It’s early December 2014, and at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, an unusual gathering is taking place. It’s the final night of Midwest Furfest, the world’s largest convention for a subculture known as Furries.

The party is in full swing when, just after midnight, attendees suddenly find themselves struggling to breathe. Something terrible has happened: poisonous levels of chlorine gas are sweeping through the hotel corridors.

Nineteen people are hospitalized and hundreds are evacuated into the freezing cold, many still wearing their colorful anthropomorphic animal costumes, or fursuits. Hazmat teams trace the gas to a stairwell, where they find the remains of a chemical bomb. This was an intentional attack.

But almost a decade later, the identity of the perpetrator remains a mystery. In Fur & Loathing, investigative reporter Nicky Woolf takes on the unsolved case, working closely with Furries to find answers. It’s a journey that will bring him face-to-face with the challenges this vibrant, often misunderstood subculture faces – including the far-right extremists looking to wreck the community from within.

Episode 1

Broken Glass

Just after midnight, a chlorine bomb goes off at the Furry convention. This is what happens next.

To this day, no one knows what happened at the Hyatt Hotel and Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois on December 7th, 2014. All we do know is that it could have been one of the deadliest domestic terror attacks in US history. So why is the case unsolved?

Episode 2

The Stairwell

Who, and what, was attacked here? Time to go to Midwest Furfest – and see the scene of the crime.

Nicky Woolf goes to Midwest FurFest 2023 to see the scene of the crime. How did this attack unfold 10 years ago? How deadly could it have been? What sort of impact has it had on the furry community? And most importantly – who could have done it?

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