Clouded leopard escapes habitat at Dallas-area zoo, report says

Nova, the escaped leopard, grew up at the Houston Zoo before being moved to the Dallas area in 2021

Clouded leopard escapes habitat at Dallas-area zoo, report says

DALLAS – A Dallas-area zoo is closed for the day after authorities say they are searching for a clouded leopard that apparently escaped its habitat overnight, NBC affiliate KXAS reported.

The zoo said on its Facebook page that the missing leopard is named “Nova.” According to the Houston Zoo, Nova is originally from the Houston area and grew up at the Houston Zoo before being moved to the Dallas area in 2021.

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The small cat weighs about 20-25 pounds, said Harrison Edell, executive vice president of animal care and conservation at the Dallas Zoo. The search inside the zoo was focused on scouring trees, which Edell said clouded leopards like to climb.

The zoo said the situation is a “code blue” -- meaning a non-dangerous animal was out of its habitat. They believe the animal is currently hiding and still inside the zoo, KXAS reported.

“If anything, she’s really nervous and afraid of people,” Edell said.

He did not say how the animal escaped its enclosure. Another clouded leopard at the zoo, Nova’s sister, was still in its habitat, Edell said.

Clouded leopards are roughly the size of a medium-sized dog and weigh close to 30 pounds, the Dallas Morning News reported. They are normally tree climbers and hunt for small animals such as squirrels and more.

Animals have escaped enclosures from the Dallas Zoo before. Most notably was in 2004, when a 340-pound gorilla named Jabari jumped over a wall and went on a 40-minute rampage that injured three people before police shot and killed the animal.

RELATED: Gorilla escapes barrier into hog exhibit at Houston Zoo, officials say

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


About the Author:

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.