The owners of two cheetahs will not be allowed to return the large, African cats near Creston, B.C., to use them as ambassador animals promoting conservation of the endangered species.
The Environmental Appeal Board, which considers issues raised under B.C.91裸聊视频檚 Wildlife Act, has refused to overturn a 2017 ruling denying a permit to move the cheetahs to Crawford Bay.
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The appeal by Earl Pfeifer argued the permit denial relied on allegedly unsupported details about the danger posed by cheetahs, as well as charges that were laid by the province but later dropped, after one of the cats escaped in December 2015.
In a 37-page decision, the appeal board says Pfeifer and his partner Carol Plato have not offered any special circumstances that would allow the province to override legislation written in 2007 after a captive tiger fatally mauled a woman at a zoo-like attraction near Williams Lake.
The board panel, chaired by Linda Michaluk, questions Pfeifer91裸聊视频檚 commitment to his own safety protocols and his ability to control the seven-year-old cheetahs, Robin and Annie, which were described as 91裸聊视频渦ndisciplined91裸聊视频� by a wildlife park operator in Alberta who briefly housed the cats.
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Pfeifer and Plato had hoped to bring the pair to a property in Crawford Bay to use them for 91裸聊视频渆ducation and outreach91裸聊视频� aimed at children, after acquiring them from a South African reserve.
Without the permits, the cats remain in Ontario where Pfeifer testified he now rarely sees them.
A team member with Cheetah Outreach in South Africa told the hearing that cheetahs are the most docile of the large cats and that Robin is blind but both he and Annie, 91裸聊视频渁re well socialized and suitable as ambassador animals.91裸聊视频�
Linda Rosenl枚f said she worked with the two felines in South Africa in the year after they were born and before they were shipped to Pfeifer and Plato in Ontario in 2013.
She testified there is no formal study program to become a cheetah trainer but the panel referred to a textbook co-written by cheetah biologist and handler Laurie Marker, who testified on behalf of B.C.91裸聊视频檚 director of wildlife.
91裸聊视频淐heetahs are not pets; they are wild animals and should be treated as such,91裸聊视频� says the textbook 91裸聊视频淐heetahs: Biology and Conservation.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淲orking with cheetahs requires extensive previous experience with animal training and handling. There are both courses and books that teach training practices that use positive reinforcement. Additionally, trainers new to cheetahs must begin their hands-on work with a mentor or with experienced co-trainers,91裸聊视频� the textbook says.
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Given that description, Michaluk writes that the panel 91裸聊视频渉as concerns91裸聊视频� about Pfeifer91裸聊视频檚 level of formalized training and with the consistency of care he could offer the cheetahs, especially during the daily walks and exercise he told the panel they would require outside the enclosure.
91裸聊视频淥f particular concern is the evidence regarding Annie91裸聊视频檚 escape (in Crawford Bay) in December 2015. This reflects on the appellant91裸聊视频檚 abilities as a handler, although the panel accepts that this incident raises more issues than simply handling expertise,91裸聊视频� writes Michaluk, adding that Pfeifer brought the cheetahs to B.C. shortly before Annie escaped, even though he knew he lacked the required permit.
91裸聊视频淭he appellant, in short, has demonstrated a disregard for the B.C. laws and regulations regarding (species such as cheetahs,) and for safety procedures and protocols of his own design, and of others,91裸聊视频� she writes.
91裸聊视频淚n conclusion, the panel cannot conceive of any additional 91裸聊视频榮pecial circumstances91裸聊视频� that support this particular applicant receiving a possession permit for these particular prohibited species.91裸聊视频�
The Canadian Press
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