The clouded leopard whose abduction caused the Dallas Zoo to close was located, according to zoo authorities.
A zoo representative said in a prepared declaration, “We are delighted to inform you that we spotted a clouded leopard Nova on-site at the Zoo this afternoon at approximately 4:40 p.m.”
Just before 5:15 p.m., workers could safely secure her because she was close to the original habitat.
After zoo staff noticed that a fence surrounding Nova’s area had been cut, she was reported missing.
The barrier damage was “a purposeful act,” according to Dallas Police, who are conducting an investigation.
At a media briefing, Dallas Sheriff’s Deputy Warren Mitchell stated, “We believe that it was premeditated conduct, and as a result, we have begun a police case. The barrier from which it fled was cut deliberately.”
Although there were no immediate symptoms of harm, the Dallas Zoo reported that Nova was receiving a veterinarian examination Friday evening.
As staff members and police looked for the lost feline on Friday, the Zoo was shuttered.
Gregg Hudson, CEO of the Dallas Zoo, stated:“It was obvious that somehow this breach wasn’t an environmental failure, it was not an exhibition failure, and it wasn’t human fault.”
The Organization For The Protection of Nature
The Organization for the Protection of Nature has designated clouded leopards as “vulnerable” owing to habitat degradation and poaching.
In Southeast Asia, only 10,000 wild cats are surviving, based on the World Conservation Fund.
Based on the WWF, leopards normally weigh between 24 and 44 pounds, or 11 and 20 kilos.
The Zoo’s two clouded leopard sisters, Nova and Luna, were featured in a film uploaded on its Youtube account in March.
According to Lisa Van Slett, the Zoo’s assistant keeper of mammals, clouded leopards are distinct from other species since they spend a great deal of time in trees.
She claimed that the sisters traveled from Houston Zoo to the Dallas Zoo.
Inside the video, zoo manager Audra C. stated that the “wonderful creatures” in the wild are poorly understood because of their “aloof demeanour.”
