Topline
Dallas Zoo officials have closed the facility to the public and called in police after a clouded leopard apparently escaped its enclosure Friday, saying it is a “serious situation” even though they called the cat a “non-dangerous animal.”
A clouded leopard is seen at the Smithsonian Zoo Conservation Research Center in Front Royal, … [+]
Key Facts
The zoo tweeted the leopard was “unaccounted for” when a team arrived at the habitat this morning, but the animal is likely still on the grounds, hiding.
Dallas police have been called in to assist the search, according to the zoo, which occupies 106 acres of space three miles south of downtown.
The leopard, named Nova, arrived at the zoo in 2021 and is considered “standoffish,” a zoo official told the Dallas Morning News.
Surprising Fact
Multiple Dallas news networks broadcasted live helicopter coverage of the search effort Friday afternoon.
Key Background
Clouded leopards are native to southeast Asia and is known as a “mysterious” animal whose habits are not well understood, according to National Geographic, though they are known for their climbing skills. The cats are considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature—one step short of endangered. Clouded leopards typically stand around two to three feet tall and weigh about 50 pounds, making them immensely smaller than more commonly known wild cats, like lions, tigers and cheetahs. Despite their small stature, clouded leopards still possess the fierce instincts of larger felines, Sara Bjerklie, an assistant zoological manager at the Dallas Zoo, told the Morning News.
Tangent
Zoo escapes are fairly rare, and dangerous animal escapes even more so. But one of those extremely rare instances happened in New Orleans in 2018, when a jaguar poked a hole in its enclosure and went on an overnight rampage, killing all six alpacas at the Audubon Zoo along with three foxes and an emu before the big cat was finally subdued. The male jaguar, named “Valerio,” eventually returned to his enclosure and remains at the zoo.
Further Reading
Dallas Zoo closes, issues ‘code blue’ for missing clouded leopard (Dallas Morning News)
Four months after killing spree, how soon will Audubon Zoo jaguar be back in public? (Times-Picayune)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/01/13/dallas-zoo-shuts-down-after-leopard-goes-missing-serious-situation/