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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)- Data, Pictures & Videos
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)- Data, Pictures & Videos
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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)- Data, Pictures & Videos
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A South African Cheetah Mothers Eight Cubs Including Her Daughter’s Cubs
In 2003, the first three rehabilitated cheetahs arrived at Samara: two males named Mozart and Beethoven and a female, Sibella, who had been so badly mauled by man and dogs that her leg was cut through to the bone, Sibella had been taken to a Cheetah Rehabilitation Center and when she recovered, was transported by truck to Samara. “What was amazing,” says Tompkins, “was I opened the crate to let her out, my heart was pounding so quickly – I thought, what on earth am I doing? This is a wild animal. She could turn around and attack me. What I didn’t realize then is that Sibella was way more afraid of me than I was of her. “Sibella, was a courageous and extraordinary cat,” says Tompkins. “Her unfailing ability to raise cubs in the wild to adulthood is almost unparalleled in South Africa.” Samara, now 67,000 acres, is not only one of Africa’s most luxurious safari experiences but is also well-known for its cheetah conservation efforts since reintroducing Sibella, who raised 19 cubs to adulthood. Today, one third of cheetahs in the metapopulation can trace their heritage to Sibella, making her one of the most prolific female cheetahs in sub-Saharan Africa.  *This image is copyright of its original author Chilli, a daughter of Sibella’s last litter, is presently raising eight cubs on her own. The Samara Team observed and filmed two female cheetahs, both with cubs, exhibiting what is known in scientific parlance as “allo-mothering,” when young are cared for by individuals other than their biological mother. This phenomenon is commonly seen in elephant herds, lion prides and several bird species, but until now had only been hinted at in cheetahs. While male cheetahs may form coalitions of up to six individuals, female cheetahs are considered solitary except when accompanied by their own cubs. Two female cheetahs, Chilli and Inara, a mother and daughter, were recorded meeting last year when Chilli was 8 years old and Inara 3 years old. Each was accompanied by her own litter of young cubs, born one month apart. Following an initial uncertainty, the mothers settled and the cubs played together. When they eventually moved off in opposite directions, two of Chilli’s cubs, aged 3 months old, departed with Inara and her four youngsters aged 4 months old, instead of their own mother. Over the course of a few days, the team witnessed these two cubs suckling from and being groomed by Inara.  *This image is copyright of its original author The mothers met up again a short while later, and once more swapped cubs and suckled cubs other than their own. The mothers continued to interchange their litters for some time until one day Chilli moved into new territory, taking all the cubs with her. Inara, left alone, eventually became pregnant again and gave birth to two cubs which she has subsequently raised by herself. Samara’s cheetah allo-mothering phenomenon is a first for the metapopulation demonstrating that cheetahs are more social animals than traditionally thought.Says Professor Graham Kerley at Nelson Mandela University, “We clearly know less than we thought about the mothering behaviors of cheetah, and this observation raises a range of questions as to why these cheetah females are taking care of cubs other than their own.” Chilli remains in charge of all the cubs from the original litters, now just under one year old. This represents an interesting dynamic, with one adult female shouldering the extraordinary responsibility of hunting and providing for eight growing youngsters – double the typical litter size. Cheetah cubs generally become independent around 18 months once they are able to hunt, but in these unusual circumstances, they might break away sooner into smaller groups. “Samara’s legacy in cheetah conservation never fails to surprise and delight us,” says Tompkins. “Sibella, was a courageous and extraordinary cat whose unfailing ability to raise cubs in the wild to adulthood is almost unparalleled in South Africa. Now Chilli, daughter of her last litter, is raising eight cubs on her own, hugely important for the cheetah metapopulation.” The mothers met up again a short while later, and once more swapped cubs and suckled cubs other than their own. The mothers continued to interchange their litters for some time until one day Chilli moved into new territory, taking all the cubs with her. Inara, left alone, eventually became pregnant again and gave birth to two cubs which she has subsequently raised by herself. Samara’s cheetah allo-mothering phenomenon is a first for the metapopulation demonstrating that cheetahs are more social animals than traditionally thought.Says Professor Graham Kerley at Nelson Mandela University, “We clearly know less than we thought about the mothering behaviors of cheetah, and this observation raises a range of questions as to why these cheetah females are taking care of cubs other than their own.” Chilli remains in charge of all the cubs from the original litters, now just under one year old. This represents an interesting dynamic, with one adult female shouldering the extraordinary responsibility of hunting and providing for eight growing youngsters – double the typical litter size. Cheetah cubs generally become independent around 18 months once they are able to hunt, but in these unusual circumstances, they might break away sooner into smaller groups. “Samara’s legacy in cheetah conservation never fails to surprise and delight us,” says Tompkins. “Sibella, was a courageous and extraordinary cat whose unfailing ability to raise cubs in the wild to adulthood is almost unparalleled in South Africa. Now Chilli, daughter of her last litter, is raising eight cubs on her own, hugely important for the cheetah metapopulation.”  *This image is copyright of its original author https://www.forbes.com/sites/margiegoldsmith/2021/03/11/a-cheetah-in-south-africa-mothers-eight-cubs-including-her-own-daughters-cubs/?sh=7a4585c76834  *This image is copyright of its original author Cheetah at sunset Okavango Delta.
Male Saharan Cheetah from Nigeria
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
A New Approach to Cheetah Identification
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is considered to be one of the most threatened cat species in Africa (IUCN Red List status: C2a(i); CITES: Appendix I). The total number in sub-Saharan Africa has been estimated at 9,000-12,000 (Nowell & Jackson 1996). The two largest meta-populations are now believed to occur in eastern Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia). (Nowell & Jackson 1996). It is due to imprecise counting techniques that the current conservation status of the cheetah in Africa is a controversial issue. Questionnaires can provide general population numbers. Only field investigations can provide the essential and precise data on current populations in the wild. Increasing world interest in endangered species conservation, including the cheetah, requires a sharing of knowledge to provide better understanding and more importantly, to react. The identification of individuals provides researchers with important information on population, distribution, home ranges/territories, composition, and dynamics of populations which is necessary to develop conservation strategies. Photographic identification is a simple, non-invasive technique for identifying individuals, using distinctive features such as coloration, stripe or spot patterns and other unique characteristics, depending on the species. After working closely with cheetahs for 17 years in Moscow Zoo (Russia), White Oak Conservation Center of Endangered Species (Florida, USA), Cheetah Conservation Fund (Namibia), I received a position as an assistant researcher at the Masai-Mara Cheetah Conservation project (Kenya). One of my duties was to identify cheetahs we had seen and photographed during field work. Images of standing, sitting, lying and moving cheetahs were taken from both sides with a digital camera (Canon EOS D30 with lenses Sigma 28-300mm F 3.5-6.3) and/or 35 mm film photo camera (OLYMPUS IS 3000), allowing the tail from the base to the tip, as well as the inner and upper side of limbs, to be clearly seen (Fig. 1). In addition, 8 mm video film camera (SONY E 730) was used. After our first 15 days, we had 20 sightings of 37 individuals, and I had more than 100 photos, as well as hours of video to work with. With those, I then had to identify precisely how many individuals were present. The tail rings, spot patterns on the face, chest, body and limbs are unique in the cheetah and therefore are used for identification. The tip of the tail can be white, black or plain, and with or without spots. The tail can also have up to six rings, followed by half-broken rings which appear as different patterns on both its sides and thus can be used as a prime identification pattern (Fig. 2). The spots on the cheetah’s face and chest are relatively small and are only seen well from a short distance (Fig. 3). In captivity, the method of recognition of a cheetah by face marks is obviously more common, for the animals are of limited number and are always close to an observer. However, in the field, the animal is often too far from the observer and even with high-resolution equipment, it may be difficult to spot the details. The body spots, their brightness and position are larger, and more useful, but as we shall see later, there can be problems with this method as well. I have found limbs and tail are the most useful for identification. There are two basic ways of making comparisons between sightings to check if they refer to the same individual. The most common one is based on the visual examination of the photos and the alternative represents a three-dimensional (3-D) computer-matching system. The latter, for instance, is used in the Serengeti Cheetah project (Kelly, 2001). The computer-aided matching system is based on an examination of distinctive features (spot patterns) in the middle part of the cheetah body. This program has both advantages and disadvantages over visual comparison of photos. The software turns the picture taken from a certain angle into the frontal plane, matching it to the database to identify individuals. However, computer-made comparisons of photographs at skewed camera angles have a tendency to reduce the coefficients of similarity (Kelly, 2001). As the angle distorts the whole pattern of the skin it might be difficult to use such a picture for visual comparison with one taken from the straight side, even of the same individual. Without the computer program, a simpler method based on visual analysis of the images of only the cheetah’s leg and tail photos can be suggested. I used two main ways of obtaining images to create the database: 1. capturing still frames from a video recording or film picture; and 2. digitizing process: digital photo cameras were used to take still pictures from film images or from TV screens. Scanned film photos were also used as a base material to be downloaded to the computer. The first step of identification included zooming in all cheetah images to fit the standard A4 size page to be printed. In the beginning, I used tail and sex as a base. As the animals we observed were mostly shy, we could take pictures only from a long distance, which affected the quality of the pictures. I decided not to use cheetah faces because it was difficult to use small spots and distinctive tear marks from unclear pictures. In addition, facial expression affects the position of spots and tear marks. Pictures of one animal either hissing or relaxing can look different, while two images of different hissing animals can look very similar (Fig. 3). I tried to use only the torso, but I found that on the pictures taken from an angle the whole pattern of the skin was distorted, and it was difficult to compare them with those taken perpendicularly to the axis of the body (Fig. 4). Looking through the images, I realized that the only parts of the body that had almost stable pattern visibility were the tail and limbs (Fig. 5, 6 and 7). With this realization, I used computer photo-manipulation programs (Zoom-Browser and FotoStation) to isolate the necessary parts of the body: tail, front limbs (from the toes to shoulders) and hind limbs (from toes to the hip). This method was successfully used for identification of all individuals in the study area. Having this database (photo album) with us in the field, allowed us almost instant identification of known and unknown individuals. This method has two main advantages: first, it allows the use of a certain variety of field photo and video equipment, including film and/or digital cameras. However, usage of a digital camera is preferable. Second, as I found out, there were no visible changes in the patterns of the tail rings and limbs spots seen on pictures taken even up to an angle of 45 degrees, and therefore they did not affect the accuracy of comparison. The photo library (catalogue) is meant to build up a database/catalogue of individuals for the further use in field work. It helps to compare already identified individuals with new ones, even if new pictures have been taken only from one side of its body, or the cat is sitting, or only part of its tail and/or front/hind leg is visible. It is important to point out that photographing/video-recording of animals in the wild, especially in unprotected areas can be a very challenging process. If the animal is very shy, it might be extremely difficult to take a clear picture from the side. It is sometimes necessary to give the animal enough time to get used to the presence of the observer before a clear shot is possible. Our experience suggests up to 120 minutes are needed for a wild cheetah to get used to a vehicle and display natural behaviour. If the animal is resting, it could take an average 30 min. for the animal to start moving. It is always better not to approach a wild animal closely, but to keep at a distance of 20-30m. In the case of fast running cheetah, which can instantly escape into thick bush, a video camera with a fast shutter might be of great use. The method described above is economically and technically affordable and has been used successfully for the identification of all observed individuals in the study area. Fig. 1 Profiles. The images best for identification.  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 2 Examples of tail tips  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 3 Faces. a,b – same cheetah; c – different cheetah; b,c – similar expression in different cheetahs  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 4 Images of the same cheetah, taken from different angles. a,b,c – distinctive patterns are outlined  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 5 Tails. b,c – same cheetah; a – different cheetah  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 6 Front limbs. a,b – same cheetah; c – different cheetah.Distinctive patterns are outlined.  *This image is copyright of its original author Fig. 7 Hind limbs. b,c,d,e – images from different sightings of the same cheetah (distinctive patterns are outlined); a – different cheetah  *This image is copyright of its original author http://marameru.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/Chelysheva_2004_A_new_approach_to_cheetah_identification.pdf
FROM CANADA TO ZIMBABWE, TWO CHEETAHS SUCCESSFULLY REWILDED!
 *This image is copyright of its original author The Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project has been a long-standing and respected pillar of wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe, with their history is steeped in the success of their re-introduction and release of critically endangered black rhinos into the wild, but their latest feat involved the rewilding of two cheetahs from Canada, the very first rewilding project of its kind for Zimbabwe. Selected by The Aspinall Foundation in partnership with Parc Safari, the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project was chosen to receive two cheetah brothers who were born in captivity to be released onto the conservancy. This was a long and complicated process, especially during a worldwide pandemic, but the results have been incredible and for Zimbabwe as a whole, historic. COLLABORATION & CHEETAHS The Aspinall Foundation (TAF) are leading conservation specialists who have spearheaded the rewilding of countless animals including cheetahs, black rhinos and gorillas back into their natural habitats in protected areas. Their latest project, the rewilding of Kumbe and Jabari, was the first time cheetahs had been reintroduced from Canada to Africa, and for Zimbabwe, it was the very first time the country had received captive-bred cheetahs for rewilding. Choosing the partners for this project was extremely important and impressed by the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project’s well-established rhino programme, coupled with their 4,500-hectares of well-protected and professionally managed land, TAF identified them as an ideal partner for this project. As for Parc Safari, cheetahs have been the pride of the park since their arrival in 2013 and management had been very keen in aiding the species survival via rewilding for many years. Ensuring good animal genetics is of utmost importance to the park and through this, every birth can potentially lead to rehabilitation.  *This image is copyright of its original author All partners agreed on specific criteria to ensure a successful reintroduction, this included the ideal age for restoration, health, strength and gender. Kumbe and Jabari were born in 2019 and their strong genetics made them the perfect candidates to increase captive-bred wildlife in local populations, alongside increasing genetic diversity to safeguard against inbreeding. The world’s wild cheetah populations are in decline with fewer than 7,100 adults remaining in the wild. Classified as vulnerable on the ICUN Red List, it has been called into question whether their status needs changing, and many conservationists are calling for the species to officially be declared endangered. For Zimbabwe, cheetah numbers are especially bleak with an estimation of only 170 wild individuals remaining, mainly occurring in protected areas. Kumbe and Jabari, and their successful translocation, stand as a beacon of hope for the conservation of this iconic, yet at-risk species. PREPARATION The epic road trip Kumbe and Jabari undertook was not the start of their journey, first, they had to demonstrate and prove their natural hunting instincts were strong enough to ensure they would survive in the wild. To prepare them for future hunts, the zoologists of Parc Safari set up a motorized lure which they practised with for several months prior to their departure. ‘Lures’ mimic a high-speed pursuit in the wild and proved successful in awakening the brothers' natural instincts to hunt as well as improving their acceleration towards prey, which is one of the most important elements of successful hunting in cheetahs. Below you can see Kumbe and Jabari practising… in the snow! To ensure the translocation went as smoothly as possible and reduce stress levels for all involved, Kumbe and Jabari were introduced to their travel crates months before they left Canada. The Parc Safari team left these crates in their enclosures, occasionally leaving food inside and slowly, the curious cats became more and more familiar with their transport containers. In fact, they became so familiar that the staff found them sleeping in the crates on multiple occasions! JOURNEY & ARRIVAL Soon, came the time for Parc Safari to wave goodbye to the brothers as they embarked on their journey. This was a complicated 2-day trip, but thanks to a multitude of experts it was a comfortable journey with smooth transitions through every stage. After a 7-hour drive to Toronto Airport in specially designed transport crates, the cheetahs and translocation team boarded a 14-hour flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and a final 5-hour flight to Harare, where they were met by members of the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project and The Aspinall Foundation team who transferred the brothers to their forever home.  *This image is copyright of its original author ‘Quarantine’ is, unfortunately, a word we are now all familiar and very much frustrated with, but for Kumbe and Jabari, quarantine was the next vital step before release. For two months, the cheetah duo lived in a quarantine boma (large enclosure) in the project grounds but separated from other wildlife. This period of quarantine allowed the team to monitor the brothers, ensuring they did not develop any illnesses during transfer and also gave Kumbe and Jabari time to explore their surroundings as they adapted to the African climate, take in the new sights and smells of their home, and continue to practice lure hunting, ensuring they will be able to fend for themselves when their boma gates opened. RELEASE Finally, on May 22nd 2021, Kumbe and Jabari were released from their quarantine boma into the protected wildlands of the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project. Fitted with GPS tracking collars, the brothers began their new lives in their natural habitat and a short 12-hours later, Jabari made his first kill, followed by Kumbe within a day of release, proving they have successfully adapted to life in the wild! Alongside hunting wild prey, they are marking their territory, have found the waterpoints and are learning which animals can be approached - and others that should be avoided entirely! The Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project team will continue to closely monitor Kumbe and Jabari, and the pair will wear GPS collars for approximately one year.  *This image is copyright of its original author This huge cheetah conservation achievement would not have been possible without the collaboration and dedication of The Aspinall Foundation UK, Hemmingford's Parc Safari, the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project, Ethiopian Airlines and Zimparks, we thank them for their incredibly hard work and look forward to bringing you updates on Kumbe and Jabari in the near future! Following the successful reintroduction, plans to introduce a female cheetah onto conservancy will be put in motion to establish a breeding population, which will assist in the repopulation of cheetah numbers on reserves across Zimbabwe!
Male Cheetah Bark Triggers Female Ovulation
Call it ovulation on demand, a bizarre male bark jump-starts a female cheetah's reproductive system, adding a much-needed boost to breeding the rare big cats in captivity, experts say. Male cheetahs turn females on—literally. That's because a specific bark triggers the female reproductive system to release eggs, researchers have found. Unlike other cat species, female cheetahs ovulate rarely and at unusual times. They also lack a regular reproductive cycle. But now, scientists know why—and the discovery may boost efforts to breed the rare cats. A team of bioacoustics experts studying cheetah vocalizations stumbled onto the discovery. They noticed that the male's "stutter bark" was made days before breeding took place, said research leader Matt Anderson at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Because calls unique to a single gender are often associated with reproduction, Anderson and his colleagues took a closer look. Heightened Hormones The team introduced a sexually mature female cheetah to two males during a series of experiments, recording calls made by the cats and monitoring the hormones found in their feces. (Hear the bark below.) They discovered that male stutter-bark calls triggered increases in the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone in the females' feces.By recording and analyzing stutter-bark rates, the researchers showed that increases in stutter-barking steadily raised the female reproductive hormones responsible for ovulation. "We never expected to see such a tight link between the vocalization and the hormone levels," Anderson said of the research, which has not yet been published in a journal. "This came a real surprise." Conservation Boost The finding has big implications for breeding the rare cat, the researchers said. The cheetah has an estimated adult population of only 7,500, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The only known wild cheetah population outside of Africa today is a critically endangered group of fewer than a hundred in Iran. "I think this just goes to show that telephone sex evolved before telephones," said co-researcher Fred Berkovitch, an ecologist at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. "By documenting how sound makes animals horny, we hope to improve conservation-breeding programs." Booty Call of the Wild Using sound to jump-start reproduction is common among birds, but in mammals it is almost unheard of, experts say. Male red deer are known to roar to advance the timing of ovulation in females, for instance. But a male mammal using a signal to activate a reproductive cycle in a female has never been observed before. Dan Blumstein, an ecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the findings were "neat, but not unexpected." The new research illustrates nicely how much can be done to improve breeding of endangered species by watching behaviors and studying hormones in the animals' waste, Blumstein added.
In the Horn of Africa, conflict and illegal trade create a ‘cheetah hell’
These cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are among dozens of cubs that have been rescued by the MoERD-CCF team in Somaliland this year; as of this week, CCF reported a total of 29 rescued cubs since January, three of which have died. The reason for this onslaught of rescued cubs is human-wildlife conflicts between livestock farmers and wild cheetahs, as well as the illegal demand for wild cheetahs as pets in the Middle East, according to conservationists. While the global cheetah population is estimated to be around 7,100, the local population in the Horn of Africa is thought to comprise about 300 to 500 adults, says Laurie Marker, a leading expert on cheetahs and executive director of CCF. It’s also thought that up to 300 cheetahs are captured in human-wildlife conflicts and illegally trafficked each year from this region, which puts the local population at extreme risk. “If there’s up to 300 animals going out, and there’s only 300 adults in the population, it’s only going to be a matter of a few years before there aren’t any other animals out there breeding,” Marker told Mongabay. ‘There’s a lot of hatred for predators’ The Republic of Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but is not internationally recognized, is a nation of farmers, with livestock production accounting for 60 to 65% of the gross domestic product. Many farmers follow a nomadic lifestyle, traveling across the desert with herds of sheep and goats. But climate change has brought unprecedented challenges to farmers in this small Horn of Africa nation. A seemingly endless drought has dried up the land, making it difficult for livestock to find food. “Early in the morning, they [the farmers] release their animals, so they … go looking for pasture and grazing,” Bileh said. “They [the animals] can walk … two hours, three hours, just to look for grass.” With no one keeping a close eye on the livestock, cheetahs can be quick to find them. “If the animals are in a cheetah’s territory, the cheetah just doesn’t know that it’s any different than wildlife coming in,” Marker said. “It’s an easy meal and that’s what the predator wants.” This doesn’t put the cheetahs in a favorable position with the farmers. “There’s a lot of hatred for predators around the nomads and their livestock,” Marker said. In retaliation for harming livestock, farmers may kill the cheetahs, or they simply chase them away, which is surprisingly easy to do, she said. “They [the farmers] can just yell at them — wave your hands and they’ll run away,” she said. “Of course, they have sticks and they can go after them in a pretty aggressive way, and cheetahs are not an aggressive animal, so they’ll run off.” If there are cubs, the farmers will often take them into captivity, supposedly for the benefit of having them as “pets,” even though doing so is illegal under Somaliland law. Bileh, who has interviewed several nomadic farmers on the subject, says farmers keep the cubs with the purpose of taming them. “What they told us is that they want to keep this animal as a pet for a while, and then by the time they grow up, they will not eat the [livestock] animals,” she said. However, Bileh added it’s also possible they’re keeping the cubs for the opportunity to sell them to wildlife traffickers, and that they’re just telling the MoERD-CCF team what they think they want to hear. In fact, a few farmers have admitted to keeping cubs to sell to traders. Whatever their intentions, the farmers and their families cannot properly care for the cheetahs in most instances. “They don’t want to feed them the amount of food that they need … so they’re basically starving,” Marker said. “They’re small animals, and if you understand their metabolic needs, you know they can’t go very long without food or water, because they’re little.” Nearly all rescued cheetahs are undernourished and dehydrated, and their condition deteriorates the longer they’ve been held in captivity, Marker said. “We got a [cheetah] that was about eight months of age, and I think they were feeding her twice a week only, throwing her a little piece of maybe camel or goat meat, a little bit of camel milk,” Marker said. “And so these animals … if we don’t get them when they’re young, and they stay with them, they are stunted. We’ve had animals that have had horrible bone malformations from not having enough calcium. “We call it ‘cheetah hell,’” she added. Tamer than your pet dog’ In Gulf Cooperation Council states, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), wild cheetahs are status symbols and highly desired pets. As a result, countless of the animals are smuggled between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, with a well-established trade route running between Somaliland and Yemen. This is done despite wild cheetahs being protected under CITES Appendix I, which bans all trade outside of exceptional licensed circumstances. Of the 300 cheetahs taken in the Horn of Africa each year, Marker said about half are destined for the exotic pet trade in the Middle East. However, these numbers are likely conservative since they don’t consider the cheetahs that may have died during the capture and trading processes, she said. “They’re tamer than your pet dog basically,” Marker said. “That’s why they love them so much because they are easily tamed.” Docile though cheetahs may be, most people don’t adequately care for them, Marker said. Their average life expectancy as pets is about one or two years, she added.raders who broker the cubs to buyers in the Middle East can get between $3000 and $10,000 per cub, according to CCF. The people who take the cubs from the landscape, on the other hand, may only get $75 to $100 per cub, and those who transport the cubs along the smuggling route can get $300 to $800 per cub, CCF said. “People in the Middle East, have a lot of disposable income and they … [want] exotic pets,” Marker said. “But we’re trying to make people aware that … cheetahs are not an animal that should be a pet — they’re supposed to be out living in the wild. And they play a very important ecological role in maintaining the health of ecosystems.” In 2016, the UAE passed a law that banned the private ownership and trade of exotic and dangerous animals. While this has helped slow the trade in the UAE, it hasn’t completely stopped it, according to Elsayed Ahmed Mohamed, a veterinarian and regional director for the Middle East and Northern Africa at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). “We cannot deny that illegal trade still takes place, but we can confirm that it has slowed down in the UAE following the ban,” Mohamed told Mongabay in an email. However, he said the majority of trafficked cheetahs likely end up in Saudi Arabia, based on the large number of confiscations in that region over the past few years. And while COVID-19 has reduced a lot of trade around the world, Marker, who keeps a close eye on confiscations and online sales, said the pandemic’s done nothing to affect wild cheetah trafficking. While Somaliland is not an official signatory to CITES (due to the fact that the country is not internationally recognized), Bashir Goth, a Somaliland representative based in the U.S., says the government has fashioned its laws in line with CITES regulations. “Illegal wildlife trade does not only pose an existential threat to the already endangered species such as cheetahs, but it also poses a security threat to Somaliland,” Goth told Mongabay in an emailed statement. “We are concerned whether regional and international criminal networks are involved and what other illegal activities such as drugs and or arms could be following suit if we do not fight this as aggressively as we could. “Somaliland is determined to fight this illegal wildlife trade in the same way it fought piracy and terrorist groups,” he added. “Therefore, we would appreciate [it] if the international community would value and support the work we do as part of a global effort, but we are doing it as a national duty.” Keeping cheetahs in the wild When cheetah cubs are rescued from human-wildlife conflicts or illegal trade, the MoERD-CCF team takes them to a safe house, where they receive medical treatment and rehabilitation. But in most cases, it’s not possible for the cubs to be released back into the wild, Marker said. “These animals have come into captivity when they are the size of the palm of your hand,” she said. “They know nothing but humans. So an animal like that … [we] can’t really put it back in the wild because it’s going to want to be around people. And learning how to hunt is something that a mother teaches them to do … they live with their moms until they’re about 18 to 22 months of age.” The average cost of caring for a cub is about $5,000 per year, Susan Yannetti, a senior advisor at CCF, told Mongabay. In the wild, cheetahs only live for about 8 years, but they can live much longer in captivity when they receive quality care, she said. While the MoERD-CCF team is dedicated to the long-term care of rescued cheetahs, this in itself won’t stop human-wildlife conflicts or illegal trade. But education might, Marker said. A key step is informing Somaliland people that killing, capturing or trading cheetahs is illegal. “They don’t know that it is illegal, and so those educational processes are going to be slow,” Marker said. One of the biggest hurdles is reaching nomadic people who are “not in any place at any one point in time for long,” she said. The team is also developing an education program to help farmers in Somaliland learn how to manage their livestock in a way that minimizes cheetah conflicts. “You wake up in the morning and you let your animals out and they go two hours away,” Markers said. “If that was your bank account, would you go with your animals, or would you hope that somebody wasn’t going to rob your bank? It’s a simple question … but quite often, they don’t think about that.” Marker, who is a livestock farmer herself in Namibia, said it’s also important to teach farmers how to monitor the health of their animals to minimize deaths due to disease and other issues. “It’s our job to help bring them [farmers] into … conservation, because they could be the best partners in the world — our conservation partners,” Marker said. “What our angle and work will be is to help bring them into our partnership program.” What the CCF team ultimately wants is for people and cheetahs to coexist peacefully on the landscape, which will promote a healthier level of biodiversity in a place already challenged by climate change. “They’re fast, they’re gorgeous, they play such a key role in the ecosystem,” Marker said. “The idea is not to have them in the sanctuary — it’s to maintain them in the wild.”  *This image is copyright of its original author One of the two cubs rescued near Erigavo, Somaliland on August 22, 2020. Image provided by Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Somaliland Ministry of Environment and Rural Development.  *This image is copyright of its original author [i]Locals offering two captive cheetah cubs some goat milk near Erigavo, Somaliland. Image by Dr. Asma Bileh / Cheetah Conservation Fund[/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][i][i]A malnourished and underweight cheetah cub rescued by the MoERD-CCF team. Image by Joe Bottiglieri / Cheetah Conservation Fund [/i][/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][i][i]Five cubs arrive at the CCF safe house. Image provided Courtesy of Cheetah Conservation Fund. [/i][/i] [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][i][i]Laurie Marker and the CCF Somaliland vet team caring for a cub. Image by James Young / Cheetah Conservation Fund. [/i][/i]
Cheetah Mother and Cub
 *This image is copyright of its original author Image Credit to Jimmy Edmonds 
What a breathtaking sighting of a mother cheetah and his five youngs. They're frequenting in the S100 region in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. What a sighting!
Photo credits: Graeme Mitchley  *This image is copyright of its original author
Eaton RL. 1970. Group interactions, spacing and territoriality in cheetahs. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 27:481-91.
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