Two cheetah cubs smuggled from Zimbabwe and rescued in Bangladesh are stuck in captivity as the Zimbabwean government has refused to take them back.
The two cubs were rescued from a cage in Fatullah, Narayanganj, on June 15, 2018. Since then, they have been kept in a confined enclosure at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur for over eight years under challenging conditions due to budget constraints. Information from arrested traffickers and international wildlife organizations confirmed the cheetahs originated from Zimbabwe.
A Zimbabwean wildlife rehabilitation organization, "An Eye for the Wild," expressed interest in rehabilitating the animals. Consequently, Bangladesh's Forest Department wrote to Zimbabwe's National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority on April 17, 2025, offering full cooperation to return the cheetahs. However, despite providing requested veterinary certificates, the Zimbabwean authority officially declined to take them back in August 2025.
Although "An Eye for the Wild" has raised funds and continued efforts for over a year to bring them back, the Zimbabwean government has remained unresponsive to further inquiries. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Forest Department has allocated funds in the current fiscal year to construct a larger, adequate enclosure for the cheetahs at the safari park.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Staff Correspondent • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
