Owners of B.C.’s roaming Cheetah charged

Remember the cheetah that was on the loose in B.C.’s Kootenay region last December? Charges have now been laid against the animal’s owners.

Residents of Crawford Bay spotted an adult cheetah on the loose wandering around Highway 3A in mid-December 2015.

READ MORE: Cheetah on the loose in the Kootenays

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Children at nearby schools were kept indoors and residents were warned to remain vigilant while outside.

RCMP began searching for the big cat, but the hunt was called off after no further sightings were reported. The Conservation Officer Service could not determine whether the cheetah was still at large or not.

Now, just over a year later, two people have been charged under the Controlled Alien Species Regulation.

Earl Pfeifer and Carol Plato both received one count of possessing an alien species without a permit. They will make their first appearance in court on Feb. 17, 2017.

There is no word on whether the cheetah was ever found.