Dallas Zoo searching for clouded leopard after it escaped enclosure that officials say was intentionally cut - NBC News

Police launched a transgression probe aft a clouded leopard escaped from its Dallas Zoo enclosure that officials said was intentionally cut.

"The obstruction that it escaped from was intentionally cut," Dallas Police Sgt. Warren Mitchell said Friday.

Officials bash not judge the clouded leopard was stolen, and constabulary and zoo unit were searching the country for the animal. They said the leopard is not unsafe to humans.

The incident, described arsenic "a superior situation," prompted the zoo to unopen down for the day.

"We person an ongoing concern astatine the zoo close present with a Code Blue — that is simply a non-dangerous carnal that is retired 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 tweeted Friday morning.

The clouded leopard, named Nova, astatine the Dallas Zoo successful September 2021.Dallas Zoo via Facebook

The leopard, named Nova, apt escaped done what zoo officials initially described arsenic a teardrop successful the mesh enclosure it shares with its sibling, Luna

Zoo officials said they don’t judge Nova volition task acold due to the fact that she’s tight-knit with Luna, who is inactive successful the habitat. 

Nova apt hid successful a histrion apical aft escaping, said Harrison Edell, enforcement vice president of carnal attraction and conservation astatine the Dallas Zoo.

Staff members are utilizing binoculars to look for her. “We don’t deliberation she is apt to instrumentality disconnected and move,” Edell said.

The cats are nocturnal, truthful officials are preparing cameras to seizure immoderate question astatine night.

Police initially sent a SWAT squad to the zoo due to the fact that they were unsure astir the cat's size, Mitchell said.

A Dallas constabulary drone was flying implicit the zoo arsenic portion of the search, helium said. "We're hoping it's inactive present somewhere," Mitchell said.

Dallas Zoo President and CEO Greg Hudson said that if Nova' isn't found, country of the Zoo wherever she called location would stay closed tomorrow. The remainder of the grounds would reopen, helium said.

Nova was calved successful November 2019, alongside Luna, astatine the Houston Zoo. On her archetypal birthday, earlier the leopards went to Dallas, the Houston instauration described Luna arsenic outgoing and Nova arsenic reserved.

"Nova is simply a small much cautious, keeping an oculus connected her surroundings," it said successful a blog entry.

Both cubs were being trained to obey handlers' commands to return, the Houston Zoo said successful 2020. "They person learned to voluntarily participate a crate, truthful that they tin beryllium safely transported if necessary," it said astatine the time.

Smallest of the 'big cats'

Edell said clouded leopards measurement betwixt 20 and 25 pounds and airs nary information to people. They're among the smallest of the world's chaotic "big cats" (tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs and cougars).

The animals dwell successful the unreality forests of Southeast Asia and are 1 of the astir past feline species, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Clouded leopards are described arsenic a susceptible species, the institute said, adding it is estimated that little than 10,000 mature individuals stay successful the wild.

Edell said it's apt the missing clouded leopard is hunting squirrels and birds.

“Our absorption close present is connected locating the animal,” the zoo said.

2004 gorilla escape

On March 18, 2004, a 350-pound gorilla escaped from his enclosure astatine the 106-acre Dallas Zoo's Wilds of Africa exhibit, injuring 4 earlier it was fatally changeable by police.

Two teenage boys lasting connected a way overlooking the gorilla grounds hurled either crystal oregon stones astatine Jabari, according to zoo records obtained by the Dallas Morning News successful the days afterward.

The 13-year-old gorilla escaped his walled compound and went connected a rampage, snatching up a toddler with his teeth and attacking 3 others earlier officers stopped him.

A tranquilizer weapon utilized by zoo unit had jammed, according to the records, and constabulary opened occurrence erstwhile Jabari was wrong 15 feet of officers with a brace of children's sandals successful his hands, the paper reported, citing those records.

An injured kid was treated astatine the country and released. A pistillate thrown against a partition by the gorilla was hospitalized with limb injuries.

Rivers Herd, 3 astatine the time, was critically injured erstwhile helium was bitten and scratched by the gorilla. His mother, Keisha Herd, 26, was hospitalized with insignificant injuries.

The kid told his parent aft the onslaught Jabari "tried to devour his head," his begetter told NBC News astatine the time.