Ollie the bobcat, who has been missing since Tuesday, has been captured on the premises of Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “We have Ollie bobcat,” Curator of Great Cats Craig Saffoe said at a press conference at the zoo Wednesday evening.
Ollie was found thanks to a tip from a visitor who spotted her near the Bird House. Staff put down traps near the location and captured her within 15 minutes. She’s okay but has a cut on her left front paw, which zoo staff will leave be for the moment.
Ollie will spend the night under observation; when cleared by vets she will return to her exhibit, which staff will be “going through the exhibit with a fine-toothed comb,” Associate Director of Animal Care Sciences Brandie Smith told reporters. Security will be strengthened. Good luck getting out again, Ollie.
Saffoe said he didn’t think Ollie got too far, maybe two miles total. He believes she exited the zoo behind the Amazonia exhibit, out through Rock Creek Park at the Park Police station on Beach Drive, and used Massachusetts Avenue as a highway toward “a little bit of fun.” Saffoe characterized the staff’s feelings on Ollie’s return as “crazy joy.”
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
