Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Five African lions escaped their enclosure at Sydney's Taronga Zoo while the zoo was hosting a "Roar and Snore" overnight stay program for visitors


From the zoo's official site:
An initial review of this morning’s incident has confirmed that an integrity issue with a containment fence enabled five lions to temporarily exit their main exhibit.
Taronga Zoo — set in a leafy, affluent neighborhood with views of Sydney's famous opera house and harbor bridge — said it would be opening as normal later in the day. Zookeepers were seen probing the fences of the lion enclosure for signs of damage.
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One of Sydney's most famous animal escapes occurred in February 2020, when baffled onlookers watched three baboons scampering about an inner-city car park after they bolted from a medical research facility.
Book your own Roar and Snore experience:
Unwind in our comfortable safari-style tents, falling asleep to the sounds of the Zoo
From the Guardian's write-up of that baboon escape:
These particular baboons are in a family group of seven – the three who escaped and four other females. The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, said the group would be reunited on Friday, after the male’s vasectomy, which was delayed by a day.

Hazzard said the male and “two of his wives” escaped due to a faulty lock on the truck. It’s unclear how many locks were between the baboons and freedom.