In my Cross-Cultural Perspectives course this summer, I asked my entirely international class, “What’s a cultural norm that you found strange when you first came to Canada?”
A student from Saudi Arabia replied, “Everyone in Canada has cats or dogs as pets. In Saudi, we have cheetahs and tigers.” He told us about his pet cheetah who sadly died of food poisoning.
When was the last time you visited a zoo? For me, it was February 2003—Bronx Zoo. The animals were stuck inside for the winter looking heartbreakingly depressed.
Ever go on a safari? I had the privilege in 2012—one of the greatest experiences of my life! In the Serengeti in Tanzania we saw cheetahs chase, catch, and then feast on a baby warthog.
After my student told me about his pet cheetah, I did some research. There’s a lot written about the pet cheetah fad in Saudi (see also endnote 1).
But I also read that Saudi Arabia just launched a cheetah breeding and resettlement program—for Asiatic cheetahs.
Turns out that Asiatic cheetahs used to live in the northern parts of the country but became extinct to the area 50 years ago.
Amazing. And as it should be.
There is some hope in this new program, don’t you think? Hope that more people believe in the value of wildlife conservation. And hope that cheetahs can once again live wild in the desert.