Nichole Sobecki. San.

San.

Called “Nose” in Somali, San is among 10 cubs rescued after the high-profile arrest of Cabdiraxmaan Yusuf Mahdi, better known as Cabdi Xayawaan, on wildlife trafficking charges. She had a badly injured nose and cried at first, but since she’s been housed with two other rescued cheetah she’s settled down. Fewer than 7,000 adult cheetahs are left in the wild, but every year scores—perhaps hundreds—of mostly very young cheetahs are trafficked out of Somaliland to Persian Gulf states to be sold as pets.

Through documentary photography Nichole Sobecki brings attention to humanity’s fraught, intimate, and ultimately unbreakable connection to the natural world. Born in New York, she has lived in Nairobi for the past decade.

Follow Nichole on Instagram @nicholesobecki.