Chimpanzee Escapes From Its Enclosure at Sydney Zoo; Walks Back Calmly Inside

A chimpanzee escaped from its enclosure at a Sydney zoo Thursday morning, but went back inside calmly within minutes without any intervention.

The incident happened at Taronga Zoo around 5.47 a.m. Thursday (1:47 p.m. Wednesday ET), said a report by 7News.

A zoo contractor spotted the chimp sitting calmly outside its enclosure. He immediately alerted the zoo's emergency response unit but it wasn't needed as the animal made its way back into the enclosure soon.

“The chimp is safe and well and is being monitored by our specialist’s keepers and vets,” Taronga Zoo said in a statement.

However, the zoo instructed everyone at the site to enter secure areas till they could bring the chimp inside the enclosure.

A statement released by the zoo officials said, "Taronga has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident. All people on site were immediately directed to enter secure areas until the situation was resolved. An investigation is now underway to determine how the chimp escaped," the zoo said.

“Taronga is pleased to report that all people and animals, including the adventurous chimp, are all safe,” the statement read.

The zoo remains open to the public. However, Taronga's Chimp troop has been shut temporarily till authorities finish a full investigation into how the chimp managed to escape from the enclosure. A team of specialist zookeepers and vets are now monitoring the animal.

In 2019, a chimpanzee had escaped a zoo in Belfast. A video had then gone viral showing the chimpanzee outside the enclosure with members of the public while other chimpanzees remained inside the enclosure wall. The Belfast Zoo had then clarified that the animal made an improvised ladder from a large tree branch to escape from the enclosure. However, many onlookers said the animal was not aggressive and just watched the people around.

However, a chimpanzee, who escaped from its enclosure in China, attacked its zookeeper. A video had shown visitors at the Wildlife Park in China’s southeastern province of Anhui run for their lives as the chimp chases behind them. A zoo-keeper, who tried to intervene, was attacked by the chimp who kicked and punched him before running off.