Update: Clouded leopard that escaped keepers at Point Defiance Zoo captured
UPDATE, 5:06 p.m.: Orchid escaped from her keepers after the carabiner between her leash and collar detached, zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller told The News Tribune.
During the show, the clouded leopard was secured with a multipoint leash system, including two leashes and a third connection attached to a keeper as standard safety procedure, Miller said.
Something startled Orchid while she was on stage, causing her to move quickly and wrap one of her leashes underneath a log. The tension on her leash caused the carabiner to detach from the collar.
Orchid then moved behind the theater and climbed a tree, where she remained for about two hours, Miller said.
After methods to coax her from the tree were unsuccessful, trained staff used a sedative dart to help the 34-pound cat fall into nets and blankets positioned below.
There was no danger to guests or staff during the incident, Miller said.
“Staff regularly participate in training drills throughout the year to prepare for incidents like this,” Miller said. “In this case, trained personnel safely recovered Orchid by following those established procedures.”
UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: Orchid has come down from the tree and is back in an enclosure, zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller said.
Original post: A clouded leopard escaped its keepers at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma on Friday morning.
Zoo spokesperson Tessa Miller said Orchid, one of the zoo’s clouded leopards, didn’t return to her home behind the scenes at the zoo’s Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater during the zoo’s daily 11:30 a.m. live animal show. Orchid climbed a tree behind the theater away from guests and is not a danger to guests or zoo staff, Miller told The News Tribune.
The zoo has closed some pathways near the theater out of an abundance of caution, she said. The zoo is still open, and staff are working on getting Orchid down from the tree.
“Safety protocols were immediately activated,” Miller wrote in a statement. “There is no danger to guests or staff at this time. Our animal care and safety teams are following established emergency procedures.”
Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said the department is sending an animal control officer to assist, though the department is not equipped to do captures at this scale. Such an escape is unprecedented for the department, Boyd said.
The Point Defiance Zoo is home to five clouded leopards, according to its website. They reside in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary but are native to Southeast Asia. They’re largely solitary beings, carnivores that hunt animals like monkeys, rodents and small deer, per the zoo’s website.
Orchid has been at the zoo along with her brother Banyan since they were born in May 2015, according to the zoo’s website.
“One of her favorite places is up high on the highest platform in her outdoor yard – around 12 feet high – to survey her territory,” the website states.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 1:25 PM.
