South Lakes Wild Animal Park boss David Gill has dismissed a charge over a cheetah escape' at his Australian zoo as trumped-up'.

The Queensland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has summoned Mr Gill to court for breaching the Land Protection Act after a cheetah got into a public area of his park while it was shut.

He has also been charged with failing to report the death of a lemur, letting a lemur escape and keeping pest animals without a permit at his Mareeba Wild Animal Park.

The new complaints follow another charge issued in March about the adequacy of a bear enclosure.

"These matters are serious," said Greg Sullivan, of the DNR. "Wild animals can cause serious injury or death and we have an obligation to investigate all allegations such as these."

But Mr Gill said the cheetah had simply got out during a controlled experiment into a new fence design.

"The whole thing was prepared. We let the cheetahs out into the area, something scared the male, he touched one of the electric fences and jumped out. He was rounded back into the caged area in 15 minutes. It was all controlled and wasn't posing any danger to anyone."

As for the other charges, Mr Gill said he had immediately informed the Australian Quarantine Service about the death of a lemur from pneumonia and had a permit for keeping pest animals. One lemur had escaped but not for long and never posed a threat.

The charges were being blown up to support a dawn raid the DNR carried out at the park in March, he said.

"There was a public outcry about it. They are trying to justify their actions and the only thing they have found so far is this trivia."

Mr Gill is currently trying to sell the Mareeba park. He said last month it had been sold for "several millions" liberating cash to triple the size of the Dalton park but the deal has stalled.

"The amount of bad media coverage frightened the guy off," he said. "But there's another contract up for negotiation so it's there or there abouts. Without the sale it will be a lot harder to do the Dalton expansion. It won't stop it but it will make it more difficult."

Mr Gill's licence to operate his Dalton park was renewed by Barrow Borough Council on Wednesday. A raft of conditions have been attached after a Government zoo inspection pressed for more secure fencing around the bear, rhino and giraffe enclosures, repairs to detached mesh fencing, closer monitoring of walk-through areas, greater hygiene among staff and better veterinary records.

Mr Gill said the fencing upgrades were due to be carried out anyway and had been done since the inspection. He is now negotiating with the borough council over a recommendation to install what he believes would be a dangerous restraint for the giraffes and a suggestion to limit the freedom of his free-flying parrots.

Members of Barrow council's licensing committee had been asked to dismiss a number of the recommended conditions but decided not to.

"It's a marvellous thing for Dalton but there's history as well," said Coun Pam Smith, recalling the escape of a Rhino in 1997. "None of us would like to see it shut but we need to safeguard the public."