Safari park in China concealed leopard escapes for weeks, police say

Revelation fuels anger over park’s response and footage showing the big cats being brutally hunted by packs of dogs

Two of the leopards have been recaptured but search continues in Hangzhou hills for the third

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The search continues for the last of three leopards that escaped from a safari park in Hangzhou. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:18pm, 10 May 2021Updated: 10:18pm, 10 May 2021

A safari park in eastern China concealed the escape of three leopards – one of which was still at large – for nearly three weeks to prevent negative publicity affecting its visitor numbers during last week’s May Day holiday, police said on Monday.

The revelation stoked further anger over the park’s secretive response to the safety lapse in the city of Hangzhou and video clips showing the escaped cats being brutally hunted down with packs of dogs.

Police said personnel cleaning the leopards’ enclosure at the privately run Hangzhou Safari Park on April 19 violated unspecified safety regulations, allowing the animals to escape.

One was recaptured two days later by the park, and a second on Friday by a larger search involving government agencies that was launched after news of the escapes went viral.

A hunt for the third leopard was still under way among hills covered by forest and tea plantations, after fresh paw prints were found on Sunday.