Jabari. Tufani. Judy.
And now Nova.
The 4-year-old clouded leopard — who got out of her enclosure at the Dallas Zoo on Jan. 13, causing it to shut down — joins a notorious list of animals to get loose at the Dallas and Fort Worth zoos over the years.
We’ve compiled a look back at some past high-profile escapes:
Jabari the gorilla
Mention a zoo escape, and Jabari the gorilla likely comes to mind.
Jabari, a 300-pound western lowland gorilla, escaped his habitat in 2004 and attacked three people, including a toddler who was thrown against the wall and bitten on his temple and chest.
Hundreds of visitors fled the compound, and others hid inside the zoo restaurant and other buildings while authorities tried to subdue the animal. About 40 minutes later, police shot and killed Jabari when he charged two officers.
A mountain bongo
Last month, a mountain bongo, one of the world’s most endangered animals, escaped the Fort Worth Zoo, according to news reports.
The antelope got her horn stuck in perimeter fencing. When zoo staff tried to help, the animal broke out of her habitat and ran free for about 40 minutes before being captured. No injuries were reported.
Tufani the gorilla
Tufani, a 180-pound gorilla, escaped her living quarters in 2010 and was spotted by a Dallas Zoo employee. Zoo responders shot 19-year-old Tufani with a sedation dart and returned her to her enclosure within an hour. No injuries were reported.
Tyto the owl
An owl named Tyto escaped from the Fort Worth Zoo in 2013. The bird, which was used in a children’s stage show called the Lone Star Mystery, was caught by a burst of wind and carried above a canopy and away from the zoo. A resident spotted the owl in a tree, and zoo caretakers lured her out with food.
Judy the chimpanzee
Judy, an 11-year-old chimpanzee, escaped her Dallas Zoo enclosure in 2000 by climbing a tree and ignoring electrified wire. She was later electrocuted while climbing along a power line.
Jenny the gorilla
In 1999, Jenny, the grand dame of the Dallas Zoo’s gorilla habitat, escaped briefly by simply walking through an open door into a staffing area. When the 46-year-old primate saw her startled keepers, she turned back.
Hercules the gorilla
Hercules, a 340-pound gorilla, escaped in 1998 in the same Dallas Zoo building and under nearly identical circumstances as Tufani. Hercules attacked a zookeeper, biting her 33 times on her legs, arms and face. Within an hour of his escape, the gorilla was tranquilized with a dart gun and returned to his pen.
Pete the python
In 1954, a python named Pete slithered away from its home at the Fort Worth Zoo in the middle of the night, making international headlines for 17 days, according to the zoo. Pete was eventually found in the monkey house, and zoo staff used a six-foot pipe and loop to catch him.
“Amazingly, a few months later ‘he’ gave birth to 50 giant white eggs,” the zoo said. “So, ‘she’ was immediately renamed ‘Patricia the python.’”
