Bobcat escapes from National Zoo in Washington

A bobcat that escaped from its enclosure at the National Zoo is perfectly capable of surviving in the wild and would find plenty to eat in a leafy park nearby, zoo officials said Monday. The female bobcat, believed to be about 7 years old, was found to be missing Monday morning when it didn’t show up for breakfast. At the zoo, the bobcat is known as Ollie. The bobcat poses no danger to the public, the zoo said. While no bobcats are known to live in Rock Creek Park, which surrounds the zoo, bobcats are native to much of North America and its mid-Atlantic region. The park, run by the National Park Service, occupies more than 1,700 acres of the nation’s capital. “We know that she is absolutely capable of surviving, even thriving, in this area,” said Brandie Smith, the zoo’s associate director of animal care. “We are prepared for the eventuality that she is not recaptured.”...more