POINCIANA, Fla. -- A pregnant cougar being taken to a veterinarian for a cesarean section escaped Saturday and ran into a wooded area in south Osceola County, wildlife officials said.

Jungle Adventures in Christmas holds a permit for the captive-born cougar named Sierra, but the animal was in the possession of a woman in Kissimmee when it escaped, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. The animal somehow slipped out of its two leashes when it ran off.

Wildlife officials were investigating why the woman had possession of the animal.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office and wildlife officials searched Saturday night for the cougar using a helicopter with infrared equipment but failed to locate the animal.

The cougar's front paws have been declawed, and the animal is not known to be mean, but wildlife officials said people should not approach or attempt to catch her. Anyone who spots the cougar is urged to call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Wildlife official said if the cougar is not located, it will likely find an appropriate place in the woods to give birth before venturing out for food.