Cheetah escapes from safari park in Beekse Bergen

A pregnant cheetah has escaped from Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, forcing the North Brabant park to stay shut for most of the day until the animal was tranquillised and returned.

A keeper noticed the cheetah missing before the 9.30am opening, regional broadcaster Omroep Brabant reported. The park stayed closed to visitors while staff tracked the animal, which was located in a wooded section of the grounds and never left the site.

A vet waited for a clear line of sight before firing a tranquilliser dart. “Because it’s wooded, it was hard to take a good shot. You want to do it properly and cause the animal as little stress as possible,” a park spokesperson told the broadcaster.

It was captured at about 1.15pm and the park reopened to visitors. The spokesperson said neither staff nor other animals had been in danger.|

Beekse Bergen coordinates the European breeding programme for cheetahs, an endangered species. The park said it would investigate how the cheetah, the only one at the enclosure, had been able to escape.