Nova, the clouded leopard escaped from her habitat enclosure at the Dallas Zoo. Zookeepers discovered she was missing before opening to the public on Friday.  

The Zoo was closed until she could be located. And a “code blue’ for a “non-dangerous animal” was issued.

"One of our clouded leopards was not in its habitat when the team arrived this morning and is unaccounted for at this time," the zoo posted on Twitter.

Harrison Edell, the executive vice president of animal care at the zoo reported that the 25-pound female leopard had escaped.

"She does not pose a threat to humans," Edell said in a press briefing.

 "More likely than not, when she's scared, she's going to climb a tree, stay out of our way, hunt some squirrels and birds, and hope not to be noticed."

"We are working under the assumption that she is still here and we're going to continue to scan the zoo for her if she is still here. We're committed to bringing her home," he added.

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Clouded leopard located

The Dallas Police Department with a team of officers led by Sgt. Warren Mitchell joined in the nearly all-day search for Nova. And she was finally located at 4:40 p.m. cst.

The animal never left the zoo grounds which encompasses 106 acres south of the downtown area of Dallas.

"She was located very near the original habitat, and teams were able to safely secure her just before 5:15 p.m.," the zoo tweeted Friday.

Nova's sister, Luna was still in the enclosure when zookeepers discovered the missing leopard.

The leopards are about 4 years old, Edell said. Clouded leopards are the smallest of the leopard species, and only weigh about 25 pounds.

Clouded leopards originate from Southeast Asia and China. Males can grow to be about 50 pounds. But females are much smaller at about 25 to 35 pounds.

In the wild, the “small cats” typically eat monkeys, or small mammals. During the search for Nova, Edell expected she would be hunting squirrels.

Police investigation 

The police and zoo staff believe the fence was "intentionally cut," according to Sgt. Mitchell.

"It was their belief, and it is our belief that this was an intentional act," Mitchell told reporters. "And so, we have started a criminal investigation."

The Dallas Zoo is the oldest operating zoo in Texas. And more than 400 species and 2,000 animals inhabit the historic zoo.