May 14 (UPI) — A pregnant cheetah that escaped from a zoo in the Netherlands was tranquilized and safely returned to the facility.
Officials at Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek confirmed the cheetah was noticed missing from her enclosure prior to the zoo’s scheduled 9:30 a.m. opening on Wednesday.
The zoo was closed to the public while zookeepers searched for the missing feline.
The cheetah was located in a wooded area on zoo grounds, and a veterinarian was brought in to tranquilize the animal.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Officials said it took some time for the vet to get a clear shot.
“Because it’s wooded, it was hard to take a good shot. You want to do it properly and cause the animal as little stress as possible,” a zoo representative told regional broadcaster Omroep Brabant.
The cheetah was safely returned to the zoo about 1:15 p.m., officials said.
It was not yet clear how the cheetah managed to escape from the enclosure, which reopened in July 2025 after undergoing security upgrades.