A clouded leopard identified as “Nova” escaped from the Dallas Zoo Friday, prompting the facility’s closure for the day. Police are now assisting zoo staff in locating the wild cat.
Despite the name, the clouded leopard is a type of wild cat, with this particular specimen weighing only 20-25 pounds, described as bigger than a housecat but smaller than a bobcat.
Actual leopards, on the other hand, are big cats, part of the genus Panthera along with lions, tigers, jaguars, and snow leopards.
When zoo staff arrived to prepare the facility for opening Friday, they found a tear in the mesh surrounding the habitat of the zoo’s two clouded leopards, four-year-old females Nova and Luna.