Dallas Zoo Shuts Down to Search for Missing Leopard

The Dallas Zoo closed on Friday as it searches for a leopard that escaped from its enclosure. 

The zoo announced the news on Twitter, revealing that the situation has been deemed a “Code Blue,” which refers to a “non-dangerous animal” that’s unaccounted for. 

“The Zoo is closed today due to a serious situation,” the Dallas Zoo wrote. “We have an ongoing situation at the Zoo right now with a Code Blue – that is a non-dangerous animal that is out of its habitat. One of our clouded leopards was not in its habitat when the team arrived this morning and is unaccounted for at this time.”

In a subsequent tweet, the zoo said they’re being assisted by the Dallas Police Department, while reassuring locals that they believe the leopard “is still on grounds and hiding.”

“Dallas PD is onsite assisting with the search efforts. The Zoo is closed today as our teams work to find and recover the animal. Given the nature of these animals, we believe the animal is still on grounds and hiding. We will share updates and more information as soon as we can.”

The zoo concluded, “Our focus right now is on locating the animal.”

As of Friday afternoon, the leopard has not yet been found.

The Dallas Zoo will provide another update on the animal in the evening.