The Dallas Zoo was closed to the public on Friday after a clouded leopard escaped its enclosure.
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The zoo announced a "code blue" alert and said the animal is "non-dangerous" but unaccounted for.
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The Dallas Police Department and zoo officials are searching the grounds for the animal.
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Officials believe the leopard is still on the zoo grounds and hiding.
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Texas zoo officials have not expressed concern that the leopard has escaped into adjacent neighborhoods.
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No information regarding the exact leopard, such as its name, length of captivity, or age, has been disclosed.
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The normally nocturnal creatures were characterized as "wily" and "clever" as "masters of their own habitat" by Wild Life of Thailand.
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Clouded leopards are classed as "vulnerable," with diminishing populations mostly owing to habitat degradation, which is linked to illicit palm oil deforestation.
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The zoo's focus is currently on locating the animal.