Ollie, the approximately 7-year-old wild-born bobcat, had been missing since Monday morning when the zoo warned visitors to be on the lookout and not approach the escaped animal.
During a Wednesday night press conference Craig Saffoe, the curator of great cats at the zoo, said Ollie was located thanks to a tip from a visitor and was secured in a trap within 15 minutes.
"I think she wanted to go out, have a little bit of fun, see what it was like on the outside, [then] 'I think I'm ready to come back inside now," he said.
She was then taken to the hospital where she was "100 percent safe and sound" despite a small cut on her left front paw.
Saffoe said he believed reports that people had seen Ollie walking along nearby Massachusetts avenue were likely true, but was reassured by the fact she made her way "back home" to the zoo.
"Our first instinct was 'you know what, she's going to go out, and she's going to want to come back," he said. "And that's exactly what she did. And we were ready for her the second that she came back."
Brandie Smith, the zoo's associate director for animal care sciences, said Ollie will return to her exhibit following a physical examination and an increase in the level of containments to ensure the area is secure for bobcats.
