Boy finds escaped cheetah in garden

A nine-year-old boy encountered an escaped cheetah in his back garden, a zoo said.

Toby Taylor, who lives with his family near to Hamerton Zoo, in Hamerton, Cambridgeshire, immediately ran indoors when he saw the animal.

His mother, Jules, dialled 999 and the three-year-old cheetah was collected by its keepers, accompanied by the police, a short time later.

Zoo director Andrew Swales said the hand-reared animal, which is thought to have got out through a faulty electric fence, would not have attacked Toby.

"He wouldn't pose any danger and his reaction to strangers would be the same as a pet dog - either a friendly greeting or a guarded retreat," he said.

"I do not know of any cases of a cheetah attacking a human."

Mr Swales said he had since been in contact with Toby and his mother, who are both regular visitors to the zoo.

"Toby has been up to see the cheetah on the site," he said. "We've spoken to him. It was a surprise but I think he got into his house pretty quickly.

"He was told off by his mother for slamming the door but then he explained why."

Mr Swales said the electric fence believed to have led to the escape, had been replaced.