Spotted leopard excercise

Panic struck at the Durham Zoo on Wednesday as armed policemen went searching for Fluffy, a 10-year old female Romanian spotted leopard, who went mysteriously missing from her cage. 

“We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went,” Gerry Durrell, the director of the zoo, said.  “We are doing everything we can to find her and bring her back.”  According to Durrell the door to her cage was shut and the fencing was not broken and had not been tampered with.

The leopard was noticed missing at 7:30 that morning when faculty began feeding the animals.  James Petronkis, a regular visitor of the zoo, was the first to notice the Fluffy was not in her cage.

“Everything seemed normal until I got to the cage,” Petronkis said.  “Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no nest- there wasn’t even any straw.”

Petronkis took matters into his own hands and pulled the fire alarm to get the workers attention.  He claimed that they told him not to worry, but after 30 minutes Fluffy was still nowhere to be found.

“…All hell broke loose,” Petronkis said.  “Cops with guns were drawn everywhere.  People were screaming…It was mayhem.”

Fluffy is the only female Romanian spotted leopard left in existence.  Its health and safety was of the utmost concern to both faculty and civilians.

“We love that cat, and we don’t want to lose her,” Durrell said, fighting back tears.

Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist, expressed similar emotions, but warned every one of the leopard’s potential danger.

“If these cats are cornered, their defense is to kill,” Smith said.  “We urge anyone who encounters fluffy to get slowly to the ground and lay still…Be especially careful to avoid eye contact.”

The Durham Police Department is doing everything they can to keep Fluffy from harming anyone who she may come across.  The Chief of Police William Blair made it clear to everyone at the zoo that their safety comes first before anything else.

“If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun.  But if necessary, we will shoot to kill,” Blair said.  “We have asked the New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department to help in the search.  In addition, the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors.  We’re going to find this cat even if it kills us.”