New footage reveals how 5 lions escaped their Sydney zoo enclosure
Taronga Zoo mentioned on Thursday that new CCTV footage reveals how 4 cubs and an grownup male escaped their enclosure by squeezing beneath a mesh wire fence. The lions have been discovered exterior their enclosure at about 6.30 a.m. native time on November 2.
The zoo mentioned the 5 lions “calmly investigated” and stayed inside meters of their enclosure earlier than making a number of makes an attempt to get again in.
The zoo’s emergency response staff arrived lower than 10 minutes after the escape, with the state of affairs below management “inside minutes,” the assertion mentioned.
Ato joined his 4 cubs Luzuko, Zuri, Khari and Malika on their nice escape from their enclosure.
Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Photographs
Luzuko was the primary to re-enter the enclosure, adopted by fellow cubs feminine Zuri and male Khari. Malika was tranquilized by the response staff and transported again. After some encouragement, Ato was reunited together with his satisfaction.
Magnus Perri, whose tent was pitched close to the lion enclosure, informed 9News that Taronga Zoo employees got here into the tent space saying: “‘This can be a code one, get out of your tent and run, come now and go away your belongings.'”
The lions are presently in an outside back-of-house space pending the evaluate’s completion, the zoo mentioned, including that they’re unlikely to return to the principle exhibit earlier than Christmas.
Whereas an preliminary evaluate confirmed an “integrity problem” with the fence, Taronga Zoo has mentioned their evaluate into the escape was “ongoing.”
“An unbiased, specialist forensic engineer continues to be conducting detailed investigations on the failure and the advanced mesh fencing system,” and likewise advising on essential repairs, the assertion mentioned.
