Five African lions escaped their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo on Wednesday (November 2), triggering its emergency lockdown as police and specialist staff scrambled to round them up. Alarms sounded throughout the zoo, a tourist spot closed to the public at the time, before the lions were found and returned to their enclosure.
Zoo executive director Simon Duffy told reporters a lion cub had to be tranquilised. ‘This is a significant incident and a full review is underway to determine how the lions were able to exit their main enclosure’he said. “We don’t have the exact details of how and why this happened.”
Taronga Zoo, located in an affluent and leafy area with views of the famous Sydney Opera House, said it would open as normal later today. Zookeepers were seen checking the lion enclosure fences for any damage. An adult male African lion can weigh up to 250 kilos, while females can reach 180 kilos.