Clouded leopard found at Dallas Zoo after escaping habitat

UPDATE 01/13/2023: A clouded leopard named Nova, who escaped from his enclosure at the Dallas Zoo, was found after a day of searching by both zoo officials and the Dallas Police Department. Zoo officials said Nova was unharmed and is being examined by their veterinary staff. She was found near her original home just after 5:00 pm.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas Police Department has opened a criminal investigation into the disappearance of a 20-25-pound clouded leopard named Nova from the Dallas Zoo.

“When we initially responded to a report of a missing clouded leopard, we first sent our SWAT officers here … not quite understanding what clouded leopard was. We thought it might be a big cat,” DPD public information officer Sergeant Warren Mitchell said at an afternoon press conference. “And after investigating, we came to the conclusion that this was a deliberate act.”

In the meantime, the zoo remains closed and Code Blue as the search for Nova continues.

“While I wouldn’t mind hunting squirrels or birds if given the opportunity, it is absolutely not a danger to humans,” said Harrison Edell, Dallas Zoo’s executive vice president of animal care and conservation. “If you happen to see a cat that is larger than a domestic cat but smaller than a bobcat, please give us a call.”

Calling Nova “non-dangerous” in a tweet, the zoo said she was missing as of this morning.

“The zoo is closed today as our teams work to find and restore the animal. Given the nature of these animals, we believe that the animal is still in the area and hiding.”

Nova’s habitat is in Zoo North The territory of the zoo near the Children’s Zoo. It is located between the Prime Meriden Cafe and Primate Place, opposite the tigers and turtles in the northeast section of the zoo.

Edell said zoologists have found a break in the grid of her two-story habitat, adding that Nova is likely “lurking” in a tree somewhere on the zoo grounds.

“We don’t think she has gone very far. She will most likely remain housebound as she and her sister Luna are hip-bound,” Edell explained.

Clouded leopards are native to Southeast Asia. Nova came to the Dallas Zoo from the Houston Zoo, where she was born along with her sister.

The clouded leopard, often referred to as “the smallest of the big cats,” is not directly related to ordinary leopards, according to the Smithsonian Institution for Conservation and Biology. Males weigh up to 50 pounds, while females are significantly smaller, typically 25 to 35 pounds.

This is not the first time the animal has left its habitat at the zoo.

In 1998, a 25-year-old zookeeper was mauled by a gorilla at the zoo after the door to the animal’s cage was left open.

In 2004, a 300-pound male gorilla named Jabari climbed a 16-foot wall and mauled four people, including a toddler. It was reported that a group of children taunted Jabari before he broke free. Holding a pair of white children’s sandals, Jabari approached the two tacticians within 15 feet before they opened fire, killing him.

In 2010, another gorilla named Tufani escaped from the holding area when a worker left the door open. Tufani never got into public places.

The following year, 2011, the zoo declared a Code Red when an adult chimpanzee named Koko escaped through an unsecured gate in what authorities called what appeared to be a “bedroom”. She was shot with a dart in the hallway and sedated.

Dallas police have deployed infrared drones, and zookeepers are checking security footage in hopes of finding Nova.

Even though Nova is a small cat and not a lion or a tiger, she still has claws and sharp teeth. As such, both Edell and the police are warning you not to approach this unique, endangered animal.