Posted on 11/25/2005 7:49:45 AM PST by Fawn
GODE, Ethiopia
U.S. troops found two cheetah cubs _ one of them blinded _ being forced to fight each other for the amusement of jeering children in this dusty, forgotten village.
The soldiers of the U.S. counterterrorism task force for the Horn of Africa were in the region carrying out humanitarian work when they came across the three-month-old cheetahs "performing" at a restaurant run by Mohamed Hudle. The Djibouti-based task force provides intelligence-gathering help to countries in the region, tries to bolster cooperation and border protection, and mounts humanitarian projects aimed at improving the U.S. military's image among Muslims.
The troops provided medical treatment to the blinded cub, fed them both and tried to persuade Mohamed to hand them over to wildlife officials. They contacted U.S.-based cheetah experts as well as Ethiopian authorities.
U.S. military officials refused to discuss the animal rights turn their hearts and minds campaign took in Gode. But Befekadu Refera, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency in the capital, Addis Ababa, confirmed the U.S. military had contacted his agency about the cubs and even offered to fly the pair to Addis Ababa, 684 miles away for care.
The cheetah is endangered because of loss of habitat, poaching and other factors, according to the international Cheetah Conservation Fund.
In Gode Wednesday, the rescue appeared to have hit a snag.
"I don't see why I should hand them over," Mohamed said. "When I was younger I looked after goats and camels, so I know what animals need."
Mohamed said he would only give up the cheetahs if he was paid $1,000 for each cub _ 10 times the average income in this impoverished Horn of Africa nation with an estimated 77 million people.
His sons, 4-year-old Abraham and 2-year-old Nur, pulled the cubs' tails and dragged them around their sun-parched yard by ropes tied tightly to their necks. Other children followed, poking and teasing the frightened cats.
Mohamed, 43, said he bought the cubs from poachers and he does not know what happened to the mother. The poachers had kicked the female cub in the face, blinding the animal, he said.
Keeping wild animals is illegal without a special license, but Ethiopia's wildlife laws are rarely enforced. Mohamed also has a hawk with a broken wing and three scrawny baby ostriches.
Deputy Wildlife Minister Ahmed Nisir has sent officials to try to secure the cheetahs' release and a government vet is expected to visit Saturday.
"Unless these cubs are properly looked after and cared for they will soon die," said Befekadu of the Environmental Protection Agency.
If they are brought to the capital, Befekadu said, they would be cared for on the large grounds of the National Palace, home to several Abyssinian lions rescued by former Emperor Haile Selassie.
He said, "One guy murdered an entire family with an ax. I asked him, "Man, why'd you do that?!" "They was home."
I'd love to deal with this Ethiopian SOB myself. I notice that he also had a hawk with a broken wing, which I seriously doubt that he took in out of compassion. I take in homeless and handicapped parrots, and there used to be a pet store nearby with a beautiful Amazon that wasn't for sale. He was afraid of people and had one wing that hung down uselessly. The store owner told me he'd belonged to a guy who didn't like the sounds he made, so he'd hit him with a stick and broken his wing. I tried for two years to get him to tell me that guy's name and address, just so I could personally demonstate how much it might hurt to get your bones broken with a stick, but no luck.
"What a sad and disturbing picture. We reveal ourselves and our character in how we treat the small and the innocent."
If you are talking about how we treat "small and innocent" human beings, I concur. If a person is kind to other human beings, chances are great that the person will be kind to animals as well. If a person is kind to animals, this does not necessarily hold that the person will be kind to human beings. Hitler was a dog lover and vegetarian.
http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=news
A conservation group came through and took action. What a concept! I hope this news balms the souls of other softies like myself. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Can you print the story? When I click on the link...it won't take me to your links story.
If the rescue of the cubs is unsuccessful, those kids are going to learn a very rough lesson once those cubs grow into full sized cheetahs.
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