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Injured cheetah caught roaming in Abu Dhabi

A young, injured cheetah seen roaming on the streets in a residential area in the capital on Sunday morning was captured and shifted to the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Centre.

“The animal that might have escaped from private captivity in Al Karamah neighbourhood is now at the centre and being looked after,” wildlife centre director Ronel Smutts said.

She said the centre received a call from a concerned resident saying a ‘‘tiger’’ was on the prowl in the city. “Our officials and a vet rushed to the area and searched for the animal but they could not find it. The police managed to catch the animal, and to our surprise it was a cheetah who was young and badly injured,” she said.

The cheetah was treated by the vet and shifted to the centre which has a spacious wildlife park that will help it to recover from its injuries. She said the 11-month-old animal was traumatised.

“The young animal had a huge chain around its neck and had a very bad injury on the left front leg. We gave initial treatment to relieve it of the pain,

and tomorrow we will get an X-ray to help determine the internal leg injury. The animal is now under observation,” Smutts added.

The cheetah, according to a Karamah resident, was seen roaming the streets on Saturday night. It was captured by the Abu Dhabi police and the pest control employees assigned for the job. Initial reports suggest municipality department workers also took part in the operation to catch the animal.

However, a spokesperson from the department denied having any role in the search. The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City spokesperson told Khaleej Times that they received a phone call from Al Rahma Society of Animal Welfare regarding a cheetah being spotted in Al Karamah area “and we only directed them to contact the police and other competent authorities for catching the animal”.

The Abu Dhabi Police said they acted immediately to ensure the safety of the residents in the neighbourhood.

“The Abu Dhabi Police responded immediately to protect the safety of the residents and in collaboration with other government agencies acted quickly to deal with the issue. The animal was captured and transferred to appropriate care, in accordance with regulations and best practices,” Major General Mohammed Al Awadhi Al Menhali General Director of Human Resources and General Director of Police Operations said.

Smutts, who has been looking after cheetahs and other big cats at the centre for many years, said it was illegal to keep these animals in small houses and private captivity.

nissar@khaleejtimes.com