NAT GEO KIDS (^15)
Experts aren’t sure how
many cheetahs are stolen
from the wild each year
because most are never
rescued. Instead, they’re
taken on a sometimes
deadly journey through
Somaliland, across a nar-
row body of water called
the Gulf of Aden, and to
the Arabian Peninsula in
the Middle East. There,
they’re sold as pets to
very rich people.
These people typi-
cally want pet cheetahs
to show off to their friends
and get attention on
social media. But they of-
ten forget that their tiny,
fuzzy cub will grow up to
become a hundred-pound
wild cat. It won’t use a
litter box, it’ll need lots of
space, and it’ll require a
very special diet.
So cheetahs aren’t
good pets—but they’re
also not happy and rarely
live a full life. That’s why
if the species is going to
survive, it needs to remain
in the wild.
Shukri Haji Ismail
Mohamoud, Somaliland’s
environment minister,
is passionate about keep-
ing cheetahs in the wild.
“Removing too many ani-
mals from the wild upsets
the balance of nature,”
Mohamoud says.
Most
big cats hunt
at night, but
cheetahs hunt
during the
day.
The
PET
TRADE
ASTUR (HERE AT TWO YEARS
OLD) NOW LIVES AT A RESCUE
FACILITY IN SOMALILAND.
THIS SIX-WEEK-OLD
CHEETAH ORPHAN
BOTTLE-FEEDS EVERY
FEW HOURS TO GET
THE NUTRIENTS IT
WOULD’VE RECEIVED
FROM MOM.
maropa
(Maropa)
#1