A walk on the wild, I mean wrong, side
Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury, are in trouble again for allowing animals to escape. A few years ago they ‘lost’ an entire pack of dholes [Asiatic wild dogs] and sadly seven of the ten animals had to be shot.
This time the escape artist was a cheetah. Saba was born at Howletts’ sister park, Port Lympne, last summer but was pulled from his mother at 10 days old after becoming ill and hand raised by Damian Aspinall, the current owner of the park and son of John Aspinall, the founder. Saba has since lived in a large enclosure at Howletts, where Mr Aspinall shares a house with his wife Victoria. Apparently, the intention is to release him into the wild, with the Aspinalls dismissing claims he is domesticated, saying he is learning to hunt at the park. Well, perhaps he has done a bit more hunting than was intended; Saba scaled an internal fence and squeezed through a gap between the top of the mesh fencing and the electric overhang, and got into the neighbouring deer park, which is only separated from public walkways by an 8ft fence.
Two panicked deer ran into the wooden railings as they fled; one dying on impact and the other having to be euthanised because of its injuries. As the herd of deer scattered in panic, a member of staff noticed Saba had escaped and alerted keepers. As Saba is used to human contact, keepers were able to lead him back into his enclosure.
The Park has since closed the stable door - ‘the gap has subsequently been fenced off and the electric fencing overhang has been inspected,’ a spokesman said.
Saba’s escape follows a similar incident last March, when a cheetah broke free from its enclosure at Port Lympne. The park was put on lockdown and some visitors were forced to hide in bathrooms, while keepers ushered the big cat back into its enclosure.
My photo is of the Port Lympne cheetah.
A walk on the wild, I mean wrong, side
Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury, are in trouble again for allowing animals to escape. A few years ago they ‘lost’ an entire pack of dholes [Asiatic wild dogs] and sadly seven of the ten animals had to be shot.
This time the escape artist was a cheetah. Saba was born at Howletts’ sister park, Port Lympne, last summer but was pulled from his mother at 10 days old after becoming ill and hand raised by Damian Aspinall, the current owner of the park and son of John Aspinall, the founder. Saba has since lived in a large enclosure at Howletts, where Mr Aspinall shares a house with his wife Victoria. Apparently, the intention is to release him into the wild, with the Aspinalls dismissing claims he is domesticated, saying he is learning to hunt at the park. Well, perhaps he has done a bit more hunting than was intended; Saba scaled an internal fence and squeezed through a gap between the top of the mesh fencing and the electric overhang, and got into the neighbouring deer park, which is only separated from public walkways by an 8ft fence.
Two panicked deer ran into the wooden railings as they fled; one dying on impact and the other having to be euthanised because of its injuries. As the herd of deer scattered in panic, a member of staff noticed Saba had escaped and alerted keepers. As Saba is used to human contact, keepers were able to lead him back into his enclosure.
The Park has since closed the stable door - ‘the gap has subsequently been fenced off and the electric fencing overhang has been inspected,’ a spokesman said.
Saba’s escape follows a similar incident last March, when a cheetah broke free from its enclosure at Port Lympne. The park was put on lockdown and some visitors were forced to hide in bathrooms, while keepers ushered the big cat back into its enclosure.
My photo is of the Port Lympne cheetah.