A 5-year-old male cheetah severely injured in a trap last year in Namibia is the first known wild cheetah to undergo surgery to replace a knee ligament.

According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), the animal became ensnared and then climbed into his "play tree." The chain on the trap caught in a fork of the tree, causing the cheetah to hang by one leg overnight, until he was rescued. He was taken to the Rhino Park Veterinary Clinic in Windhoek where Dr. Ulf Tubbesing and Dr. Herman Scherer replaced the damaged knee ligament. Although the procedure is often performed on domestic animals, it is believed to be the first on a wild cheetah. A second operation several weeks later repaired a loosened anchor on the new ligament and stabilized the knee. Although the cheetah has recovered, he will not regain full use of his leg nor be able to go back into the wild.

The cheetah was one of four trapped after a farm experienced game losses. CCF reports that two cheetahs died. The third was successfully treated for extensive foot injuries that became infected. The CCF, which has received support from AWF, is working with Namibian farmers to find nonlethal ways of coping with predators.