Cheetah cub, 'Right Shave', pictured in December 2023 at three months old. The Smithsonian is part of a collective breeding effort designed to help create a sustainable population of cheetahs in ...

No one knows exactly how many cubs enter the illegal trade, but some estimates put the number at several hundred a year. As with any black market, it can be hard to pin down facts, so we spent 18 ...

A seven-month-old cheetah in the back of an SUV hisses at a rescuer’s outstretched hand. Authorities intercepted the cub, later named Astur, before he could be sold to a smuggler.