Loose cheetah spotted near Kootenay Bay, B.C

[Cliffy]

Creston RCMP say an adult cheetah was seen by wandering along Highway 3A near Kootenay Bay, B.C., Thursday afternoon.
Police are warning residents in the area to be on the lookout for the large, possibly dangerous cat, and authorities are hoping to speak with the cheetah's owner.
At about 4:30 p.m., Thursday, a passing motorist was able to photograph the cheetah, which is reportedly wearing an orange cloth collar.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said in a release that residents in the area have been notified, along with the staff at the school in Crawford Bay.
The B.C. Conservation Service said cheetahs are typically more shy and less aggressive than other large cats, but the animal should be treated like a wild animal despite its collar, according to Moskaluk.


Loose cheetah spotted near Kootenay Bay, B.C., say RCMP - British Columbia - CBC News

 

[DaSleeper]

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

A loose cheetah? It is a shame when people don't keep them on a leash.

 

[Johnnny]

Poor animal, scared and hungry because its not adapted to our climate. Sometimes i wonder how we made it this far as a species ourselves when we treat our own species and other species like crap.

The look in that animals face is fear/confusion/desperation. People who treat animals like ****, sicken me.

 

[B00Mer]

The look in that animals face is fear/confusion/desperation. People who treat animals like ****, sicken me.

Not what I'm getting at all, more like "you look like my next meal, and I can out run your stupid A$$. :lol:

Cheetah 1 Photographer 0

Probably a friggin Chinese family lost it, what to bet?

 

[Johnnny]

Not what I'm getting at all, more like "you look like my next meal, and I can out run your stupid A$$. :lol:

Cheetah 1 Photographer 0

nope, it doesn't look haggard enough to be lashing out.... yet... I wouldn't approach it not because it would try and eat me for food but because its more than likely frightened than anything else.

The previous owner did look like he has kept it well fed, but these animals are meant to be running out on the safari, not wallowing in some cage or skirting the highway along the snowbanks.

 

[B00Mer]

Well he getting his exercise now...

Would be cool if he was to breed with a local bobcat or mountain lion ... Probably impossible, don't know.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Why, in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter, is someone allowed to own a cheetah?

God damned stupid people.

 

[MHz]

I saw that, I hope a nice cougar family adopts him. Their kids would be fast enough to catch the people in convertibles.

Poor animal, scared and hungry because its not adapted to our climate. Sometimes i wonder how we made it this far as a species ourselves when we treat our own species and other species like crap.

Snow Leapard

 

[Locutus]

cheetah spotted

heh.

 

[Ludlow]

Maybe it escaped from a wildlife zoo somewhere's

 

[Johnnny]

Exactly you answered my question. There are no snow cheetahs. Its like saying a panda bear is at home in the Yukon mountains because there are grizzlies there.

Maybe it escaped from a wildlife zoo somewhere's

Id be surprised if a city in the kootneys had a full fledged exotic zoo, cause that means there is a potential location for an NHL team there.

 

[Cliffy]

Kootenay Bay is between Nelson and Kaslow on the far side of Kootenay Lake near Crawford Bay and there are no wildlife parks in the area. Some putz thought his ego needed a big cat. Cheetahs are very timid and not very sociable with humans, although they will bond with their owner. They may be fast but most of what they kill is eaten by other animals as it won't fight off attackers. It won't last long out here on its own.

 

[Twila]

Police seek cheetah spotted along southeast B.C. highway near Creston

CRESTON - Conservation officers are looking for a cheetah seen wandering the snowy roads near a school in southeastern British Columbia.

Area residents and staff at Crawford Bay School were notified Thursday about a cheetah spotted on a nearby highway, said Principal Laury McPherson.

"We all knew by the time the Christmas concert started, which was at 6 p.m.," she said on Friday.

McPherson said students at the elementary and secondary school will stay indoors during recess and lunch.

She said the children are generally excited about the chance to see a cheetah in the area where wild animals, such as bears, are not uncommon.

"Some of the little ones are a little bit worried because a cheetah is exotic. So we've talked about what you do when you encounter a cougar or a cheetah, like making yourself large."

RCMP in Creston said the cheetah was spotted along Highway 3A on Thursday at about 4:30 p.m., in the Crawford Bay and Kootenay Bay areas.

A motorist who saw the animal sent photos to police. The witness told RCMP the animal appeared to be wearing an orange cloth collar.

Insp. Joe Caravetta of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said Friday that three officers are hunting for the cat and also looking for its owner.

He said the provincial wildlife veterinarian doesn't believe the public is at risk but the situation is being treated seriously.

"We want to be able to find this cheetah and for its own health and benefit be able to capture it and get it to a facility and have it checked out," Caravetta said in an interview from Cranbrook.

"It could be hungry, and any animal that is hungry may do things that may not be in its character."

Caravetta said cheetahs are typically shy and less aggressive than other big cats, but noted the animal is out in the cold rather than in its normal tropical habitat.

He said staff are trying to determine if anyone in the area has registered the cheetah, adding the jungle cats are legally allowed with a permit.

"It could simply be a pet, but at this point we haven't been able to talk to the potential custodian."

RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said people should keep a close eye on small children and pets until the animal is located.

"Regardless of it having a collar on, it should be considered and respected as a wild animal."

Police seek cheetah spotted along southeast B.C. highway near Creston

 

[Curious Cdn]

Why, in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter, is someone allowed to own a cheetah?

God damned stupid people.

In a cool place like BC, Cheetahs never prosper.

 

[MHz]

Exactly you answered my question. There are no snow cheetahs. Its like saying a panda bear is at home in the Yukon mountains because there are grizzlies there.
.

Nice eyes though eh?

 

[bill barilko]

A .22 Long Rifle will take that thing out-go for a neck shot.

EDIT-I mean hollow point

 

[Jinentonix]

Why, in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter, is someone allowed to own a cheetah?

God damned stupid people.

Well, if you take a lion or tiger cub and raise it to an adult, what you have is a tame, wild animal. If you take a cheetah cub and raise it to an adult, what you have is a very big house cat. They are the only species of large cat that can be truly domesticated.
There's a guy in Ireland who has a cheetah preserve. They were doing a story on it and one of the Cheetahs rushed the interviewer, dropped right at his feet and started playfully gnawing and pawing his shoes, purring and meowing like a big house cat.
All of his cheetahs were rescues though. Mostly orphaned cubs and a few injured ones that wouldn't have made it in the wild.


When I was younger I thought it would be pretty cool to have a cheetah or two for a pet if I had a large enough property. I still think it would be cool, just not in Canada or any other country/region that sees real winter on a yearly basis.