The residents of Hangzhou were living in fear this week after discovering that leopards were roaming their neighbourhood.
Three big cats broke out of Hangzhou Safari Park in Zhejiang province some time over the past seven days, but until Saturday there had been no official announcement about the incident.
Most people made the frightening discovery only after watching footage of the animals shared on social media. In one clip, a leopard could be seen roaming through a tea plantation, while in a second, a beast was seen prowling the streets of a residential area.
According to the Fuyang district government, where the park is located, a team of animal experts and hunters was put together to look for the big cats after police were alerted to the matter on Friday night. Two of the leopards were subsequently captured and returned to safety, the authorities said, adding that all three animals were believed to be juveniles. It advised the public to remain vigilant until the third big cat had been rounded up and to call the police if they spotted it.
A day before the government’s announcement, the park itself dismissed claims that some of its leopards had escaped after being asked by reporters about the video footage. However, on Saturday it issued an apology on social media saying it did not come clean about the escape as “juvenile leopards are not very aggressive” and it did not want to cause a panic.
The Fuyang government said it had apprehended the person in charge of the park and would conduct a full investigation into the incident. Hangzhou Safari Park covers about 200 hectares and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in east China.
