We have an update now in a year-old case of a cheetah on the loose in snowy British Columbia.
The B.C. Conservation Officer Services has laid charges in the so-called “Crawford Bay cheetah incident” of Dec. 17, 2015.
Earl Pfeifer and Carol Plato have been charged with one count each of possess alien species with a permit contrary to the Controlled Alien Species Regulation. The big cat was spotted wandering along Highway 3A between Kootenay Bay and Crawford Bay.
Authorities aren’t clear whether the lost cat was ever found, but experts say it’s unlikely to have survived the harsh winter.
In 2013, the Nelson Star reported that the couple was hoping to bring their cheetah’s to the community. At the time they had a one-year-old female named Annie Rose and a nine-month old named Robin, which they were working “seven days a week socializing and training the cats,” according to the newspaper.
They even have a cheetah conservation page on Facebook.
This photo accompanied the article, which was supplied by the Pfeifer and Plato and also appears on their Facebook page.
Pfeifer and Plato are to make their first court appearance Feb. 17, 2017 in Creston, B.C.
Photos B.C. Conservation Service/Facebook
