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Cheetahs: Victims of Illegal Trade

Registered Name: Cheetah Conservation Fund Canada / Fonds canadien de préservation des guépards

Business No: 865136824RR0001

Cheetahs: Victims of Illegal Trade

An estimated 300 cheetahs are poached and smuggled into the Arabian Peninsula each year to be sold in the illegal wildlife/pet trade. The demand for cubs is driven primarily by countries in the Middle East, where cheetahs have been traditionally considered a status symbol pet. 

CCF has approximately 100 cheetahs in Somaliland under their care from illegal wildlife/pet trade confiscation. It costs $6,500 per cheetah/year to care and rehabilitate these cheetahs.

Urgent: We need your support to care for the growing number of rescued cheetahs in Somaliland.

Background:

The self-declared, semi-autonomous region of Somalia known as Somaliland has become the main transit route for cheetahs trafficked out of East Africa because of its geographic location directly across the Gulf of Aden. However, it is not recognized by the U.N. as an independent country, and it is not a Party to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), and these two facts impede any official acknowledgement of the wildlife trade occurring there.

Despite the government of Somaliland being the most proactive government on the planet in addressing this issue, the geopolitical situation thwarts official progress. As its partner in combating the illegal trade, CCF teams and Dr. Laurie Marker are on the ground in Somaliland working. We can assure you from an insider’s perspective -- Somaliland needs and deserves our help, and so does its wildlife – especially these poor cubs

Please help us care for these rescued cheetah cubs and ensure their long term survival.