Jan. 13 (UPI) — The Dallas Zoo closed Friday as zoo officials and police search for a missing clouded leopard.
The zoo tweeted, “Dallas PD is onsite assisting with the search efforts. The zoo is closed today as our teams work to find and recover the animal.”
The zoo described the ongoing situation as a “Code Blue” meaning “a non-dangerous animal that is out of its habitat.”
The clouded leopard was missing from its habitat when the zoo staff arrived Friday morning. The zoo said that, given the nature of the animal, “we believe the animal is still on the grounds and hiding.”
Clouded leopards are classified by the International Union For Conservation of nature as “vulnerable” due to habitat loss and poaching.
The male leopards grow to about 50 pounds, while females are 25-35 pounds. They live in the wild in Asia and China, according to the Smithsonian Institute.
Before the leopard went missing, the Dallas Zoo posted a video of two clouded leopard sisters showing them climbing trees in their zoo habitat.
The Dallas Zoo covers 106 acres and houses 2,000 animals.
