Greenville Zoo officials blame "human error" for the Thursday's daytime drama over the partial escape of a leopard , that prompted the shutdown of Cleveland Park.
The official statement says, the unspecified error allowed Irina, the rare Amur Leopard, to leave her enclosure. The animal remained confined to the grounds of the Zoo during the entire episode.
Zoo officials added that, contrary to earlier reports (from other media outlets), it was the Zoo's veterinarian who tranquilized the leopard, not the Greenville Police Department.
The zoo also reports that "procedures have been adjusted to ensure it does not happen again." The zoo was back to operating at normal hours, Friday.
