MAKKAH: Saudi security officials have thwarted an attempt by Yemeni smugglers to sneak three cheetahs into the Kingdom hidden in rice bags.
A patrol in Jazan found the animals concealed in burlap sacks after intercepting the smugglers near the border with Yemen.
According to sources, the big cats were taken into the care of the Saudi Wildlife Authority and transferred to a reserve by specialized teams.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Bouq, the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s environmental adviser, said: “The smuggled cheetahs came from Africa, where South African, royal and other kinds of cheetah can be found.”
He added that Saudi Arabia was a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a multilateral treaty to protect rare plants and animals, and was providing care for the cheetahs under the terms of the cooperation agreement.
Al-Bouq noted that many species of big cat had become endangered and, in some cases, extinct.
HIGHLIGHT
The smuggled cheetahs came from Africa, where South African, royal and other kinds of cheetah can be found.
“Asian leopards used to be found in the Arabian Peninsula but became extinct in the 1950s. There are old photographs of Aramco workers at the time with a group of leopards,” he said. “Asian leopards used to be found between Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and India and became extinct in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.”
He pointed out that Arabian tigers were also under severe threat and that the Kingdom had developed a national strategy plan to save the animals from extinction.
However, more research and public awareness campaigns were needed to prevent their killing and help aid their survival in the wild, Al-Bouq added.
