After Wild Escape, ‘Cocaine Cat’ Will Live at Cincinnati Zoo

By Beatrice Dupuy | Associated Press

An African serval cat who was found to have cocaine in his system after escaping at a traffic stop now calls the Cincinnati Zoo home, much to the delight of social media users who are still amused by the recent release of the movie “Cocaine Bear”. ”.

The wildcat story trended online, where users reveled in the comedy-horror absurdity, which riffs on the true story of a 175-pound black bear who was found dead near a backpack and about $2 million in cocaine. Social media users predictably dubbed the serval the “cocaine cat”.

The slender feline escaped after its owner was stopped by police on Jan. 28, according to local animal control officials. He jumped out of the car into a tree.

Ray Anderson of Cincinnati Animal CARE said local animal control, Hamilton County Dog Wardens, was called around 2 am in the residential neighborhood of Oakley.

In Ohio, it is illegal to own the animals, which can weigh up to 40 pounds. During the rescue mission, the cat named Amiry broke his leg and became more agitated.

Once Amiry was brought in for medical attention by Cincinnati Animal CARE, the team did a drug test which determined that Amiry had cocaine in her system.

It’s not the first time that Cincinnati Animal CARE, which operates as the county’s animal shelter, has had a wild animal test positive for drugs. In 2022, the group welcomed a capuchin monkey, called Neo, who had methamphetamine in his system.

Since that case, it has become standard procedure for the shelter to test exotic animals that come to the shelter for drugs, Anderson said.

Anderson confirmed that Amiry’s owner turned over custody of the cat to Cincinnati Animal CARE before he was taken into the care of the Cincinnati Zoo.

Servals have grown in popularity, with some appearing in TikTok videos as pets. Julie Sheldon, clinical assistant professor of zoomedicine at the University of Tennessee, said a serval is a big responsibility that requires a balanced diet and specialized care beyond that of a domestic cat.