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NEED TO KNOW
- A litter of 1-week-old cheetah cubs was recently brought to an animal rescue in Somaliland, Africa
- The cubs joined an “inseparable” pair of cheetahs already at the rescue — who happen to be named after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
- The cheetah cubs — who were victims of the region’s illegal wildlife trade — are now safe and in long-term care
Cheetahs named after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have just welcomed a litter of cubs to their found family.
Taylor and Travis currently reside at the Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Centre in Somaliland, Africa, where they were both rescued from the region’s illegal wildlife trade. The pair became fast friends and are now “inseparable.”
And now, the duo can officially add a new group of cubs to their crew: the Centre recently rescued several more cheetah cubs who were also victims of illegal trade, Simon Noel, a representative for The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (TLD), an animal rescue near Palm Springs, Calif., told PEOPLE.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Expert animal caregivers from TLD traveled more than 10,000 miles to assist caregivers at the Cheetah Rescue and Conservation Centre, and provided urgent care for the litter of 1-week-old cubs.
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“While there, the Living Desert team provided round-the-clock cub feedings and continuous health monitoring, while also performing a wide range of critical animal care tasks like preparing specialized meals, administering medication, maintaining detailed health records and socializing the cubs to help them thrive,” Noel said.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
While Taylor, Travis and this newest litter of cubs are all safe in lifelong care, TLD stressed that the threat faced by cheetahs in the wild is not over.
“Each year, 300 to 500 cheetahs are stolen from the wild in East Africa, where they are then sold as exotic pets and status symbols for the ultra-rich. Tragically, most don’t survive the journey, and those that do face short, unhealthy lives,” Noel told PEOPLE.
He added, “With fewer than 7,500 cheetahs remaining in the wild, this relentless trafficking is driving one of Africa’s most endangered cats even closer to extinction. Without intervention, countless more animals will be lost.”
