A cheetah is safely back in her enclosure in Dublin Zoo this morning after a night on the prowl. The cheetah, which was born in Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, was found wandering the African plains of Dublin Zoo shortly before 8 a.m yesterday when staff arrived for work.
Mr Leo Oosterweghel, director of the zoo, said the cat was overcome with curiosity when presented with an opportunity to explore during the stormy winds of Sunday night.
"A large tree was uprooted in the high winds and crashed to the ground. It knocked over part of the fence around the cheetah's enclosure and so she went for a little wander," he said. "When the staff came in she was spotted and the vet was called in."
He said she was given some meat to chew on, which caused her to "settle down nicely" before being sedated with a tranquilliser dart. She was brought to the night quarters to sleep it off, given some food to soak up the effects of her night out and she was "very well" now.
The cheetah has been in Dublin for the past six months to give her a break from her mate, as part of Fota's breeding programme.
Mr Oosterweghel said cheetahs were more keen to mate after a period of separation. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder," he said. This cheetah, though well into her reproductive prime, has yet to settle down and have cubs, said Mr Neil Stronick, the director of Fota. Staff, therefore, hope when she returns to Cork in late January she will become pregnant.
Asked whether she might have been seeking company, Mr Oosterweghel said cheetahs did not have the same social needs as humans. Indeed, all female cheetahs were solitary, except when they had a litter.
This cheetah may as well get used to solitude because when she has had her cubs, her mate, according to cheetahspot.com - a website devoted to cheetahs - will leave her to raise them on her own.
At no point on Sunday night did the cheetah get out of the African plains section of the zoo so none of the animals in the main section was in danger, said Mr Oosterweghel.
In any case, he continued, "we do not regard the cheetah as a dangerous animal. The cheetah is more dog-like than cat-like - a very elegant animal and she is a very fine, beautiful animal."
