Funding for Cheetah Vaccination Programme

Following the success of the November exhibition in Pollyanna’s private galley, the Foundation was able to respond to an urgent appeal from the Cheetah Conservation Foundation for funding for a programme which is vital in safeguarding the long-term health and wellbeing of their resident cheetahs.

The big cats at the Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Centre in Somaliland, were facing an immediate threat from an invisible enemy – infectious diseases, carried by stray and domestic animals.

Rabies, Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis Calicivirus Panleukopenia, distemper, and other transmissible diseases carried by stray cats and dogs, pose a pressing threat not only to the rescued cheetahs but also to the delicate balance of wildlife in the region.

The majority of the resident cheetahs at the centre have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade at a very young age and are sadly unlikely to ever be released back to the wild.  The CCF  have provided them with spacious enclosures, surrounded by their natural habitat, where they are safe and secure, and can live out the rest of their lives peacefully. The CCF informed us that there are there are hundreds – if not thousands – of stray dogs and cats in Somaliland. This overpopulation is a serious problem, which impacts not only the resident cheetahs, but also other wildlife, local communities, livestock and threatens public health.

In particular danger are new arrivals at the centre rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. The cheetah cubs are often kept in small villages, nomadic camps and transit through towns, all of which have stray cats and dogs, which can infect the stolen cheetah cubs. Furthermore the centre can have stray cats wandering in, as they are able to squeeze through the fences.

The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation is delighted to have been able to give a grant of £2,500.00 which will cover the entire vaccination programme for all 98 resident cheetahs – as well as one leopard and one caracal! – against the potential life-threatening diseases.

The fact that the Foundation covered the entire cost of the vaccination programme for the resident cheetahs means that a further £3220.00 raised through a public appeal can now be used to fund phase two of this initiative, where the CCF will work outside the centre to vaccinate, neuter and spay the stray animals around the sanctuary and in the local town of Geed Deeble, improving their welfare, as well as protecting local communities from disease.