Somalia’s Somaliland on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 said 10 suspects who have been rounded up in two separate incidents of wildlife trafficking in the past three weeks have been arrested.
The police said some suspects were arrested in Hargeisa while attempting to sell three young cheetah cubs to the highest bidder while others were nabbed after being caught in possession of cheetah cubs.
Kayse Sudi Arale police spokesperson said in a statement “we successfully confiscated 10 cheetah cubs from a known gang of traffickers in the Xeedho area on the outskirts of Hargeisa.
“Two key suspects are in police custody, and they will be brought to justice as soon as possible.’’
The cubs from the two incidents were placed in the immediate care of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), Ministry of Environment and Rural Development’s partner in the counter cheetah-trafficking project.
The CCF said its veterinarians and animal care staff examined the animals and found a host of health problems typically seen in cheetahs that have been in the hands of unskilled captors for more than just a few days.
The cheetah is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h, and as such has several adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.
