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That Escaped Bobcat Was Finally Found. It Was at the Smithsonian Zoo the Whole Time

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Zoo Escaped Bobcat
Ollie, a female bobcat the the zoo. Ollie, who escaped from its enclosure at the National Zoo in Washington, is perfectly capable of surviving in the wild and would find plenty to eat in Rock Creek Park if it wanted to stay there, zoo officials said. The female bobcat, believed to be about 7 years old, was found to be missing Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, morning when it didn’t show up for breakfast.Barbara Statas—Smithsonian's National Zoo/AP
By Mahita Gajanan

The bobcat that escaped from its enclosure in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has been found safe on the zoo’s property, officials said on Wednesday.

The 7-year-old bobcat, called Ollie, was found on Wednesday around 4 p.m. after she was spotted near the zoo’s bird house, officials said during a news conference. She went missing on Monday.

Officials suspended the active search for the bobcat earlier on Wednesday, saying she remained missing. A zoo spokesman said it was reassuring that Ollie did not stray too far away, suggesting that she was not unhappy in her enclosure.

“She wanted to go out and have a little bit of fun, see what it was like on the outside,” he said. “She came right back into the trap.”

Zoo officials said they were “thrilled” that Ollie was back safely.

Bobcats are generally twice the size of a domestic cat, but are typically not dangerous to humans. Even so, the National Zoo warned people not to approach Ollie if they saw her.

 

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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com