27 September 2022

FAREWELL POLLYANNA

POLLYANNA: 2020 – 2022

We are saddened to share with you the news of our beloved cheetah Pollyanna’s passing at our Ensessa Kotteh sanctuary in Ethiopia, at the end of August.

Much-loved cheetah by all who knew her, Pollyanna lived a happy and enriched life with the other members of our rescued Cheetah Family, until she gently passed away in her sleep after a short illness. Born Free is ever so grateful to her lifetime carer Anna-Louise Pickering – a cherished Born Free Patron, who paid for Pollyanna’s loving care at the sanctuary and partners with our charity through the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation. Pollyanna the cheetah was named by Anna-Louise in memory of her late mother, acclaimed wildlife artist and environmentalist Pollyanna Pickering – a long-term supporter of Born Free.

Pollyanna was just a young cub when rescued with her brother after being confiscated from illegal wildlife traffickers in 2020 by Somali Region police, and kept in a police station for nearly three months. She joined us in poorly health including a limp and wounds after her ordeal, but with expert loving care she gradually improved and settled into her new, much happier life.

Pollyanna will be sorely missed by all of her carers and everybody at Born Free, as well as, no doubt, her cheetah friends – including her brother Barega. But we are so happy that together, we were able to give her a much better life, far removed from what she had known in the first months of her life. Our work continues to care for rescued cheetah and end the terrible illegal wild pet trade, especially in this most sensitive of species.