Ten cheetah cubs, held captive since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets, have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. Despite being severely undernourished and limping from months of being tied in captivity, the cubs are now in a stable condition, according to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) which is providing care.
Laurie Marker, founder of the CCF, detailed the harrowing state of the animals, reporting that one 8-month-old cub was "unable to walk after been tied up for six months," while a 5-month-old was "very malnourished (a bag of bones), with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the skin." Marker stressed the delicate recovery process, adding: "But with cubs like this, we need to start them onto on food slowly due to refeeding syndrome, similar to people in starvation."
