Cheetah Escape » Hamerton Zoo Park

Cheetah Escape
30-10-2008

Link: BBC NEWS | England | Cambridgeshire | Investigation into cheetah escape

An investigation has begun into how a cheetah was able to escape from a zoo and wander into a family's back garden.

Officers from Huntingdonshire District Council are due to visit Hamerton Zoo in Hamerton, Cambridgeshire, after a nine-year-old discovered the cheetah.

Toby Taylor ran indoors when he encountered the animal and zoo keepers arrived soon after to recapture it.

A council spokeswoman said the zoo notified its officers of the escape and it was now being investigated.

The three-year-old hand-reared cheetah is thought to have escaped through a faulty electric fence on Friday.

The spokeswoman for Huntingdonshire District Council said: "Our environmental health officers are responsible for licensing of zoos and dangerous animals.

"The zoo reported the escape to us and we are aware that there was a faulty electric fence unit which has been replaced.

"We are now investigating."

Andrew Swales, the zoo's director, said the animal would not have posed a danger to the boy.

31-10-2008

OMG I would love a cheetah in my garden

Least it wasnt their white tiger that seemed rather fiesty when we went there and cheetahs seem the most 'friendly' of the cats plus being handraised!

I was impressed with there natural looking cheetah enclosures, made them very hard to spot

31-10-2008

a baby cheetah in my garden! that would be sweet

31-10-2008

I wouldn't call anyone, except maybe the butcher to stock up

31-10-2008

:O you wouldnt, you mean lady

i would be tempted to keep it as a pet but no that would be cruel

31-10-2008

I don't think you got the joke

KarenZOO said she would call the butcher to stock up on meat for the cheetah, not to sell the cheetah to the butcher as meat

31-10-2008

On a recent visit to Hamerton , a male miniature donkey grazing the strip of grass between a cheetah enclosure and the public path was racing one of the cheetahs along the fence line . Both seemed to be very much enjoying the experience and the donkey was encouraging the cheetah to chase him ! Magic sight !

31-10-2008

oh i got the wrong side of the joke, it was still funny!