Dallas Zoo closes to search for missing clouded leopard
The zoo issued a “code blue” and officials are looking for the animal.
The Dallas Zoo closed its doors Friday as it searched for a clouded leopard that appeared to have escaped from its enclosure.
“One of our clouded leopards was not in its enclosure when the team arrived this morning and is currently missing,” the zoo said in a statement on Twitter.
The Dallas Zoo said it had issued a “code blue” for the non-dangerous animal outside its habitat.
According to Harrison Edell, the zoo’s executive vice president of animal care, the female leopard named Nova likely managed to escape through a crack in the mesh around the enclosure. Luna, Nova’s sister, was still in the enclosure when zookeepers arrived Friday morning.
The leopards are about 4 years old, Edell said. Clouded leopards are a small species of leopard, weighing only about 25 pounds, he added.
“It’s not a threat to humans,” Edell said. “More often than not, when he’s scared, he’ll climb a tree, stay out of our way, catch some squirrels and birds, and hope they don’t notice.”
According to the Smithsonian Institute, clouded leopards are found in Southeast Asia and China, and males grow to weigh around 50 pounds. Females only reach about 25 to 35 pounds. In the wild they eat monkeys, small deer and wild pigs.
The zoo said Dallas police are also on the scene and continuing to search for the big cat.
“Due to the nature of these animals, we believe the animal is still on the property and hiding,” the zoo added.
The zoo occupies 106 acres south of downtown Dallas and has more than 400 species and 2,000 animals.
