Search for mysterious cheetah called off in Kootenay area of B.C.
Snow and mountainous terrain make finding animal difficult, says conservation officer
The search for a cheetah on the loose in B.C.'s Kootenay area has been called off, with conservation officers saying the region is simply too snowy and mountainous to find the adult female.
- Cheetah on the loose photographed on snowy B.C. highway
- 'Annie Rose' known to stalk children says Alberta zoo owner
- B.C. moves to ban dangerous pets
Joe Caravetta, a B.C. Conservation Officer Service inspector, told the CBC he is certain the public is no longer in danger, but the service still wants to hear from the public if the animal is spotted.
The animal was first seen by a motorist driving along Highway 3A between Kootenay Bay and Crawford Bay last Thursday near Creston B.C.
The owner of an Alberta zoo said he recognized the cheetah, in photographs made public by the RCMP, as Annie, which had spent time at the Discovery Wildlife Park and left in 2014 due in part to safety reasons, such as stalking small children.
In B.C., cheetahs are considered a "controlled alien species" and it's illegal to own one without a permit.
No individual in the province has been granted a permit to possess one — but someone in the Kootenay region has applied for one, said the Forests Ministry in a statement Dec. 18.
With files from Bob Keating