HARGEISA, Somaliland—Ten cheetah cubs, malnourished and injured after months in captivity, have been rescued from wildlife traffickers in Somaliland.
The cubs, some so weak they could barely stand, were discovered in a cramped holding space by local authorities, who arrested two suspects on August 14. The animals were suffering from open sores, infections, and severe muscle atrophy from lack of movement, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which is now rehabilitating them.
“One of the cubs was very malnourished—a bag of bones—with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots under the skin,” said Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of CCF, in a statement. “With cubs like this, we need to start them on food slowly due to refeeding syndrome, similar to people in starvation.”
The rescue underscores Somaliland’s aggressive stance against wildlife trafficking. Though not internationally recognized as a sovereign state, the country has outlawed the possession and trade of wildlife, and police frequently intervene in smuggling operations. The ten new cubs bring the total number of rescued cheetahs in CCF’s care here to 119.
Abdinasir Hussein Said, Director of Wildlife Protection at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, emphasized the emotional and physical toll the trade takes on the animals. “We can imagine the distress of a mother being separated from her young,” he told journalists. “These animals are now suffering due to being separated from their mothers.”
Cheetahs are classified as “vulnerable” by international conservation groups, with fewer than 7,000 remaining in the wild. Their decline is driven largely by poaching and the exotic pet trade, which thrives in parts of the Middle East.
A New Front in the Conservation Fight
Even as it battles traffickers, Somaliland is emerging as an unexpected leader in cheetah conservation. On August 29, CCF inaugurated a new Cheetah Education and Training Centre Complex on the outskirts of Hargeisa, a state-of-the-art facility designed to become a regional hub for conservation training and community engagement.
The 15,000-square-foot complex, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), includes classrooms, dormitories, and meeting spaces. It is designed to accommodate up to 45 students at a time—rangers, farmers, teachers, and wildlife managers from across the Horn of Africa.
“By opening this Education and Training Complex, we are creating the foundation for a future where people and wildlife can coexist,” said Dr. Marker. “Education is the cornerstone of effective conservation.”
The facility represents a significant expansion of CCF’s work in the region. Founded in Namibia in 1990, the organization established a presence in Somaliland in 2022 to care for the growing number of cheetahs rescued from traffickers. The new center shifts its mission from crisis response to long-term, community-driven conservation.
“The sensitively designed center will support human-wildlife coexistence with wide-reaching benefits for the conservation of this incredible but vulnerable species,” said José Ferreira, Conservation Breeding & Reintroduction Director at RCU.
Designed for Challenge, Built for Hope
Designed by SDI Architecture in collaboration with Detour Habitats, the complex is engineered to withstand Somaliland’s harsh climate—intense heat, hurricane-force winds, and seasonal torrential rains. It uses passive cooling systems and local materials to minimize environmental impact.
Prasanna Lachagari, design director at SDI Architecture, described the project as “more than a building—it’s a platform for possibility.” The goal, he said, was to create a space that “reflects the dignity of the mission, respects local culture, and inspires the next generation of conservation leaders.”
For now, the immediate focus remains on the ten rescued cubs. Their recovery will be slow, and not all may survive. But each represents a small victory in a broader fight—one that Somaliland is waging with growing determination.
As Director Abdinasir Hussein Said urged: “We encourage the people of Somaliland to protect wildlife in their natural habitats, as their best interests lie there.”
