Rare leopard tranquilized after escaping zoo exhibit

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - A leopard was tranquilized after escaping her exhibit at a South Carolina zoo on Thursday, city officials said.

Irina the Amur leopard left her enclosure around 8:42 a.m. July 23 at Greenville Zoo.

Staff and guests were evacuated as a precaution, and Greenville police and city staff were called to set up a perimeter around the zoo.

Zoo emergency response teams tranquilized Irina around 9:20 a.m. She was taken back to the secured leopard den after a second injection was given as a precaution.

The male leopard and two cubs were safe inside their exhibit, officials said.

Officials said Irina was two years old when she arrived at the Greenville Zoo from St. Louis in Oct. 2024. The now-first-time mother gave birth to her twin cubs on May 17, 2026.

Amur leopards are critically endangered, with fewer than 150 remaining in the wild.