A scene of mayhem and confusion broke out early this morning at the Durham Zoo following the discovery that Fluffy, the zoos 10-year-old spotted leopard is missing. Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can run 60 miles per hour.
The zoo held a press conference at 9 A.M. in which Gerry Durrell, the director of the zoo elaborated on the situation. “We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went…She may have left the area and she could be walking around Durham at this point.” Durrell said that Fluffy was last seen in her cage when the zoo closed at 9 P.M. and that. “At that time, everything seemed normal.”
Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist said the cat is “extremely dangerous” and explained what to do if encountering the 146 pound 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.”
Police Chief William Blair went on to discuss plans for the search. “We will first search every inch of this zoo…If we can’t find her in the zoo, we will begin searching the neighborhood, moving farther and farther away from the zoo.”
Blair was quite concerned with finding Fluffy as quickly as possible. “This is a residential neighborhood with an elementary school and we don’t want Fluffy wandering around after the kids get out of school. We have got to find her before 3 P.M. If we don’t it could be a very messy night. These cats are nearly impossible to find in the dark—they can see everything, and we are blind.”
Blair stated that the police will be assisted by the New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department. Furthermore the National Guard will be supplying five helicopter with infrared sensors. He stressed how important this search is. “We’re gonna find this cat if it kills us.”
As for what happened, the stories are contradictory. Durrell stated that the zoo noticed Fluffy’s absence immediately. “When we opened the zoo at 7:30 this morning and began feeding the animals, we immediately noticed Fluffy was missing. Everything about her cage seemed normal.”
However James Petronkis, a 36-year-old from Newmarket, who visits Fluffy every day had a different story. Petronkis says he arrived at the zoo at 7:30 A.M. and that everything seemed normal until he got to Fluffy’s cage. “Then I knew something was wrong. Fluffy usually draws 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.’” Petronkis proceeded to pull the fire alarm and alert zoo officials but that they said Fluffy was in her house.
Half an hour later he alerted them again. “This time they checked the house, and then all hell broke loose.” From there chaos broke out and visitors were promptly removed from the premises, as police arrived on scene. “It was mayhem.” Petronkis said.
Fluffy, a gift from Durham’s sister city of Romania, Durhamvoska, is the only female spotted leopard in existence. There is no doubt that zoo officials miss her very much. “We miss Fluffy and we want her back, safe and sound.” Smith said. And Durrell stated. We love that cant, and we don’t want to lose her.”
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