Clouded leopards are masters of stealth - I'm pretty sure a full-grown female could hide under a single fallen leaf, if she didn't have any better options, so being loose in the zoo grounds, potentially hopping the perimeter fence - I can't imagine the anxiety that the zoo staff must have being going through. When I heard the news, I'll admit my first thought was, "Well, that's the last they're seeing of that animal." It's worth noting that, for all the high-tech gadgetry brought in to search for Nova, she was actually found when zoo staff were alerted to her presence by an alarm-calling squirrel.
Nova is safe and healthy, reunited with her sister... but there isn't a 100% happy ending here yet.
You see, Nova didn't quite get out on her volition - nor was her escape facilitated by human error. Instead, it was human mischief. It appears that a hole was deliberately cut in the mesh of her habitat - and not just her habitat. Today, zoo staff reported that another hole was found cut in one of the monkey exhibits (though no escapes were reported). This is a very troubling development. Whether it was motivated by vandals pulling a prank, a mentally unwell person, or an animal rights activist trying to make a statement (one which could have very easily ended with a flattened clouded leopard being scraped off the nearby interstate) has yet to be determined. A policer investigation is in progress.
For now, I'll just take some comfort in the fact that all of the animals are safe and secure, and be heartened by all of the support that the community has shown the zoo during this terrifying day. If black cats bring bad luck, maybe large, cloudy ones bring good luck?
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