IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Mitchell, N.; Durant, S.M. | |
| Steps in tackling the illegal cheetah trade | |
| 2017 Cat News (65): 49-50 | |
Recent analysis shows cheetah _Acinonyx jubatus_ in the wild to be in decline across most of its range with around 7,000 individuals remaining, most of which are in unprotected lands. Meanwhile, the illegal trade in cheetah has emerged on an alarming scale with the live trade for exotic pets being fuelled by the rise of social media. The live trade mostly targets cheetah cubs in the Horn of Africa, located within easy reach to feed demand in the Middle East. Since 2013 CITES has cast a welcome spotlight on the illegal cheetah trade and at the end of 2016 the Parties to CITES approved a landmark set of recommendations and decisions for governments to implement. This has been accompanied by several steps that show a willingness to tackle the issue in both source and demand countries; UAE has enacted legislation to ban private ownership of dangerous and wild animals; and in the Horn of Africa, a formal strategy to tackle the cheetah trade in the region has been drafted. Such momentum from governments and other concerned bodies is encouraging but must be maintained without a dimming of the spotlight for public scrutiny. Given the precarious state of cheetah in the wild, virtually any level of illegal trade is likely to have an impact on wild populations. |
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