Missing leopard in China feared dead as Siberian tiger returned to the wild after village attack

One of three young leopards that escaped from a zoo last month is feared dead after the other two were recaptured

A Siberian tiger that attacked a woman in a village in northeast China has been returned to the wild

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A Siberian tiger (above) that attacked a woman in China. A leopard (below) that escaped from a zoo and has not been found. Photo: Artwork

Published: 9:15am, 20 May 2021Updated: 9:28am, 20 May 2021

A juvenile leopard that fled from a safari park in eastern China last month is feared to have died, while a Siberian tiger that wandered into a town in northeastern China around the same time has returned to the wild.

Rescue workers and drones are still looking for the two-year-old leopard in the hills around suburban Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, after it escaped with two other spotted cats on April 19, according to local authorities. The other two have been recaptured and returned to the park.

In the meantime, a Siberian tiger that showed up in a village in Mishan, Heilongjiang province and attacked a woman was released back into the wild on Tuesday after being kept at a reserve for more than 20 days.

The last of the leopards that escaped from a safari park in Hangzhou has continued to evade capture, outwitting its hunters and their dogs. Photo: Handout

The fate of the two big cats has gripped China since they made headlines a few weeks ago.

The three-year-old Siberian tiger, who injured a woman and damaged a car on April 23, has become the first animal of its kind in China to be captured and returned to the wild, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said on Tuesday.

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