Cougar recaptured after escape from Kansas zoo

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A cougar escaped from a zoo in southeast Kansas and officials warned members of the public to be cautious until the animal was recaptured a short time later.

The City of Independence said the mountain lion escaped the Riverside Park and Ralph Mitchell Zoo late Monday morning and members of the public were advised to keep a lookout for the animal and not to approach it if spotted.

The city posted an update in the early afternoon saying the cougar had bee recaptured and was found to have not left zoo grounds.

The details of the cougar's escape and capture were not released.

The escaped animal is believed to be Tink, a female cougar that came to the zoo in 2011 after being found up a resident's backyard tree in Tulsa, Okla. A DNA test on the cougar indicated she originated from South Dakota's Black Hills, but it was unknown how she ended up in Oklahoma.