Florida zoo's escaped warthog found using a thermal drone

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A warthog escaped from its enclosure at the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens in Florida and was recovered with help from a sheriff's office drone operator.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was contacted by zoo officials Friday when a warthog named Mateo escaped from his enclosure and went missing.

The zoo closed for the day while keepers searched for the missing animal with help from Officer Sam Ho, who operates the Sheriff's Office's Eagle Eye thermal drone.

Ho said in a video shared by the Sheriff's Office that he identified a "spot of interest" using the thermal camera and guided the search party to a palmetto thicket, where they found and captured Mateo.

"We were able to safely locate it and get it to the animal hospital for recovery," Ho said.

Veterinarians examined Mateo and found him to be healthy and uninjured.

"A massive thank you goes to our incredible staff for their tireless efforts in recovering Mateo, and to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for their invaluable help in locating him with a thermal drone," the zoo said in a Facebook post. "This was truly a team effort, and we're so grateful for the amazing collaboration that brought him back safe and sound."