Can you help us save cheetahs this Christmas?

Blue the rescued cheetah cub urgently needs your help © Born Free

Supported by our Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority partners, our team in Ethiopia has rescued a cheetah cub, who received life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car in a tragic accident, which killed her sister.  

Blue when she was first rescued © Born Free

“It was a challenging, four-day drive to the south of the country to collect the cub, who we’ve named Blue,” explains Bereket Girma, our Country Director in Ethiopia. “But, none of that mattered when I saw her. Badly injured and stressed – she was so small and scared. We had to try to save her, though I was worried her damaged leg might need amputating. We did all we could to make sure she was stable, before starting the long journey back to our wildlife centre, Ensessa Kotteh.”

Since then, led by centre vet Dr Sisay Guta, our expert team has literally worked around the clock to save Blue’s life. Estimated to be eight months old, her back leg was badly fractured, the protruding broken bone causing a serious wound, and she was covered in cuts. Now, Born Free has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds to provide Blue with round-the-clock care, medicines and nutritious food.

“This tiny cheetah has endured so much,” said our Co-Founder Dame Virginia McKenna. “My heart aches as I look at her picture, and I am sure you feel the same way – those beautiful, amber eyes, full of fear. So much of Blue’s short life has been filled with suffering. Will you help care for her?”

Close to capital city Addis Ababa, our unique Ensessa Kotteh centre was created especially to rescue cheetahs, as well as lions and other species native to Ethiopia, including gelada and hyena. In Ethiopia, Born Free is the only hope for cheetahs who have been injured, orphaned or confiscated from the illegal pet trade – sadly cheetahs are sought after as ‘status symbol pets’ and hundreds are stolen from the wild each year.

Thanks to the incredible efforts of our Born Free Ethiopia team, Blue is clinging to life. Her prognosis is still uncertain, but we hope their amazing dedication has done enough to save the injured limb.

“For now, all we can do is to hold Blue in our hearts, do everything we can to provide specialist care, and ask you to, please, help look after her,” Virginia McKenna continued. “Your gift today could help, as we keep this incredibly vulnerable cub warm, safe and loved, and help us rescue other cheetah cubs in need.”

Our remarkable rescue centre currently cares for nine orphan cheetahs. These include two more youngsters – brother and sister Ramadan and Fasika, victims of the illegal pet trade.

The well-being of every single cheetah matters to Born Free but, as a charity, we rely on the generosity of people like you – people who really care about the planet’s wild animals and wild places.