UPDATE: The crane was last seen at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Cougar Mountain Zoo officials are searching for a juvenile East African crowned crane that escaped its enclosure and was last seen outside zoo grounds in Issaquah, according to a notice posted by the zoo.
The bird was last spotted near Northwest Newport Way, just a short distance from the zoo.
Staff say the search is ongoing and ask the public to keep an eye out.
The zoo emphasized that people should not approach the crane if they see it, but instead contact staff immediately by emailing info@cougarmountainzoo.org.
Officials described the situation as urgent and are asking for the public’s help to safely locate and return the crane.
The bird is one of the zoo’s juvenile East African crowned cranes, a species known for its distinctive golden crown of feathers.
Cougar Mountain Zoo, located near the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, is a small zoological park that often works closely with the community, and staff members say time is of the essence due to the bird’s unfamiliarity with the surrounding area.
The zoo has not said how the crane escaped or whether any other animals were involved, but the incident appears to be isolated.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the bird had not yet been recovered.
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