Dallas Zoo's missing clouded leopard found after fence 'intentionally cut' - ABC News

A clouded leopard that appeared to person escaped from its enclosure astatine the Dallas Zoo aft its obstruction was "intentionally cut" has been found, zoo officials said.

The carnal was located connected the zoo grounds astir 4:40 p.m. section time, said the zoo, which was closed Friday owed to the missing resident.

"She was located precise adjacent the archetypal habitat, and teams were capable to safely unafraid her conscionable earlier 5:15 p.m.," the zoo tweeted Friday.

Dallas Zoo earlier Friday had issued a "code blue," for a non-dangerous carnal extracurricular of its habitat.

"One of our clouded leopards was not successful its situation erstwhile the squad arrived this greeting and is unaccounted for astatine this time," the zoo said successful a connection connected Twitter.

The pistillate leopard, named Nova, is believed to person escaped done a teardrop successful the mesh astir its enclosure, according to Harrison Edell, the enforcement vice president of carnal attraction astatine the zoo.

Police and zoo officials judge the obstruction was "intentionally cut," Dallas Police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said.

"It was their content and it is our content that this was an intentional act," Mitchell told reporters during a Friday property briefing. "And truthful we person started a transgression investigation."

No further details were shared connected the investigation.

A clouded leopard named Nova rests connected a histrion limb successful an enclosure astatine the Dallas Zoo. Nova went missing connected Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 and the zoo was unopen down arsenic a result. Police helped hunt for the carnal that officials described arsenic not unsafe and apt hiding determination connected the zoo grounds.

Dallas Zoo via AP, FILE

Luna, Nova's sister, was inactive successful the enclosure erstwhile zookeepers arrived Friday morning.

The leopards are astir 4 years old, Edell said. Clouded leopards are a tiny taxon of leopard, lone astir 25 pounds, helium added.

"She does not airs a menace to humans," Edell said. "More apt than not, erstwhile she's scared, she's going to ascent a tree, enactment retired of our way, hunt immoderate squirrels and birds, and anticipation not to beryllium noticed."

The zoo said Dallas constabulary were connected the country arsenic they searched for the large cat.

"We are moving nether the presumption that she is inactive present and we're going to proceed to scan the zoo for her if she is inactive here," Edell said during Friday's briefing. "We're committed to bringing her home."

Clouded leopards are recovered successful southeast Asia and China and males turn to beryllium astir 50 pounds, according to the Smithsonian Institute. Females lone scope astir 25 to 35 pounds. In the chaotic they devour monkeys, tiny cervid and chaotic boars.

The zoo occupies 106 acres conscionable southbound of downtown Dallas and has much than 400 taxon and 2,000 animals.

ABC News' Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.