West Kootenay man fighting to keep 2 pet cheetahs

Earl Pfeifer, who lives in Crawford Bay, set to appear before appeal board for five-day hearing

Oct. 2, 2018 12:00 a.m.

A cheetah is seen near Creston, B.C. in this undated handout photo. Two people have been charged more than a year after a cheetah was spotted wandering the snowy roads in southeastern British Columbia. The B.C. Conservation Officers Service says Earl Pfeifer and Carol Plato have each been charged with one count of possessing an alien species without a permit, which is an offence under the Controlled Alien Species Regulation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Convservation Officer Service *MANDATORY CREDIT*

A B.C. couple who own a pair of cheetahs in the West Kootenay are speaking to the Environmental Appeal Board this week, in hopes of getting back the right to own the African cats.

A five-day hearing is underway this week for Earl Pfeifer, who lives in Crawford Bay – one year after a decision made under the provincial Wildlife Act denied their application to possess the two cheetahs.

Pfeifer has owned the cheetahs for five years. Pfeifer and partner Carol Plato made international headlines back in 2015 when one of the animals escaped and was spotted roaming along a highway near Kootenay Bay.

To this day, it’s not known where that cheetah is.

Black Press Media has reached out to Pfeifer and Plato for comment.

In 2016, the couple was charged with possessing an alien species without a permit, but the charge was dropped in 2017.

The hearing is expected to wrap up Friday.

@ashwadhwani ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.