Authorities in eastern China used drones and hunting dogs to search for the last of three leopards that escaped from a safari park, which faced strong public criticism for concealing the breakout for more than two weeks.
The leopards escaped from Hangzhou Safari Park on April 19 during a handover between zookeepers due to a lapse in operating procedures, officials said at a news conference Monday.
Hangzhou Deputy Mayor Wang Hong said police received calls that leopards were spotted last Thursday and Friday but the safari park denied any had escaped.
The safari park failed to report the escape because it feared that a public announcement would severely reduce the number of visitors to the park over China's five-day Labor Day holiday, the officials said. The park instead attempted to recover the leopards on its own, and captured one on April 21.