The Dallas Zoo in Texas tweeted on Friday that it was closing “due to a serious situation," which turned out to be about a missing clouded leopard. Luckily, the wild cat was located just before 5 p.m. local time.
“One of our clouded leopards was not in its habitat when the team arrived this morning and is unaccounted for at this time,” the zoo explained at the time, adding the Dallas Police Department (DPD) was assisting with the search for the small cat, which it described as “non-dangerous.”
Local media later added that the search included the use of infrared-detecting drones, which were peering into the treetops from above.
“The Zoo is closed today as our teams work to find and recover the animal. Given the nature of these animals, we believe the animal is still on grounds and hiding. We will share updates and more information as soon as we can,” the Dallas Zoo added. “Our focus right now is on locating the animal.”
Harrison Edell, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and conservation, told local media the missing cat’s name was Nova, and that her sister, Luna, was still in their shared habitat. She is presumed to have escaped through a tear in the mesh around their enclosure.
"The cat that we’re looking for is about 20 pounds – between 20 and 25 pounds,” Edell explained. “She does not pose a danger to humans. And more likely than not, when she’s scared, she’s going to climb a tree, stay out of our way, hunt some squirrels and birds and hope not to be noticed.”
He added that, as Nova is very attached to both her territory and to her sister, she was not likely to wander very far.
However, by the afternoon rolled around, officials revealed that Nova was found on the Zoo grounds at approximately 4:40 p.m., with official safely securing her 35 minutes later.
"Initial indications are she is not injured," the Zoo said in an updated statement. "She is being evaluated by our veterinary staff right now."
Native to China and Southeast Asia, the clouded leopard is smaller than its great cat cousins, standing less than two feet tall and weighing no more than 50 pounds. They are agile climbers and skilled hunters, preying on small mammals up to the size of small deer species. Due to deforestation and poaching, their numbers have dwindled to roughly 10,000, and conservationists consider the species “threatened.”
Local news also recalled the Dallas Zoo has suffered several previous animal escapes, all of which involved various species of monkey or ape. One incident in 2004 saw Jabari, a western lowland gorilla, rampage through the zoo for 40 minutes, injuring three people before being taken down by DPD officers. The injured visitors received $500,000 settlements with the city government in response to a lawsuit for their injuries.