Charges stayed for Kootenay couple in cheetah-on-the-loose incident

Why did the African cheetah appear on the B.C. road?

We may never find out.

On Thursday, charges were quietly stayed againstEarlPfeiferand Carol Plato, the couple suspected of owning the adult cheetah that was photographed on Highway3A in the Kootenaysin December of 2015.

The photo went viral and a nearby school was put on lockdownas conservation officers launched a search for the fastest land animal on earth, in a snow storm.

It was never found.

• Cheetah might be 'Annie Rose,' known to stalk children

Pfeiferand Plato live in the areaand own two cheetahs.

The couple obtained the animals in South Africa but were denied by the provincial government when they applied for the permits required to havethe exotic species in B.C.

In2016 Pfeiferand Plato were charged with possessing an alien species without a permit, but yesterday the Attorney General's office said they didn't think there was enough evidence to proceed with charges.

Pfeiferand Plato have never spoken publicly about what happened that snowy December orif the cheetah was ever recovered.

The current status of the animals is unknown.

• Cheetah on the loose photographed on snowy B.C. highway
• Search for mysterious cheetah called off in Kootenay area of B.C.
• Couple charged in relation to cheetah spotted wandering in B.C.

With files from Bob Keating.