“at #CITESCOP18 last August, consumer countries in the Gulf States denied evidence of trafficked cheetahs, and those cheetah range states who called for more action to combat the trade were ignored” – Sarah Durant, Cheetah Scientist & Conservationist

As of 6 October 2019, the trafficking in cheetah through Somaliland continues.

Sarah Durant’s commentary in Mongabay on 30 September 2019 addresses the shocking failure of CITES to protect the cheetah. From her recent Twitter thread she states: 

“The Horn of Africa harbours a highly threatened subspecies of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) estimated to number fewer than 300 adults in the wild. These remaining populations are small and vulnerable, and highly threatened by the illegal trade.

Cheetah in the Horn of Africa region are a distinct subspecies, A. j. soemmeringii, with only an estimated 262 adults and adolescent individuals left. These populations are therefore extremely small and vulnerable, as indicated by the numbers on the map, and any level of illegal trade risks driving them to extinction. Map courtesy of Sarah Durant.

In the last year alone more than 30 cheetah cubs have been rescued in Somalia. They were taken illegally from the wild, destined for sale into the pet trade. These cubs are the tip of an iceberg, indicating an even larger, undetected, illegal trade

The 33 cubs rescued in Somalia represent 12% of the wild population of cheetah – and this is just the known trade.

Relative to the surviving populations in the region the illegal trade is large and threatens the small and vulnerable populations in the region with extinction

Yet, at #CITESCOP18 last August, consumer countries in the Gulf States denied evidence of trafficked cheetahs, and those cheetah range states who called for more action to combat the trade were ignored

It was disappointing to see Gulf States not take the concerns of African range countries seriously. These countries effectively blocked collaborative efforts to combat illegal trafficking of cheetah cubs.

#CITES is an important international framework for range states of threatened species that can help prevent the theft of their wildlife by other countries. But it is vital that the concerns of those countries harbouring wild populations of threatened species are addressed.

Social media companies MUST also step up efforts to prevent the use of their platforms to illegally traffick cheetah – the sale of wild cheetah into the pet trade is facilitated by social media and fueled by images that glamorizes the keeping of these animals.

Unfortunately the small and vulnerable cheetah populations in the Horn  of Africa cannot afford to wait for another three years until the next #CITES COP – they need action now!”

From Mongabay, this excerpt is should cause considerable outrage on behalf of all concerned for the survival of the species:

On August 22, when the CoP reached the agenda item on cheetah, a series of factors contributed to an unbalanced debate. This included confusion over the schedule itself — the Committee was running late and many heads of delegations from cheetah range states were in attendance at the discussions of ivory taking place at the same time in the other Committee. It was only with just 20 minutes left of the day that the Chair began the discussion of cheetah. The discussion became dominated by Gulf States, who, one after another, denied evidence of any ongoing demand or illegal trade in cheetah. When African range countries were allowed to speak, they highlighted ongoing evidence of illegal trade, but this evidence was denied by the Gulf States. After a heated discussion, the source countries gained support from the United States, who offered to read out the decisions into the record. Yet, without a clear explanation, this offer was refused.

 

Throughout the discussion, deference appeared to be given to the Gulf States and their denial of the existence of trade, while evidence provided by source countries was ignored. At the end of the session, the debate was shut down abruptly, before many countries had had their say, without consensus and any opportunity to postpone discussion to the following day. There was a clear disagreement between source and consumer countries with respect to the way forward, including the need for additional decisions. When Ethiopia tried to raise the issue again in plenary, which was their last remaining opportunity at CoP18 (and therefore for the next three years) to have their decisions re-evaluated, citing their concern that the debate had been shut down prematurely, it was too late. Under CITES rules of procedure, one-third of parties need to vote in favor of reopening discussions, and this vote fell just short at 29 percent when, once again, the Gulf States vociferously denied the problem.

CITES not only ignored the plight of the cheetah in the face of hard facts, they downgraded their protective status.

Instagram, Facebook, Ebay, Amazon, WhatsApp, WeChat… all of these platforms are guilty. I, myself, have been approached online to buy cubs. The emails are untraceable and disappear within days if not replied to.

So when an organization like CITES fails the cheetah, what kind of message is that sending? This is an utter disgrace, and there is no time to wait another three years for people to plead to the deaf ears of CITES again. Action has to start now.

‘Now Now’, as they say in Africa.

Resources:

Mongabay: Cheetahs, CITES, and illegal trade: Are consumer countries doing enough?

Pets and Pelts: Understanding and Combating Poaching and Trafficking in Cheetahs

The Global Decline of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and what it means for conservation

Professor Sarah Durant is based at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and is a conservation scientist and practitioner focused on large carnivore conservation, particularly in Africa. She was part of ZSL’s delegation to CITES COP18 and heads the Range Wide Conservation Program for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs, a joint conservation program of ZSL and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).