U.S. Troops Find Abused Cheetah Cubs

U.S. Troops Find Abused Cheetah Cubs
Friday November 25, 2005 7:16 PM
AP Photo NAI102
By ANTHONY MITCHELL
Associated Press Writer
GODE, Ethiopia (AP) - U.S. soldiers discovered two endangered cheetah cubs being held captive and abused in a restaurant in this dusty, remote Ethiopian village and have launched a campaign for the animals' rescue.
The 3-month-old cubs were being forced to fight each other for the amusement of patrons at a Gode restaurant; one cheetah was blind, possibly from poachers who kicked the animal in the face.
The soldiers, part of the U.S. counterterrorism task force for the Horn of Africa, discovered the cubs last month. They provided medical treatment to the blinded cub, fed both animals and tried to persuade restaurant owner Mohamed Hudle to hand them over to wildlife officials.
The soldiers also contacted U.S.-based cheetah experts as well as Ethiopian authorities.
Befekadu Refera, an official of the national Environmental Protection Agency in the capital, Addis Ababa, confirmed that the U.S. military had contacted his agency about the cubs and had offered to fly the pair to Addis Ababa, 684 miles away, for care. The U.S. military refused to comment.
The owner, however, was refusing to hand over the cubs unless paid $1,000 for each - 10 times the average income in this impoverished nation of 77 million people.
``I don't see why I should hand them over,'' Hudle told The Associated Press on Wednesday. ``When I was younger I looked after goats and camels, so I know what animals need.''
His sons, 4 and 2, pulled the cubs' tails and dragged them around by ropes tied tightly to their necks. Other children followed, poking and teasing the frightened animals.
Mohamed, 43, said he bought the cubs from poachers, who had kicked the female cub in the face, blinding the animal.
The cheetah is endangered because of loss of habitat, poaching and other factors, according to the international Cheetah Conservation Fund. Keeping wild animals is illegal without a special license, but Ethiopia's wildlife laws are rarely enforced. Mohamed also has a hawk with a broken wing and three scrawny baby ostriches.
Deputy Wildlife Minister Ahmed Nisir has sent officials to try to secure the cheetahs' release. A government vet was expected to visit Saturday.
``Unless these cubs are properly looked after and cared for they will soon die,'' Befekadu said.
He said if the cubs are brought to the capital, they would be cared for on the large grounds of the National Palace, home to several Abyssinian lions rescued by former Emperor Haile Selassie.

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