AUSTRALIA (Commonwealth Union)_Five lions escaped from their enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney early Wednesday, causing the zoo to issue a “code one” alarm and whisk participants of its “Roar and Snore” overnight stay programme to safety. The alert was sent after surveillance footage showed four cubs and one adult lion outside their enclosure at 6.30 a.m., despite being separated from the rest of the zoo by a six-foot fence.
One cub was calmed and returned by zookeepers, while the remaining four returned on their own. Less than 10 minutes after the lions escaped the main display area, according to the zoo, its emergency response was put into place. According to local media, the lions were safely returned to their enclosure around 9 a.m.
Both people and animals were uninjured, and the zoo resumed normal operations.
“The zoo has very rigorous safety procedures in place for such an incident, and fast action was taken,” Taronga Zoo Executive Director Simon Duffy said during a news conference.
The breach prompted a full lockdown, according to CNN station 9 News, who noted that sirens were heard between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. local time. According to CNN station 7 News, officers were sent to the zoo as a precaution. The police were called to the zoo, and employees rushed to get guests of the ‘Roar and Snore’ event out of harm’s way.
One of the visitors, Magnus Perri, told the local media as his family left the zoo; they dashed into the tent area, saying, “this is a Code One, get out of your tent and go, come now and leave your possessions.”
Taronga Zoo, the city’s largest zoo, is home to seven lions, including five pups and two adults, according to its website. The zoo has begun a formal investigation, and it is yet unclear how the creatures escaped.
