Exotic cat on cocaine rescued in Cincinnati neighborhood

By WHIO Staff
March 07, 2023 at 11:16 pm EST

CINCINNATI — An exotic wild cat is now being cared for by the Cincinnati Zoo after it was rescued from a Cincinnati neighborhood.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 28 Hamilton County dog wardens were called to reports of a “leopard” being spotted in a tree in Oakley, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, according to a spokesperson with Cincinnati Animal CARE.

Dog wardens were able to retrieve the exotic cat, named Amiry, from the tree and he was brought to Cincinnati Animal CARE for medical treatment.

Cincinnati Animal CARE said they initially thought the cat was a hybrid F1 savannah cat, which is legal in Ohio, but DNA testing revealed it was a serval, which is illegal.

The serval is a wild cat native to Africa.

Amiry also tested positive for exposure to cocaine, according to Cincinnati Animal CARE.

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