GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — City officials announced that Cleveland Park and the Greenville Zoo were closed while personnel and first responders contained an endangered species that left its exhibit.
Officials said Irina, the Greenville Zoo’s four-year-old Amur leopard, left her enclosure earlier this morning and was loose within the zoo grounds for almost 30 minutes.
Greenville police and firefighters responded to the scene, where a perimeter was established according to zoo emergency protocols. Zoo staff and guests were evacuated to strategic locations as a precaution while residents were asked to avoid the area.
Before 9:30 a.m., emergency response teams were able to tranquilize Irina. After a precautionary second injection, officials said she was transported back to the secured leopard den.
The male leopard and two cubs are safe inside their exhibit, according to the zoo. Zoo officials shared that Irina’s species is a critically endangered species with fewer than 150 Amur leopards left in the wild…