19-month-old Sunny was last seen on Monday evening. (Courtesy of The Virginia Zoo)

A few days ago, Virginia Zoo officials were hopeful that red panda Sunny was still on zoo grounds after her escape last week. Now, they’re not so sure.

The zoo’s executive director Greg Bockheim told the Virginia Pilot on Sunday that there’s a 50-50 chance the animal is still near the zoo in Norfolk. He also acknowledged the slight possibility of someone harboring the panda.

“Some people have posted on the Facebook page things like ‘finders keepers’ but if someone was keeping him I’d think somebody would find out about it and call us,” he said. “She’s docile and will eat out of your hand, but she’s a wild animal and wouldn’t take too kindly to being picked up or held.”

Zookeepers realized that the 19 month old was missing last Tuesday morning. It’s not clear how she managed to get loose. When red panda Rusty fled the National Zoo in 2013, employees believed he used rain-logged trees to make his escape.

The New York Post reported that, because it’s mating season for red pandas, one potential reason for her escape could be horniness.

Bockheim told the Virginia Pilot that the zoo has received tips, but those led them to either cats or raccoons. And as the calls slow down, zoo staff will meet later this week to decide on how much longer they will continue to look for the panda.

The zoo’s latest Facebook post about Sunny encourages locals to look within their neighborhoods and backyards, and check garages, sheds, and under porches and roofs. It also says that people should not touch feed or capture her, but to keep her in sight and report to officials.