In the past 10 days there have been three strange events to happen at the Dallas Zoo which investigators believe were intentional. The first incident happened on Friday, January 13 when they thought a leopard escaped from its cage.
7 hours passed by as zoo keepers and police searched the grounds of the zoo and surrounding areas to locate the 3-year-old feline. Finally, around 4:00 PM they found the 25-pound cat about 150 yards from her habitat. Local news stations got a chance to speak with Tina Cloutier Barbour, Associate VP of Animal Care and Welfare, who said, “She’s doing great. She got right back into her routine. Saturday afternoon she was a little sleepy. She had a big day Friday, but she was really happy to be reunited with her sister and this is all pretty routine for her and she’s doing all of the things we would hope a cat would be doing.”
However, during the search teams observations they noticed a hole had been cut through the gate that surrounds the leopards enclosure. Not sure where or how it got there, they soon discovered a similar hole at a nearby habitat for the endangered breed of leaf-eating monkeys called langurs. Luckily, none of them escaped or appeared to be hurt. All the exhibits have been fixed and the Zoo is working to improve the safety for the animals and zoo attendees.
The most recent account that has led the zoo to inquire if these acts are all related, is the death of Pin, a 35-year-old endangered lappet-faced vulture. She is one of 6,500 on the planet and was found Saturday morning with “unusual wounds and injuries” not specified. Pin was also a mother of 11.
The Dallas Zoo released a statement saying, “We want everyone to know how seriously we take the safety and security of our animals, our staff, and our campus as a whole.” They are also offering a $10,000 reward for any information regarding these events, and encourage future visitors to report any suspicious activity. For more information
VISIT THE DALLAS ZOO WEBSITE
The Kickback w/ Jazzi Black Weekdays 9A-3P , Saturdays 1P-4P | Follow Me on IG @jazziblack , Follow Me on Twitter @yojazziblack
