the film ‘Beyond Borders’. After forging a friendship, Jolie has since returned to Naankuse several times along with Pitt and their six children. “They take an active interest and involvement in our projects, feeding the animals in our sanctuary and meeting the San Bushman community here,” according to the Naankuse website.

But it’s not just cheetahs that are the benefactors of the star-powered foundation. A five-hectare baboon enclosure was entirely funded by the Jolie-Pitt Foundation as well as new housing for local employees. The foundation also helps with long-term projects such as carnivore conservation and the support of local communities.

"Our vision for the new projects is to grow them into something that Shiloh can be part of, an internationally recognisable foundation that is sustainable in the long term and stays true to its mission of doing good," Naankuse said.