The story of Amiry, the cocaine-addicted Serval cat who is now detoxing in a zoo
A Serval cat had escaped from his owner’s car during a dramatic arrest by his illegal detainer. The frightened feline had taken refuge in a tree. In an attempt to get him off, he had suffered a broken leg. But the unusual story wasn’t over yet: the final surprise came after the health tests carried out on the animal. Amiry, that’s his name, was found to be under the influence of cocaine. Now that his conditions have improved, he has found a home in the Cincinnati Zoo: he was in fact able to enter the facility’s Cat Ambassador program.
Amiry, nicknamed “Cocaine cat,” is still recovering from his fracture — the zoo team still won’t let him roam. Right now the goal is to help him get used to his new surroundings and the people who care for him. “Amiry is young and very curious – Linda Castañeda, lead trainer of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Cat Ambassador program, told Fox 19 – he is exploring his new space and eating well: great signs of progress. Team Cap is very excited to have him under his care. We’re working to build trust and increase his comfort as he adjusts to his new home.”
Among the goals of the Cincinnati Zoo, a leader in cheetah breeding, is to educate visitors about the importance of these felines and other wild animals. Since 2002, 59 puppies have been born in the facility. Servals and Cheetahs are related, although experts believe the Cheetah is descended from the Serval rather than the other way around. Cincinnati Animal Care reports that Amiry was thought to be a leopard at the time of capture: they were surprised to find a serval. The Care team examined Amiry, took a DNA sample for drug testing. It tested positive.
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Why did they drug test the Serval? “Last year Cincinnati Animal Care had abducted Neo, a capuchin monkey who had been given methamphetamine. Since that case, it has become standard procedure for the shelter to drug-test exotic pets. Especially if they show behaviors or diseases that we cannot diagnose – said a spokesman for the facility, specifying that they are not yet able to understand how the cocaine entered Amiry’s body – The priority was to immediately put Amiry to safety in the zoo.
“The quickest way to achieve this was for her owner to cooperate with our investigation and deliver Amiry into our custody without getting involved in court – again from Care – So it was: He also paid for Amiry’s care. The case remains open and the Ohio Department of Agriculture is also investigating.”
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