Rare Leopard Escapes from the Durham Zoo
Durham-Fluffy, a 10-year-old Romanian Spotted Leopard, has
seemingly escaped from the Durham Zoo. Zoo officials and visitors noticed early
this morning that that Fluffy the Leopard wasn’t in her enclosure this morning,
starting a panic as scared kids and upset parents fled the zoo.
Durham Zoo officials, local and state police and the state
wildlife department have mobilized to find the leopard and bring it back. Authorities
hope to shot the leopard with tranquilizers and bring it back alive, but according
to Police chief William Blair, “If necessary, we will shoot to kill.” Currently
there are no leads on the leopard’s location.
Said Kitty Smith, the chief biologist at the zoo, gave the
following safety advice for anyone who may encounter the leopard. “We urge anyone
who encounters Fluffy to get slowly to the ground and lay still. Fluffy may do
a lot of sniffing and licking, but unless she senses fear she’s not likely to
react violently. Be especially careful to avoid eye contact.”
Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can
run at 60 miles per hour. Fluffy is one of the five remaining Romanian Spotted
leopards in existence, and is the only known female of her species left. The Romanian
Spotted Leopard was driven to the brink of extinction because of their appetite
for young children.
“I want my money back, and then I’m never coming back here
again. This place is out of control.” Said an angry parent as he fled the zoo
with his daughter in tow.
The leopard was last seen in her cage when the zoo closed at
9 p.m. Tuesday night, and the enclosure showed no signs of how the leopard
escaped. Zoo officials say they noticed that the leopard was missing at 7:30
a.m. However one zoo visitor, James Petronkis of Newmarket, says he noticed
right away that Fluffy was missing but the zoo refused to listen to him. “Fluffy
usually draws up the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no
nest- there wasn’t even any straw. I told the guard and he said “Mind your own
business.’ I couldn’t believe it.” Petronkis then pulled the fire alarm to get
the zoo officials’ attention, but the enclosure still wasn’t checked until
another half hour had passed.
Zoo officials were crying during the press release due to
their concerns about Fluffy the leopard’s safety.
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