Search for mystery cheetah called off for now

Monday, December 21, 2015, 1:49 PM - The search for a cheetah that was inexplicably spotted in the B.C. Interior has been called off for now.

CBC News reports rough terrain and snow made it difficult for wildlife officers to pursue the animal. A spokesman for the B.C. Conservation Service, Joe Caravetta, told CBC the department did not believe the animal was a threat any longer, but urged locals to keep an eye out.

Doug Bos, who operates a zoo in Alberta, said over the weekend the animal was likely a female cheetah called "Annie Rose", which he said had been known to stalk children while it stayed at his facility in 2014.

"I don't know 100 per cent for sure if [it is] the same cheetah, but the chances of [it] not being the same cheetah are very unlikely," he told CBC.

The cheetah was spotted along Highway 3A near Kootenay Bay in southeastern B.C. on Thursday by motorist Samatha Istance, who shot photos of the animal that were later distributed by the RCMP.

These wild animals are not authorized to be kept in captivity without a permit in the province. No one in the area has such a permit, but B.C.'s forestry ministry said last week a permit application had been submitted by someone in the region.

If the cheetah is found and captured, there may be a home for it at the Calgary Zoo, whose spokesperson said the zoo had been in contact with the B.C. government.

"I’m not sure what the status is on it, so we’re basically in a holding pattern ... we’ve got permits in place to accept (it)," Trish Exton-Parder told the Calgary Sun.

While cheetahs are typically shy and less aggressive than other large cats, it should be treated like a wild animal despite its collar, according to the B.C. Conservation Service. The conservation officers are using tips from the public to find the big cat, and can't use traditional methods to capture cougars that are common to the area due to the fact cheetahs do not climb trees when threatened or scared.

"We are going to have to try and maybe bait it, or get the opportunity to tranquilize it," Caravetta said.

Anyone who spots the animal is asked to call 911, or contact the Controlled Alien Species Unit of the B.C. Conservation Service at (877) 952-7277.

Source: CBC | RCMP | Calgary Sun

With files from Leeanna McLean and Daniel Martins