Conservation officers have called off the search for a cheetah that was spotted roaming along a highway in southeastern British Columbia, though they still don't know where the exotic animal is.

The RCMP distributed photos of the cheetah after a passerby noticed it walking along Highway 3 near Crawford Bay, about 450 kilometres east of Vancouver in the province's Kootenay region, last Thursday.

The Mounties notified a nearby school, and warned residents in the area to be vigilant and not to approach it, while asking for anyone with information about the owner of the animal to contact them.

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Joe Caravetta, an inspector at the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, says the search was called off after nearly four days passed without a sighting.

"We're no longer searching for the cheetah. However, we are still investigating the matter," Mr. Caravetta said, adding that officers, canine units and community members spent the weekend searching for the cat.

"We don't believe there is a present, immediate safety risk to the public in that area."

Mr. Caravetta said officials have spoken to one "person of interest," though he didn't elaborate.

Under the B.C. Wildlife Act, it is illegal to possess any alien species without a permit, and according to Mr. Caravetta, this case exemplifies exactly why permits are important.

B.C.'s Ministry of Forests says it received a permit application, currently under review, to possess a cheetah in the Kootenay region.

"However, ministry staff advise there is no indication or information as to whether the cheetah on the loose is or could be related to the above permit application," the statement said.

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"The first priority in our mind is to get the cheetah to a proper facility that is licensed," Mr. Caravetta said. "Then we would continue down through the investigation phase. We just want to be able to find that cheetah and ensure that it's safe and the public is at peace knowing that the cheetah is no longer running around."

He stressed that conservation officers want to capture the animal alive.

"We do not plan to kill this cheetah," he said. "We understand cheetahs are rare, endangered, so the last thing we plan to do is shoot it."

If the cheetah is found and caught, it could be sent temporarily to the Calgary Zoo, following a request by the B.C. government, until a more permanent, licensed facility could be located.

Mr. Caravetta said it's not clear how an animal native to Africa would fare after spending several freezing nights in the mountains.

"Some of the experts that we have spoken to say that it could survive if it found a heat source and some food. Right now, we aren't making any speculations as to whether it has survived or it's deceased."

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An organization called Runcheetahrun, which owns two cheetahs that used to live in the Kootenay area, posted a message on its Facebook page saying it is not connected with the missing cheetah.

"We'd like to thank everyone for their concern that the cheetah spotted on a highway in B.C. might have been our Annie Rose. We are so glad to reassure you that both Annie and Robin are happy, perfectly safe and not loose somewhere, and they definitely do not live in British Columbia – they returned to Ontario last year."

With a report from The Canadian Press