SYDNEY’S TARONGA ZOO LOCKED DOWN AFTER FIVE LIONS ESCAPE ENCLOSURE (VIDEO)

Wed 02 November 2022:

Taronga Zoo in Sydney has rushed people camping in the park to safety, after five African lions escaped their enclosure, on Wednesday morning.

The lions – four cubs and one adult – were seen outside their enclosure about 6.30am on Wednesday. A “code one” alert soon after sent the zoo into lockdown. Police were called at 7.10am and the lions returned to their enclosure just before 9am.

A code one is the zoo’s most urgent alert, requiring an emergency response.

An “integrity issue” led to the lions escaping, the zoo later on Wednesday said

“A six-foot fence separated them from the rest of the zoo,” Taronga said in a statement on its website.

“The zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident and immediate action was taken,” it continued, and people on the site – including staff and guests on its “Roar and Snore” programme – were moved to “safe zones”.

Taronga’s five lion cubs Khari, Luzuko, Malika, Zuri and Ayanna recently turned one year old. The female lion, Maya, remained within the enclosure with one of the cubs.

Though the zoo was not yet open for general visitors, some members of the public were staying in tents, at the park’s overnight “roar and snore” experience, about 100 metres from the lion enclosure.

Police were called to the zoo as a precaution, with no injuries reported. The zoo confirmed the area was safely secured shortly before 9am.

The zoo escape comes nearly three years, after a group of baboons escaped a research facility, near Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred hospital.

Animal escapes are rare at Taronga, but keepers are reportedly ready for such events with a plan of action, involving anaesthetic dart guns and nets.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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