A Kenyan family has shared their heartwarming story of adopting a cheetah cub they found beside its deceased mother. This cheetah cub, cared for in Wajir County, quickly formed a bond with the family, becoming like one of their children.

Despite their loving nurturing, the family's neighbors expressed concerns about raising a wild animal near their livestock, which could be threatened by such predators. Bisharo Abdirahman Omar, a family member, recounted the pressure they faced from the community to relinquish the cub. She explained, Many people immediately told us to get rid of the cub so it wouldn't harm the livestock. We didn't do that because it seemed unreasonable. This resistance stems from the fact that the local Somali-speaking nomadic community primarily relies on livestock for their livelihoods.

Rashid Abdi Hussein, a father of ten, expressed his conviction to differentiate their lifestyle by caring for the orphaned wildlife. He noted, We knew it wouldn't benefit us in any way, like livestock would, but I decided that since people are killing these animals, maybe we should raise them instead and be different. Over the course of two years, the family dedicatedly raised the cub, adapting its diet from milk to meat as it matured, even sacrificing livestock to feed it. Since the day I rescued it, I have slaughtered 15 sheep to feed the cheetah, he said.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) commended the family's efforts in caring for the cheetah, which faces a critical endangerment due to poaching and habitat loss, as highlighted by Sharmaarke Mohamed from the Northeastern Conservancy Association. He explained that the orphaned cub was likely a victim of human-wildlife conflict.

There are growing concerns about cheetahs in northeastern Kenya, where the illegal trafficking of wild animals remains rampant. The Cheetah Conservation Fund indicates that approximately 200 to 300 cubs are smuggled from the Horn of Africa each year, destined for illegal sales in the Gulf States.

The family received offers for purchasing the cheetah, including a cash offer worth 20,000 Kenyan shillings, which they firmly rejected, stating it had become part of their family. The KWS reminded the public that, while appreciating the family's compassion, keeping wildlife is illegal and that true coexistence entails protecting wildlife.

Currently, the young cheetah is being cared for at the Nairobi Safari Walk, symbolizing hope for future wildlife preservation efforts.