<p>A 25-pound (11.3-kg) clouded <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/leopard" target="_blank">leopard </a>escaped its habitat at the Dallas zoo on Friday, prompting officials to shut down the park and issue a "Code Blue" alert, although they assured nearby residents that the big cat was not dangerous.</p>.<p>Zoo staff were searching the 106-acre (43-hectare) grounds for the escapee, saying the feline, a 3- to 4-year-old female, was unlikely to have left the property entirely because of a perimeter fence and the territorial nature of cats.</p>.<p>"She does not pose a danger to humans," Harrison Edell, the zoo's vice president for animal care and conservation, told reporters at a news conference.</p>.<p>"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," Edell said.</p>.<p>The clouded leopard, one of two sisters kept at the Dallas Zoo, was noticed missing at mid-morning. The "Code Blue" alert notifies all staff that a non-dangerous animal is missing.</p>.<p>Edell said it was unknown exactly when the cat made its getaway, but she appeared to have slipped through a tear in mesh surrounding the enclosure sometime overnight. The second clouded leopard did not escape, he said.</p>.<p>He said it was not clear how the mesh became torn but said it was too to say if there was any human involvement.</p>.<p>Clouded leopards, so-called because of their cloud-like fur patterns, are in a decline in the wild and inhabit dense forests in the foothills of the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and South China.</p>.<p>Zoo officials said that while the clouded leopard would probably be found on the property, local residents should be on the lookout for a very large cat.</p>.<p>"She's still got a full complement of claws and teeth," Edell said. "We don't want anyone trying to grab her. She's not a house cat, this is still a wild animal. But any photos or tips would be helpful."</p>
<p>A 25-pound (11.3-kg) clouded <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/leopard" target="_blank">leopard </a>escaped its habitat at the Dallas zoo on Friday, prompting officials to shut down the park and issue a "Code Blue" alert, although they assured nearby residents that the big cat was not dangerous.</p>.<p>Zoo staff were searching the 106-acre (43-hectare) grounds for the escapee, saying the feline, a 3- to 4-year-old female, was unlikely to have left the property entirely because of a perimeter fence and the territorial nature of cats.</p>.<p>"She does not pose a danger to humans," Harrison Edell, the zoo's vice president for animal care and conservation, told reporters at a news conference.</p>.<p>"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," Edell said.</p>.<p>The clouded leopard, one of two sisters kept at the Dallas Zoo, was noticed missing at mid-morning. The "Code Blue" alert notifies all staff that a non-dangerous animal is missing.</p>.<p>Edell said it was unknown exactly when the cat made its getaway, but she appeared to have slipped through a tear in mesh surrounding the enclosure sometime overnight. The second clouded leopard did not escape, he said.</p>.<p>He said it was not clear how the mesh became torn but said it was too to say if there was any human involvement.</p>.<p>Clouded leopards, so-called because of their cloud-like fur patterns, are in a decline in the wild and inhabit dense forests in the foothills of the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and South China.</p>.<p>Zoo officials said that while the clouded leopard would probably be found on the property, local residents should be on the lookout for a very large cat.</p>.<p>"She's still got a full complement of claws and teeth," Edell said. "We don't want anyone trying to grab her. She's not a house cat, this is still a wild animal. But any photos or tips would be helpful."</p>