Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth, sprinting up to 70 miles per hour in just a few seconds! But these amazing cats are in danger. One of the biggest threats is the illegal pet trade; each year, about 300 cheetah cubs are stolen from the wild and sold as exotic pets. That’s heartbreaking news for a species already struggling to survive.

The Oklahoma City Zoo partners with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which rescues cubs that have been taken from the wild and cares for them at a big safe haven in Somaliland that is now home to more than 100 cheetahs! In 2025, our Zoo’s own maintenance team traveled all the way to Somaliland to build a bridge so CCF staff could safely reach the cheetahs, even when heavy rains wash out the roads. The Zoo is also an AZA SAFE Cheetah partner. You can join the race to save cheetahs by participating in the Round Up for Conservation Fund: every donation supports real, science-based work that helps cheetahs and other animals in the wild.