Sydney, Europe Brief News- A state of tension has sparked after five lions escaped from their enclosure at an Australian zoo.
The animals were spotted in CCTV footage outside their exhibit at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
The zoo was put in lockdown and one cub had to be tranquillised.
But all lions were secured within minutes, a spokesman said.
However, the local authorities did not give any explanation.
But zoo executive director Simon Duffy called it a “significant incident”, vowing to open an investigation into it.
He told local media the lions had entered a small area “adjacent” to their exhibit – about 100m from where guests were staying at the zoo overnight. The main zoo closed its doors at the time.
“At no time did the lions exit that [adjacent] area or exit Taronga Zoo,” he said.
Mr Duffy added the small area was protected by a six-foot fence usually used to keep people at a safe distance, and the entire zoo was surrounded by a perimeter fence.
Staff responded quickly to move all people on the site to safe locations, according to Mr Duffy. Four of the lions “calmly made their way back” to their enclosure.
Thus, animal escapes at Australian zoos are rare.
