Dallas Zoo 'Thrilled' to Find Clouded Leopard, Nova, Hours After She Went Missing

Dallas Zoo

Nova is home!

The Dallas Zoo announced via social media on Friday that Nova, a 4-year-old clouded leopard is back home after she went missing earlier that morning.

In a tweet alongside a photo that appeared to show Nova lounging in a tree, the Dallas Zoo announced, "We are thrilled to report we located clouded leopard Nova on-grounds at the Zoo this afternoon at approximated 4:40 p.m."

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

In a follow-up tweet, the Dallas Zoo said that she is not injured, however, she was being seen by the veterinary team at the time the tweets were published. The zoo vowed to update supporters on Nova's condition Saturday.

Earlier Friday, the Dallas Zoo had to close temporarily after Nova went missing.

The zoo announced the search for the clouded leopard via its official Twitter page, first telling potential visitors it was a "serious situation."

It then explained, "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."

The zoo said that the Dallas Police Department was also looking for the wild animal, adding, "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."

Tony Gutierrez/AP/Shutterstock

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In conclusion, the zoo said its priority was getting the leopard back to safety.

The Dallas Zoo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Harrison Edell, executive vice president of animal care at the Dallas Zoo, said that the missing leopard's name is Nora, and authorities suspect she managed to get out through ripped mesh in her habitat, according to ABC News.

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She and her sister, Luna, are 4 years old, and like most other clouded leopards, weigh roughly 25 pounds, Edell said per the outlet.

Luna was still in the habitat when zookeepers got to the site on Friday, Edell added.

He noted that Nora "does not pose a threat to humans. 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."

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"If anything, she's real nervous and afraid of people," Edell said, per The Washington Post.

Sharing details on the search, Edell said that authorities were focusing on trees as clouded leopards are known to climb them.

Luna and Nova began calling the Dallas Zoo home in September 2021, according to The Dallas Morning News. They were previously housed at the Houston Zoo.

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When they first moved to the Dallas Zoo, they lived in the Primate Place and called the gibbons and the colobus monkeys their neighbors.

"These guys are an arboreal species, so they do live up in the tops of trees," Sara Bjerklie, an assistant zoological manager at the zoo, told the outlet at the time. "All these tall, upright trees really help kind of mimic what their environment would look like out in the wild."