From the News: Cocaine Cat

Cocaine cat: Cincinnati zoo takes in exotic feline found with drug in system

You may have heard about Cocaine Bear, the new movie based (extremely-loosely) on the story of a black bear which consumed a load of cocaine dropped by a drug smuggler.  In a recent case of life-imitating-art, authorities have captured a serval (a medium-sized African wild cat) with cocaine in its system, found roaming Oakley, Ohio.  The serval was transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo, which will offer a home to the animal.  I don't know which part of this confuses me more - why the serval had cocaine in its system... or why the authorities thought to test for cocaine in the first place.

A lot has been said over the years about the problem of privately-owned big cats, especially tigers, in the US, culminating in the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.  Small wild cats are also found in the pet trade - not as many of them as you might think (maybe because a lot of them aren't that different in appearance in size and appearance from domestic cats, which lessens their appeal).  Servals, with their unusual appearance, larger size, and beautiful coats (which often lead zoo visitors to confuse them with cheetahs or leopards), are an exception.  I've definitely seen more servals in private hands than I have in accredited zoos.   Their hybrids with domestic cats - called savannahs - are widely sold in some parts of the country.

Bigger animals tend to grab the headlines, but smaller ones are easier to slip through the cracks.

Hopefully this cat recovers from its ordeal and settles into its new home.