Sheba the cheetah has a new home

Back in 2005, CCF spearheaded the confiscation of two cheetah cubs in Ethiopia named Scout and Patch, with the help of many amazing individuals and organizations.

Not long after that, in the summer of 2006, a Canadian pilot contacted CCF about a male cheetah cub in that country, which he named Sheba. Sheba became an educational ambassador at Omo National Park under the care of CCF’s former volunteer and long-time friend, James Young, and later went to live at the National Palace in Addis Ababa until a wildlife center was built – a project undertaken by the Born Free Foundation, which had generously funded Laurie Marker’s trip to Ethiopia in 2006 to begin discussions about cheetah conservation in that country.

A few days ago, one of the many people involved in these rescues sent us the following e-mail:
Remember Sheba, the cheetah? The one who brought us all together in the summer of 2006? Four years later, Sheba is where we all had hoped he might live out his days in grace, dignity and comfort: the newly established Ethiopian Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre outside of Addis Ababa! He even has an “enclosure-mate”, Menelik, another cheetah who came to us as a cub in August 2008, and who now is another feisty full grown male. Reports are the two cheetahs are getting along like brothers…..

Scout and Patch did not make it. Their health was so bad already when they were rescued. However, their short lives fulfilled a great mission for their species as the world turned its attention to the illegal pet trade in their country. CCF is thrilled to know that the Ethiopian Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is now a reality. In the meantime, Ethiopian conservationists continue to attend CCF’s international courses and learning how to apply their training to real-life situations back in their country, which will hopefully translate in a better future for cheetahs in that region.