Cheetahs swim for freedom

BARB TAME

CATS ON THE LOOSE: Orana Wildlife Park's cheetahs enter a moat around their enclosure.

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Three cheetahs escaped from their enclosure and roamed in the public area for half an hour at Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park.

No-one was hurt, but Orana chief executive Lynn Anderson described yesterday's breach as "the most serious incident we've ever had".

Lucy Tame, 25, of Christchurch, and her mother, Margaret Tame, took photographs as the three male cats broke with usual behaviour and swam across the moat around the edge of their enclosure about 12.30pm yesterday.

"They swam across and sat next to the fence about one or two metres away from us," Lucy Tame said.

The animals' proximity seemed unusual.

The women felt uncomfortable, so they left and boarded a zoo shuttle.

"The next thing we knew they were running across in front of the shuttle," she said.

Anderson said that the shuttle driver had told park rangers the cheetahs were loose in the park, triggering emergency lockdown procedures.

All visitors were taken to safe places, and keepers were sent to catch the animals, along with a veterinarian with a tranquilliser gun, but the cheetahs were able to be shepherded into their enclosure without incident, she said.

"If they had looked like breaching the boundary fence, we would have shot to kill."

Anderson said the three cheetahs had been born and raised at the park and had always avoided water. The enclosure fence was being fixed and an undetected hole had been made that the cheetahs found, she said.

"We're discussing what would have been the motivator when these particular cats don't like water."

It was unusual that the cats had swum for the first time on the day that the fence was able to be breached. They were not trying to escape the park.

She was glad there were witnesses to the swim as staff would have been left wondering how the cheetahs had got across.

The cheetahs were well fed and posed little danger to people, she said.

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Samantha   #71   01:49 pm Feb 08 2010

wow that makes them sound dangerous!! its like they purposefully forgot to mention they are completely tame and orana used to have an encounters with them lol

Mark   #70   10:42 am Feb 08 2010

I can't believe the stupidity of "If they had looked like breaching the boundary fence, we would have shot to kill" - even fully wild cheetahs are very very unlikely to attack humans. Cheetahs avoid large primates as they are to them.

paul c   #69   06:29 pm Feb 07 2010

get over it people, accidents do happen and the situation was resolved in quick time, for those who disagree with zoo parks etc keep this in mind: breeding programs, safe and clean living, NO POACHERS, and staff that do care for these animals. orana park is fantastic and having seen alot of parks and zoos around the world is the best ive seen.

Jo   #68   03:49 pm Feb 07 2010

Paul 53. Totally and absolutely agree.

MsAnthropist   #67   08:05 am Feb 06 2010

Well said, AaronC

JMemonic   #66   11:42 pm Feb 05 2010

Heck they might have made a little dent in the rabbit population out there had the got away. Shame they have to be preserved in this manner thanks to human greed for thier skins.

M-A   #65   08:18 pm Feb 05 2010

It's like they had it planned - go cheetahs

Jill   #64   07:59 pm Feb 05 2010

There are no known accounts of Cheetahs killing humans. In South Africa they are kept as pets like we keep dogs and cats.

stupidhumans   #63   06:43 pm Feb 05 2010

too bad those cheetahs didn't eat the people. OM NOM NOM

Lisa   #62   04:26 pm Feb 05 2010

Ha I love it, this new pc world we live in!! don't shoot the cheetahs they're harmless you all say, well I'm glad the orana keepers are more on to it! The people who work with them everyday know more than all of you whiners about what would have to be done if they made a run for it. Why don't we leave it to the people who know best and give em a break!!

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