CCF, charity, National & International, Travel & Transportation, Wildlife Conservation
CUI Lends a Hand to CCF
Traveling by way of Salt Lake City, Utah through Chicago’s infamous O’Hare Hilton & Airport, CUI coordinated the transportation of nine large shipments of medicine to Somaliland’s “Cheetah Conservation Fund,” which was shipped next day via Ethiopian Airlines, to medicate stricken, abused, and undernourished cheetah cubs rescued from the hands of smugglers. To learn more about CCF, visit www.cheetah.org
Bravo! CUI Cheetah Team!

Photos of CCF’s new Project Manager Mark Natt and fellow Somaliland veterinarians.
charity, Holidays, Leisure & Recreation
SHAMROCK VIRTUAL SHUFFLE
This year participants will be able to participate virtually and plan their own 8k run or 2-mile walk route throughout the various Chicagoland neighborhoods. Register online for the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle to obtain digital bib number and prepare to kick-off the weekend. A digital Finish Line Tape and signage will be available to recreate race elements. Bundle up now and utilize the Training Challenge prior to the race!
CCF
CUI Celebrates with CCF – International Cheetah Day

Article by Elizabeth Claire Alberts Image by Dr. Laurie Marker
- Wild cheetahs are under intense pressure in the Horn of Africa due to human-wildlife conflicts and illegal trade, which takes about 300 cubs from the region each year, conservationists say.
- In Somaliland, a country ravaged by climate change-induced drought, nomadic farmers will often kill or chase away cheetahs threatening their livestock, and either keep their cubs as pets or attempt to sell them to traders.
- The Cheetah Conservation Fund and Somaliland’s Ministry of Environment and Rural Development are working to develop an education program that promotes coexistence between farmers and cheetahs.
Illegal Trade Creates a Cheetah Hell
The 8-week-old cheetah cubs should have been with their mother. Instead, they were penned up in a small village near Erigavo, Somaliland, after a group of nomadic livestock farmers chased the mother away and captured the cubs from a nearby cave.
“There were actually three [cubs],” Asma Bileh, a Somaliland veterinarian for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), told Mongabay. “One died immediately … so they brought back two of them into their houses. They were keeping them for a while.”
When Somaliland’s Ministry of Environment and Rural Development (MoERD) received a tip about the cubs, a rescue team, which included Bileh, traveled to the village on Aug. 22. The baby cheetahs were a little malnourished and dehydrated, having only been fed small portions of goat milk and meat, which hadn’t provided enough sustenance.
These cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are among dozens of cubs that have been rescued by the MoERD-CCF team in Somaliland this year; as of this week, CCF reported a total of 29 rescued cubs since January, three of which have died. The reason for this onslaught of rescued cubs is human-wildlife conflicts between livestock farmers and wild cheetahs, as well as the illegal demand for wild cheetahs as pets in the Middle East, according to conservationists.
While the global cheetah population is estimated to be around 7,100, the local population in the Horn of Africa is thought to comprise about 300 to 500 adults, says Laurie Marker, a leading expert on cheetahs and executive director of CCF. It’s also thought that up to 300 cheetahs are captured in human-wildlife conflicts and illegally trafficked each year from this region, which puts the local population at extreme risk.
Tamer than your pet dog
In Gulf Cooperation Council states, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), wild cheetahs are status symbols and highly desired pets. As a result, countless of the animals are smuggled between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, with a well-established trade route running between Somaliland and Yemen. This is done despite wild cheetahs being protected under CITES Appendix I, which bans all trade outside of exceptional licensed circumstances.
Of the 300 cheetahs taken in the Horn of Africa each year, Marker said about half are destined for the exotic pet trade in the Middle East. However, these numbers are likely conservative since they don’t consider the cheetahs that may have died during the capture and trading processes, she said.
“They’re tamer than your pet dog basically,” Marker said. “That’s why they love them so much because they are easily tamed.”
Docile though cheetahs may be, most people don’t adequately care for them, Marker said. Their average life expectancy as pets is about one or two years, she added.
Traders who broker the cubs to buyers in the Middle East can get between $3000 and $10,000 per cub, according to CCF. The people who take the cubs from the landscape, on the other hand, may only get $75 to $100 per cub, and those who transport the cubs along the smuggling route can get $300 to $800 per cub, CCF said.
“People in the Middle East, have a lot of disposable income and they … [want] exotic pets,” Marker said. “But we’re trying to make people aware that … cheetahs are not an animal that should be a pet — they’re supposed to be out living in the wild. And they play a very important ecological role in maintaining the health of ecosystems.”
In 2016, the UAE passed a law that banned the private ownership and trade of exotic and dangerous animals. While this has helped slow the trade in the UAE, it hasn’t completely stopped it, according to Elsayed Ahmed Mohamed, a veterinarian and regional director for the Middle East and Northern Africa at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
“We cannot deny that illegal trade still takes place, but we can confirm that it has slowed down in the UAE following the ban,” Mohamed told Mongabay in an email.
Keeping cheetahs in the wild
“It’s our job to help bring them [farmers] into … conservation, because they could be the best partners in the world — our conservation partners,” Marker said. “What our angle and work will be is to help bring them into our partnership program.”
What the CCF team ultimately wants is for people and cheetahs to coexist peacefully on the landscape, which will promote a healthier level of biodiversity in a place already challenged by climate change.
“They’re fast, they’re gorgeous, they play such a key role in the ecosystem,” Marker said. “The idea is not to have them in the sanctuary — it’s to maintain them in the wild.”
charity, Events
Chicago Polar Bear Club Plunge

Chicago Polar Bear Club Plunge
January 26, 2019
Oak Street Beach
Start 2019 off right by helping three local Chicago families at the Chicago Polar bear Club’s Plunge! Jump into the frigid Lake Michigan with more than 2,000 people at Oak Street beach. Learn more here.
At your service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity
Chicago Veteran’s Ball
Experience the 4th annual Chicago Veterans Ball on November 3, 2018 at the Chateau Del Mar in Hickory Hills, IL at 6:30 pm. All veterans, family members and supporters are encouraged to attend to honor the brave men and women who took the oath to defend our nation. Tickets include full-course seated dinner, premium live bar, live DJ, a dance floor and more!
Secure your tickets with your CUI Concierge today!
At your service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity, Events
Chill William’s Veterans Day 5K
The Chill William’s Veterans Day 5k, is a virtual 5k experience to celebrate our veterans, past and present. Run along the beautiful lake-front trails with the Chicago skyline as your guide to finish in Veterans Park. Registration ends November 10, 2018. Sponsors for this years event include Running for Kicks and Chicago-land Transportation.
The Chill William’s Veteran Relief Organization is a Chicago foundation established by veteran, Sgt. Ronald Veals Jr. After his departure from his beloved Corp., he decided to create an organization dedicated to smoothing the gap in transition between military and civilian life.
At Your Service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity, Events
35th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
Running from November 1-9, 2018, the 35th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival presents over 250 new films from 40 countries along with workshops, seminars and presentations. This year’s theme focuses on empowering children and teens to “Build a new world” by constructing bridges for divides, empathy driven story telling and using creative problem solving to build confidence.
Secure your passes with your CUI Concierge today!
At Your Service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity, Events, Seasonal
Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k
Enter the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k on November 4, 2018 in Grant Park for a day you’ll never forget! You can train, race and celebrate with friends all the way to the finish line! Included in register is a Hot Chocolate Goodie Bag with a full-zip jacket, a 15k Finisher Medal, and a basket of chocolate!
Register with your CUI Concierge today!
At Your Service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity, Events, Leisure & Recreation, Seasonal
Holiday Market at Lincoln Park Zoo
Join Lincoln Park Zoo on November 27, 2018 for Chicago’s only Holiday market with 2.5 million lights! Kick off the holiday with cheer by visiting local artisans, shops, and boutiques at the Lincoln Park Zoo. All ages are welcome from 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm.
Register for the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Holiday Market with your CUI Concierge today!
At Your Service,
Concierge Unlimited International
charity, Events, Seasonal
Chicago Turkey Trot 5K
Lincoln Park welcomes “turkeys” of all ages for the 41st Annual Turkey Trot in Chicago. Gather your flock for this Thanksgiving Day 5k running traditions; you’ll join fellow runners, joggers and walkers to support the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Registered individuals receive limited edition long sleeve tech race shirt, finisher medal, complimentary beer from LaGunitas Brewing Co., complimentary race photos, post-race food and beverages, and access to the Turkey Day Tailgate finish festival!
Secure your registration with your CUI Concierge today!
At Your Service,
Concierge Unlimited International