Hungry cheetah flees owner, stalks oasis town of Al Ain

A cheetah fleeing its owner wreaked havoc and triggered panic in the eastern oasis town of Al Ain before it was captured by zoo experts and police.

The cheetah, known to be the fastest animal on earth, later sneaked into an Emirati house and scared off pets, prompting the Emirati to call police.

Police called in a team from Al Ain zoo to capture the animal which attracted a big crowd in Yahr area, where it is believed to be living.

According to the semi official daily Alittihad, the zoo team aided by police installed a cage-like structure to prevent the five-month-old cheetah from fleeing or attacking people. They then used a net to capture the animal.

“The cheetah has been taken over by Al Ain Zoo,” the paper said, quoting Muna Al Dahiri, director of the scientific life division at the zoo.

“We placed it in isolation as tests showed it suffered from exhaustion, thirst and dehydration…it has apparently not been fed for a long time…it will remain under medical care to ensure it is not suffering from any disease.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.