Turtle Back Zoo
The Zoological Society is proud to have supported the Cheetah Conservation Fund in a most important endeavor. Through funds raised, the Society was able to issue a charitable grant in support of this specific project.
Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has assembled a team to care for cheetahs that are confiscated by the Somaliland Police and the Somaliland Ministry of Environment and Rural Development.
CCF has set up a safe house in Hargeisa, which is the self-proclaimed capital of the Republic of Somaliland. Somaliland is the main trafficking route for cheetahs out of East Africa into the Middle East, where demand for pet cheetahs is high. CCF’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Laurie Marker said, “She applauds the Somaliland government for increasing pressure on cheetah traffickers and confiscating cubs poached from the wild. But in addition to confiscations, we need to also reduce demand for cheetahs as pets.” Your contribution to this project helped to provide immediate food, care, housing, medication and nutritional supplements for many of the confiscated cheetahs. Two of the cheetahs that were confiscated were only weeks old. Sadly, they were in such poor health when they arrived that Dr. Marker was only able to save one of the two, which she fondly named “Light as a Feather.”
Good News! Two of the cheetah smugglers in Somaliland were arrested.
These criminals were found tried, found guilty, fined and put in jail.
Currently, there are still 14 cheetahs under CCF’s care in Somaliland at the Hargeisa safe house. Trafficking is one of the principle threats that cheetahs continue to face. It is important that we continue to care for the cheetahs that were confiscated and increase public awareness about the threats of cheetah trafficking and the illegal pet trade in order to protect cheetahs in the wild.
CCF is committed to continuing our work to provide research, education and conservation programs that will provide the knowledge necessary to help people to take action to protect cheetahs in the wild and conserve our natural world. We are maintaining existing partnerships and building new relationships that are needed to provide the support necessary to meet these challenges. We are putting additional efforts on capacity building and education to assist in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. We sincerely hope that you will continue to strive for these goals with us. Thank you so much for your support!