Wild ‘cocaine cat’ tests positive for crack and is sent to zoo
Cocaine Bear is not alone, it seems.
An exotic feline that was spotted high up on a tree in the dark of night is giving off cocaine cat vibes.
Dog wardens responded to reports of a leopard on a tree in the Oakley neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cell phone video showed a cat with a spotted golden coat and large ears perched on a tree branch. Officials, suspecting it was a F1 Savannah house cat, managed to capture it and took it to an animal shelter.
Cincinnati Animal CARE ran some tests on the cat and found out its species – which wasn’t even the biggest surprise. It was found to have cocaine in its system.
‘Toxicology came back the animal was positive for narcotics in its system,’ Troy Taylor, chief of the Hamilton County Dog Warden’s Office, told WKRC.
‘And DNA came back positive illegal serval.’
African servals are allowed to be kept as pets in neighboring Indiana and Kentucky, but are illegal in Ohio.
‘These types of animals are considered dangerous. They are on the dangerous wild list for Ohio,’ Taylor said.
The serval, known as Amiry, sustained a broken leg during the capture episode. Medical staff at the animal shelter began tending the feline that is unlike any other they worked on before.
‘He got some good pain medications, kept a camera on him so we could monitor in that night and in the morning we were able to get a hold of the Zoo to take over care,’ Taylor said.
Amiry was transferred to Cincinnati Zoo for further treatment and supervision.
‘We’re extremely proud of the work done in this case by the dog wardens and medical staff and are immensely appreciative to the Cincinnati Zoo for getting Amiry the care he needs,’ Cincinnati Animal CARE community engagement manager Ray Anderson told WLWT.
The zoo continues to care for Amiry, according to reports on Wednesday. It is not clear if the zoo will keep the wild cat, or what is in its future.
Amiry’s owner was found and cooperative and will not face charges for the January 28 incident partly reminiscent of the comedy thriller Cocaine Bear in theaters now.
Based loosely on a 1985 true story of a grizzly that eats a load of crack, Cocaine Bear follows the drug-addicted animal on a rampage in the woods. Luckily for the officials that captured the African serval, they were not injured as the Cocaine Bear investigators were.
‘It was sure a sight to see and after talking to the cat expert, he said we did a great job and also pretty lucky because this cat could’ve shredded us apart and killed us,’ Taylor said.
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