In Nairobi, Kenya, eleven cheetah cubs have been rescued from the illegal trade in Somaliland to wind up becoming exotic pets.
Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, has become a popular locale for the illegal wildlife trade. Hundreds of cheetahs and leopards from the Horn of Africa have been transported to Gulf countries through the Gulf of Aden.
The cubs had been hidden in bags which resembled sacks of potatoes and were being transported in a small dhow when coast guard officers intercepted them last Sunday. The rescue has been described as “one of the largest confiscations of the species.”
According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, the cubs were part of a group of eleven cheetahs and transferred to the Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Centre (CRCC). One cub died after a few hours of its arrival. Another cub died the next day. Two more cubs remain in critical condition. The other survivors are responding to the excellent care they are receiving.
The cubs ranged in age from just a few weeks old to approximately seven months old, and several of the cats in the group required critical care. Staff at the CRCC worked around the clock to stabilize the cubs – and are continuing to rehabilitate the cats.
Two local residents and three men from Yemeni have been arrested
Rescuing and rehabilitating cheetahs is just one part of Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF) effort to better understand and protect wild cheetahs in the Horn of Africa. In 2023, research published by CCF helped lead to the Northeast African cheetah (the subspecies found in the region) uplisted to endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Possession of wildlife is illegal in Somaliland and police have been very diligent with arrests of guilty suspects.
Want to help? You can support their work by sponsoring a rescued cheetah. The organization is currently caring for 128 rescued cheetahs. The species is nearing extinction. There are estimated to be less than 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild. They are mainly found in isolated pockets of Eastern and Southern Africa as well as a small population in Asia
To learn more, visit https://cheetah.org/uk/sponsor-a-cheetah/
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Looking for an easy treat no doubt
