The Toronto Star wrote:
Scarf-wearing cheetah spotted along B.C. highway

At least one school in the area was planning recess and lunch indoors Friday, as RCMP warned residents to keep an eye out for the carnivorous, potentially dangerous cat.



By: Peter Edwards Star Reporter, Published on Fri Dec 18 2015

There are plans for the kids at the tiny Crawford Bay, B.C. school to have recess and lunch indoors on Friday after the RCMP warned area residents to keep their eyes open for an adult cheetah wearing an orange scarf.

“Some of them are excited,” school secretary Sandy Watson said of the 73 children from kindergarten to grade 12 who attend the southeastern B.C. community school.

She said some of the children asked if they would be staying indoors throughout the day while others seemed to enjoy the adventure.

She said the cheetah report didn’t send any shockwaves through the school.
“There’s cougar out here,” Watson said. “There’s bear. It’s not like oh-my-God. It’s part of the bush out here. We get cougar sightings here all of the time.”

Creston RCMP say the big cat was spotted about a 10 minute drive from the school along Highway 3A Thursday afternoon in the Crawford Bay and Kootenay Bay areas.

Watson said that a couple across the lake from Crawford Bay is believed to have kept pet cheetah, which wore orange scarves as collars.

Some residents have speculated whether the footloose cheetah was somehow able to swim across the lake, she said.

The cheetah was seen at the side of the road near Kootenay Bay by a motorist who took pictures of the cat wearing an orange cloth collar and called the RCMP.

The Creston RCMP says it is working with British Columbia Conservation Services to try to safely find the animal.

Until it is found, police say area residents should be vigilant while outdoors, especially with small children and animals.

B.C. Conservation Services says while a cheetah is typically shy and less aggressive then other large cats, it should be considered and respected as a wild animal.

With files from Canadian Press