Taronga Zoo announced how five lions escaped their enclosure this week

Taronga Zoo has now answered the question everyone has been asking: How did five lions manage to escape from their exhibit?

Taronga Zoo has now answered the question everyone has been asking — five lions escaped from their exhibit when the fastenings of the mesh “lion-proof” fence failed.

It can also be revealed that zoo staff risked their lives to search for two children who had become separated from their school group while the “Code One” emergency was under way.

Classes from three schools were camping overnight at Taronga as part of the Zoo Snooz program when the “Code One” alarm came through.

The children were preparing to start the morning’s animal experiences when the call came in and zoo staff quickly escorted the students and teachers to a designated safe house.

Teachers began calling the roll and the moment one child did not answer, zoo staff immediately left the safe house, disregarding their own safety, with one checking the tent lines and another checking the bathrooms. Two boys were found in a bathroom and quickly escorted to rejoin the others in the Backyard To Bush house.

Ato with three of the four cubs who left the enclosure, sparking a ‘code one’. Picture: Rick Stevens

“All our emergency protocols were followed as they should have been, and two students who were initially in a nearby bathroom were safely escorted to join their classmates in the B2B House — a designated safe house — within minutes,” a zoo spokeswoman said.

“Our staff reacted in a highly professional way to the incident and resolved it quickly, including the process of moving guests to a range of designated safe houses. We thank our staff and also the exemplary co-operation of guests.”

She added the opening created in the fence has now been secured, “however, the lions will not be back out on their main exhibit while we await further engineering advice”.

“This advice will guide us on any further repairs or reinforcements needed,” she said.

“We would then seek approval from the Department of Primary Industries before returning the lions to their main exhibit.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety of our people and guests and the welfare of our animals.

Staff moved quickly to secure all visitors. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“While the Zoo’s intention is to fully complete all works necessary as quickly as possible, the exact timing of the works schedule is dependent on the expert advice we receive.

“The fencing product is specially designed and engineered for zoo purposes and has been used in zoos across the world. The fence is maintained by specialist tradespeople and fencing technicians.

“In the interim the lions will remain in a back-of-house area. The lions remain well and appear to have had no adverse reaction as a result of this event.”

An Education Department spokeswoman said students and teachers from three schools — Cammeray, Nowra Hills and Old Bar public — had camped overnight on Tuesday.

The spokeswoman maintained “students and staff were safe at all times” and never in any danger.

Taronga Zoo activated the “code one” alarm shortly after 6.30am, when the five lions were first seen outside their main exhibit, with a 2m-high fence still separating them from the rest of the zoo.

A code one is the zoo’s most urgent alert — only instigated when an animal that can kill escapes — and could be heard in surrounding suburbs.

Police were called to the zoo just after 7am. By 9am the lions had been contained.

The escapees — since identified as father Ato and cubs Kahri, Luzuko, Malika and Zuri — are five of seven African lions kept at the African savanna enclosure.

“Lions are naturally inquisitive and exploratory animals,” the spokeswoman said.

“As soon as Taronga’s emergency procedures were enacted, keepers recalled the lions, with all but one cub — which was safely tranquillised — returning to their dens.

“We are relieved that the lions are well and have had no adverse impacts as a result of this incident.”

An aerial view of the lion enclosure on the day of the escape. Picture: 7 News

Cammeray Public School Year 4 student Cayla Piegay spoke to reporters this week, telling them it was her first school camp.

“There was some zookeepers with us, and we kept on asking them what was going on, and then they said they didn’t know but that they would tell us when they knew,” Cayla told Sunrise.

“Then they told us that five lions were just not in the zoo, in their main exhibit.

“It was fun and scary but then when they let us go out everyone thought it was safe … they nearly kept us in for two hours.”

Cayla’s teacher David Dempsey said he kept his students calm by doing yoga and playing silent games, although he said boredom crept in after an hour or so.

Around 50 people were also staying at the zoo as part of the Roar and Snore program, including Sydneysider Magnus Perri, his wife Dominique, and sons Oliver, 6, and Lucas, 8, who were also woken by the alarm and shouts of staff.

Ato, Lwazi and the cubs are being held in a comfortable back area of their exhibit while the fence is repaired. Picture: Rick Stevens

“It happened really quickly. We we’re just about to get breakfast and they came out screaming, yelling ‘code one, you have to get out of your tents … run, come with us’,” he told reporters.

“We ran to a little shower area and they counted us and locked us in there. Everyone thought it was a drill at first but it became obvious it was real … they (zoo staff) said they do this training every now and then.”

Mr Perri said his family’s tent was no more than 100m from the lion enclosure, and revealed they were told to “hurry up, don’t worry about the stuff, leave the tents” and were escorted to the bathroom area.

The incident has drawn anger from animal activists, and Animal Justice Party’s Emma Hurst said it raised many questions.

“It seemed they were quick to open the zoo as usual after five lions had escaped,” she said.

“What safety measures were put in place before they opened the zoo that day, what checks were done during the day, how could they ensure the safety of the public?

“It’s not like this hasn’t happened before.”

The zoo said the lions were no harmed during their adventure. Picture: Rick Stevens

The last time Taronga activated a code one alarm was in January 2021, when a chimpanzee was spotted outside its enclosure in the African savanna area, later making its way back of its own accord.

Other past zoo escapes have taken a more deadly turn.

In March, a rare red panda was hit by a car after it escaped Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh after a tree fell on its enclosure. The eight-year-old sustained multiple injuries and was euthanised.

Then in 2009, Mogo Zoo founder Sally Padey made the call for a marksman to shoot nine-year-old lioness Jamelia who had wandered into a public area after escaping her enclosure due to a “zookeeper error”.

At the time, the south coast zoo’s general manager John Appleby said that tranquillisers took eight to 10 minutes to take effect and would have risked agitating the animal.

“Ten minutes with a lion on the loose can do a lot of damage,” Mr Appleby said at the time. “You don’t even want to know what the outcome would be.”

On Wednesday, Taronga Zoo said video footage confirmed it was less than 10 minutes between the lions exiting the main exhibit and the emergency response being enacted.

Ms Hurst said this week’s incident again brought up ethical issues around zoo animals.

“I think there’s always a concern around keeping animals in captivity for the purposes of entertainment, particularly in small enclosures and particularly animals who travel many kilometres a day in the wild,” she said.

“Lions have been seen doing things like rocking on the spot or pacing, which indicates boredom and that their needs are not being met.”

Ms Hurst joined a chorus of calls to move animals like lions to larger facilities, such as Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo.

“We’ve got this zoo right in the middle of Sydney city — is there going to be enough enrichment for these animals in a small zoo?” she asked. “So we would favour any facility which has more space.”

However, the zoo spokeswoman said Taronga took its commitment to conservation and animal welfare seriously.

“We work to ensure we deliver positive and stimulating welfare outcomes by creating thoughtfully designed habitats, providing nourishing and enriching food, social and environmental settings that promote a wide range of natural behaviours, and a proactive healthcare program,” she said.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]