"Fluffy" the Spotted Leopard Escapes from Durham Zoo

People were screaming, children were crying, and zoo keepers were panicking on the morning of April 21st, 2010.

"Fluffy," the rare spotted leopard held at the Durham Zoo had escaped. No one is sure how she was able to escape from her cage, but zoo keepers are sure she wasn't inside.

Zoo keepers, the New Hampshire State Police, the state wildlife department, and the National Guard are all on the lookout and ready to find Fluffy.

"We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went," said Gerry Durrell, the director of the Durham Zoo. "We are searching the grounds of the zoo but so far we haven't a clue. She may have left the area and she could be walking aroud Durham at this point."

Officials are desperately hoping that Fluffy is not strolling around the town of Durham since the spotted leopard species was driven to near extinction for feeding on small children.

Durham Police Chief William Blair said, "we are concerned because this is a residential neighborhood with an elementary school and we don't want Fluffy wandering around after the kids get out of school."

"These cats are nearly impossible to find in the dark--they can see everything, and we are blind," added Blair.

Kitty Smith, the zoo's chief biologist says that Fluffy is black with white spots, weighs 146 pounds, and can run 60 miles an hour. Fluffy's diet consists strictly of meat and she usually eats about three chickens a day.

The 10-year-old spotted leopard from Romania is only one of five spotted leopards left in existance. Fluffy was to be flown to China to mate with a male spotted leopard owned by the Chinese government next month.

"Fluffy is a wonderful, warm, gentle car who has never hurt anyone," Smith said. "But if these cats are cornered-- or encountered on a dark night-- their defense is to kill and to kill quickly."

Chief Blair states that officials are currently searching the zoo for Fluffy. If necessary, the National Guard will be suppling five helicopters with infrared sensors.

"If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun," Blair said. "But if necessary, we will shoot to kill."

Fluffy was last seen in her cage when the zoo closed at 9 p.m. last night. At that time, zoo workers thought everything was fine, but in the morning Durrell stated that when the zoo opened at 7:30 this morning, he noticed Fluffy was missing.

"Everything about her cage seemed normal. The door was shut and did not appear to have been tampered with, and the fencing was unbroken," said Durrell.

TO BE CONTINUED...