Photo: Tony Gutierrez/AP/Shutterstock
Police looking intothe escape of a clouded leopardfrom its habitat at the Dallas Zoo on Jan. 14 are saying that the animal’s enclosure was intentionally tampered with — and that they found similar vandalism elsewhere in the zoo.
Police say they don’t know yet if the two incidents are related. None of the monkeys managed to escape, and all were apparently unharmed.
The disappearance of the leopard — a female named Nova — forced the zoo to close on Friday. Police officers were enlisted to help find the 25-pound animal. The zoo announced the search for the clouded leopard via its official Twitter page, first telling potential visitors it was a “serious situation.”
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Luckily, Nova was found on the day of her disappearance, around 4:40 p.m. Friday.
“She was located very near the original habitat, and teams were able to safely secure her just before 5:15 p.m,” the zootweeted, adding that the cat did not appear to be injured.
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On Saturday, the zooreportedthat Nova was doing fine after her short adventure and had settled right back into her daily routine.
Luna and Novabegan calling the Dallas Zoo home in September 2021, according toThe Dallas Morning News.They were previously housed at the Houston Zoo.
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Dallas Police said the cutting of the two enclosures remains under investigation.
source: people.com
