You donated over £50,000 to look after rescued cheetahs at our sanctuary in Ethiopia. But, how are we spending this money and, specifically, how is Blue? We spoke to our Head of Rescue & Care Maggie Balaskas.
Centre vet Dr Sisay (left) and our team gently prepare Blue for an x-ray, to check how her bone density is improving (c) Peter Ndung’u
“It means everything to know how much you care. Our wonderful Ethiopian Country Director, Bereket Girma, tells me Blue is progressing well and has been given access to more space in her hospital enclosure – which she clearly loves. But, her road to recovery has been complicated.
“Very sadly, despite our best possible care – including nutritious food and vitamins – little Blue broke her leg a few weeks ago. It’s heartbreaking how fragile these orphans are… Thankfully she’s healing well. With the help of special supplements and our new x-ray machine (both of which you helped fund!), we can check her bone density, which is gradually improving.
Blue’s x-ray shows good progress, but her bone density still has a long way to go (c) Peter Ndung’u
“As you can tell, it’s extremely difficult to care for a rescued cheetah, especially one so young. Our team is painstakingly tailoring Blue’s diet, making sure we balance nutrients and supplements to give her the best chance of recovery.
“Before Born Free gave Blue a home, local vets in Yabelo had done their best to look after her. But, they had little experience of this most sensitive of species. Unfortunately, her early diet had insufficient levels of calcium. This resulted in low bone density which, with your support, we are now trying to rectify.
“Thank you for being with us for every step of this complicated, but precious, journey. Blue definitely deserves this level of care, as I know you’ll agree!”
