Fluffy

At 9:30 a.m. at the Durham Zoo, Fluffy the rare spotted leopard was discovered missing, and she has still not been found. 

“We are searching the grounds of the zoo, but so far we haven’t a clue,” says Gerry Durrell, director of the zoo.  “She may have left the area, and she could be walking around Durham at this point.  We just don’t know.”

According to Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief zoologist, Fluffy is a 10-year-old Romanian spotted leopard, one of only five in existence. They were driven to the brink of extinction in Romania because of their appetite for children under 8 years old.  Needless to say, they are extremely dangerous.

According to Smith, “If these cats are cornered-or encountered on a dark night or in a dark alley- their defense is to kill, and to kill quickly.”  Smith urges anyone who encounters Fluffy to get slowly to the ground, go limp, lay still, and avoid eye contact at all costs.  “Fluffy may then do a lot of sniffing and licking, but unless she senses fear she’s not likely to react violently.”  

Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can run 60 miles an hour.  She is a carnivore whose diet consists largely of old chickens that are thrown into her cage.

Police Chief William Blaire said that if they can not find Fluffy in the zoo, they will begin searching the neighborhood at 11 a.m., moving further and further away from the zoo.  Their goal is to find her by 2 p.m., or else it will be a long night.