Five lions ESCAPE their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo: Police are on the scene as keepers try to locate the animals
Five lions escaped from Sydney Taronga Zoo’s savanna enclosure on Wednesday
Around 7:30 a.m., a Code One lockout alarm went off around the city zoo
Police attended but left lion keepers to get animals back into captivity
The zoo confirmed animals are back in their enclosures and it will open as usual
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Five lions have escaped from their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, just yards from where tourists slept in tents as part of the ‘Roar and Snore’ experience.
Wednesday morning, just before 7:30 am, an alarm went off at the zoo when a Code One warning was issued, all staff were ordered to hurry to a ‘safe haven’ away from the roaming animals, and the police arrived.
Code One alarms are reserved for when a ‘dangerous animal’ has escaped or caused an alarming situation.
It is unclear how the lions, all of which were eventually captured, escaped from the enclosure.
Helicopter footage showed zookeepers and dozens of police officers sitting in the lion’s enclosure, which looked like a hole in the fence.
Taronga Zoo said in a statement it would open normally today.
“This morning an emergency occurred at Taronga Zoo when five lions were outside their enclosure,” the zoo said.
“The zoo has strict safety protocols for such an incident. All persons on site have been moved to safe areas and there are no injuries to guests or staff.
“All the animals are now in their exhibit and are closely monitored by zoo staff. The zoo will open as usual today. Further details will be provided where possible.’
Police confirmed that the zoo was “managing the situation on its own.”
The lions escaped from their enclosure — not far from the zoo’s ferry terminal — before the tourist attraction opened its gates for the day, meaning only workers were present.
James Dalziel of Taronga Zoo said the Code One was the zoo’s highest warning, but it was “over pretty quickly.”
Police and zoo workers were seen checking the fencing at the lion’s Savannah enclosure (above)
He would not confirm whether stun darts were used, but said “highly trained personnel” were involved in the recapture of the lions.
Visitors from Gloucestershire, UK, Kirsty, Stuart and Isabelle McLaren said they were not alarmed as they were free to roam the entire zoo once it opened at 9.30am.
“We’re just here to see the koalas,” Kirsty said.
The exhibits of chimpanzees, giraffes and zebras are just meters away from the lion enclosure.
The zoo’s popular Roar and Snore attraction, where people can sleep in luxury tents and watch the animals at night and early in the morning, is also nearby.
The Taronga Zoo Sydney welcomed a nest of five African lion cubs to the savanna enclosure in August.
Four lions have escaped from their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo (pictured, police seen at the fence at the lion viewing point)