Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Date of birth: March 2012
About: Female

In August 2012, Little Mo was confiscated from wildlife traffickers in Somaliland and handed over to the care of Guenther Wirth of German NGO Agro Action, the same person who rescued the “Somali cheetahs” and brought them to Ethiopia earlier in 2012.

The young cheetah, who was dependant on humans for many months, was given a spacious enclosure next to rescued cheetah, Sheba. Little Mo will stay here while she is assessed and Born Free decides on how best to manage her care.

You can see a video of her arrival at Ensessakotteh below.

Since her arrival at the centre, Mo has been introduced to the Somali Cheetah Family (see below) and now happily lives with her new playmates.

To help Little Mo please donate.

Species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Date of birth: Early 2012
About: Two male and two female

Small and clearly malnourished, five cheetah cubs were confiscated from wild animal traffickers in Somaliland. The little cheetahs were placed in the care of Güenther Wirth, of German Agro Action, an NGO working in Somaliland. Güenther and his colleague Janice cared for the cubs for over three months. One sadly died, but the rest grew fast and a proper home had to be found for them.

Approval was secured from the Minister of the Environment and Rural Development for the transfer of the cheetahs to Ensessakotteh but local power brokers in Somaliland – knowing the value of the cheetahs – wanted to keep them to sell. With amazing bravery, Güenther and Janice negotiated their way out, and began the dash for the Ethiopian border and on to Ensessakotteh. The four cheetahs now reside safely at Ensessakotteh and continue to thrive in a spacious enclosure next to three other rescued cheetahs.

You can read their full story here.

Since their arrival at our rescue centre, the family has now grown from four to five as they were joined by Little Mo (see above) in late 2012.

Species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Date of birth: November 2010
About: Two male, named Timkat and Dembel and one female named Arapea

On 15th January 2011, the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) operating in eastern Ethiopia detained two wildlife traders in Somali Regional State. The cubs were found when officials at a checkpoint became suspicious of noises coming from plastic containers.

When the ERCA insisted that the individuals open the containers, which were allegedly destined for Somaliland, they refused and fled to the nearby jungle. When the containers were opened, five cheetah cubs were discovered, one which had already died. The four remaining tiny cheetah cubs, estimated to be approximately seven weeks old, were confiscated.

The cubs, three male and one female, were brought to Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) headquarters in Addis Ababa. EWCA then contacted Born Free Foundation who agreed to assist with the cheetahs’ care. Sadly one cheetah died but the remaining three, Timkat, Dembel and Arapea are growing into feisty, fast cheetahs.

Find out the full story of the cheetahs here and if you would like to help to care for them, please click here.