A large African cat with traces of cocaine in its system was rescued from a Cincinnati tree at 2 in the morning

• A wild cat named Amiry was found in a Cincinnati tree by rescuers earlier this year.
• The animal, which looks like a mini leopard, had traces of cocaine in its system, a rescue group said.

A big tree cat named Amiry was found perched in a Cincinnati tree earlier this year with cocaine in its bloodstream, according to an animal rights group.

The revelation, which comes weeks after the release of the semi-fictionalized movie "Cocaine Bear," was shared by the animal rescue group Cincinnati Animal CARE on Thursday.

Rescue staff were left puzzled at how the animal ended up on cocaine and in a tree at 2 a.m. on January 28, according to CBS.

"I cannot speak to how he was exposed to cocaine at this time," CARE's Ray Anderson said, according to CBS. The West African tree cat — called a serval — was reported by a concerned pedestrian and suffered a broken leg while being taken down from the tree.

The initial call to animal control rescuers described the animal as a leopard. Servals have a leopard-like yellow and black fur print and weigh up to 40 pounds. While they are illegal to domesticate and own in Ohio, Amiry's owner — whose identity has not been shared — has turned the animal over and cooperated with investigators, and will not be charged, according to CBS.

Animal rights groups recommend against owning the animals as pets, especially as there are just over 150 in the US, according to the San Diego Zoo. Increasingly, "Savanna cats"— a cross between a Serval and a domestic cat created in the late 1980s— have become more popular as house pets.

"We're extremely proud of the work done in this case by the Dog Wardens and Medical Staff and are immensely appreciative to the Cincinnati Zoo for getting Amiry the care he needs," CARE said in a Facebook post. "We ask that our community please be respectful of the Zoo's privacy at this time as they are working diligently to determine next steps."

This is not the first time an exotic animal rescued in Cincinnati has tested positive for drugs. In 2022, CARE also took in Neo, a Capuchin monkey, who had amphetamines in his system at the time of rescue. Amiry is now at the Cincinnati Zoo after initial treatment with CARE.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Cincinnati PD did not immediately return Insider's requests for comment.