A missing clouded leopard was found safe Friday afternoon after it escaped from its Dallas Zoo enclosure hours earlier, zoo officials announced.
«It was located very close to the original habitat, and crews were able to secure it safely just before 5:15 p.m.,» the zoo said. tweeted.
Vets were checking for possible injury or illness, but so far «initial indications are that she is not injured,» the zoo said.
Police launched a criminal investigation after the clouded leopard, named Nova, escaped from an enclosure that authorities say was intentionally cut off.
“The fence that he escaped from was intentionally cut down,” said Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said Friday.
The incident, described as «a serious situation», caused the zoo to close for the day, but authorities said the animal was not dangerous.
“We have an ongoing situation at the zoo right now with a Code Blue, which is a non-hazardous animal that is out of its habitat,” the zoo said. tweeted Friday morning.
Nova likely escaped through what zoo officials initially described as a tear in the mesh enclosure she shares with her sister, Luna.
Zoo officials didn’t think Nova would venture very far because she is very close to Luna, who is still in the habitat. They were right: they found it on zoo property.
Nova probably hid in the top of a tree after escaping, said Harrison Edell, executive vice president of animal care and conservation at the Dallas Zoo.
Police initially sent a SWAT team to the zoo because they were unsure of the cat’s size, Mitchell said.
Nova and Luna arrive in Dallas
Nova was born in November 2019, along with Luna, at the Houston Zoo. On her first birthday, before the Leopards went to Dallas, the Houston institution described Luna as outgoing and Nova as reserved.
«Nova is a bit more cautious, keeping an eye on her surroundings,» he said in a blog post.
Both cubs were being trained to obey keepers’ commands to return, the Houston Zoo said in 2020. «They have learned to voluntarily enter a cage, so they can be safely transported if necessary,» it said at the time. .
Jessica Reyes, a spokeswoman for the Houston Zoo, said Nova and Luna were sent to the Dallas Zoo in July 2021 based on recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure genetically diverse populations of animals in zoos and aquariums.
The smallest of the ‘big cats’
Edell said clouded leopards weigh between 20 and 25 pounds and pose no danger to people. They are among the smallest wild «big cats» in the world (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs, and pumas).
The animals inhabit the cloud forests of Southeast Asia and are one of the oldest cat species, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoological and Conservation Biology Institute. Clouded leopards are described as a vulnerable species, the institute said, adding that fewer than 10,000 mature individuals are estimated to remain in the wild.
Edell said Nova was probably hunting squirrels and birds on Friday.
2004 gorilla escape
On March 18, 2004, a 350-pound gorilla escaped its enclosure at the Dallas Zoo’s 106-acre Wilds of Africa exhibit, injuring four before it was fatally shot by police.
Two teenagers standing on a path overlooking the gorilla exhibit threw ice or rocks at Jabari, according to zoo records obtained by the Dallas Morning News in the days that followed.
The 13-year-old gorilla escaped from his walled compound and went on a rampage, grabbing a small boy in his teeth and attacking three others before officers apprehended him.
A tranquilizer gun used by zoo staff had jammed, records show, and police opened fire when Jabari was within 15 feet of officers with a pair of children’s sandals in his hands, the newspaper reported, citing those records.
An injured child was treated at the scene and released. A woman thrown against a wall by the gorilla was hospitalized with arm injuries.
Rivers Herd, 3 years old at the time, was seriously injured when the gorilla bit and scratched him. His mother, Keisha Herd, 26, was hospitalized with minor injuries.
The boy told his mother after the attack that Jabari «tried to eat his head off,» his father told NBC News at the time.