Human error not to blame for lions’ escape: Taronga Zoo

Human error was not to blame for five lions escaping from their enclosure at Taronga Zoo. Read what the zoo’s initial investigation has revealed.

TARONGA Zoo has employed an independent engineer to complete a review of its fence around the lion enclosure after five lions escaped on Wednesday morning.

The zoo has also revealed “unrelated maintenance” on the enclosure in late September.

“A specialist contractor” attended Taronga Zoo and repairs were made according to engineer’s specifications,” a spokeswoman said.

“In light of what’s occured yesterday, Taronga has commissioned an independent engineer to complete a full review.”

The Daily Telegraph has been told there had been issues with the fence and had approached the zoo for confirmation about this.

The ordeal, which occurred at about 6:30am, forced the wildlife park into lockdown with a ‘code one’ alert while expert handlers coaxed the big cats back into their enclosure.

Taronga Zoo said a full review would be undertaken and a report would be prepared for the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

“An initial review of this morning’s (Wednesday’s) incident has confirmed that an integrity issue with a containment fence enabled five lions to temporarily exit their main exhibit,” a Taronga Zoo spokeswoman said.

Five lions escaped their enclosure on Wednesday morning. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“The lions are now in a back-of-house holding area while a full review continues.”

By 9am, four of the lions had returned “calmly” while one final cub “got a little lost” and had to be tranquillised with a gun by veterinary staff before being taken to the back of house security exhibit.

Zoo staff had to follow protocol associated with a ‘code one’ emergency. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The spokeswoman confirmed the lions were in good health and the zoo had reopened to the public as usual.

After the incident staff closed off the lion enclosure, with visitors seeing a sign outside the enclosure that read, “Road Closed – Please head back along the path for access to the rest of the zoo.”

However zoo guests didn’t let this damper their experience, with all other enclosures open.

“I’ve still had a great time,” Tim King said. “I can come (to) see the lions another day.”

Some visitors were seen giggling in excitement as they pointed out the man-made lion pawprints embedded into the zoo’s pathway.

Earlier in the day zookeepers embarked on a wild chase to capture five lions – including one father and four cubs – roaming within the zoo’s premises after a staff member noticed they had escaped their enclosure on Wednesday morning.

Taronga Zoo Director Simon Duffy said the lions were first located outside their main exhibit – past two containment fences – adjacent to their enclosure at 6.30am and were separated from the rest of the zoo by a six foot fence.

Specialised zookeepers were tasked with rounding up the pride. Picture: Nine News

They were out for no more than 10 minutes before the emergency response was enacted.

“They (the lions) did breach the containment fence, (but) we don’t have the exact detail of how and why that occurred,” he said.

“The zoo has very strict safety protocols in place for such an incident and immediate action was taken.

“We know from our video footage that the lions were in their enclosure throughout the night.”

Taronga Zoo Director Simon Duffy fronted the media as the incident unfolded. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Just before 9am, all lions, including father Ato, sons Khari and Luzuko and daughters Malika and Zuri, had been safely rounded up and secured in their area. Mother Maya and daughter Ayanna never left the enclosure.

The zoo’s management is still investigating how the lions managed to escape.

Police were called to the zoo at 7.10am as a precaution, and 20 minutes later, a code one – which is an emergency response involving a dangerous animal – was issued that directed staff to go to safe areas.

At the time of the ordeal, the zoo was closed to the public, and a siren sounding from inside the grounds could be heard in the neighbouring area.

Sydneysider Magnus Perri with his wife Dominique and sons Oliver, 6, and Lucas, 8, were woken up by an alarm and screams at 6.40am while staying at the park’s Roar and Snore experience on Tuesday night.

“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 said.

“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.”

Magnus and Dominique Perri with their children Lucas and Oliver were told to evacuate after lions escaped their enclosure. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Mr Perri said the family were told to “hurry up, don’t worry about the stuff, leave the tents,” and were escorted to the bathroom area where they remained for an hour and a half.

He said his family’s tent was no more than 100m from the lion enclosure at the time and revealed he was “too scared” to go back.

The father of two also noted that the zoo staff remained calm but “the bush turkeys would have been panicking.”

Despite Wednesday morning’s close call, Mr Perri said he would recommend the zoo sleepover experience to everyone.

Taronga’s lion cubs turned one in August this year. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Old Bar Public School teacher, Rebecca Casson, escorted a group of 62 students through the zoo gates on Wednesday morning said the news of the lion escape caused “quite a stir on the bus”.

“We had one person call us, that’s how we knew about it. It caused quite a stir on the bus,” she told reporters.

“(The kids) are a bit excited. It’s not your normal thing that goes on during a school camp. It’s been full of events.”

Wendy Blesing and Ruth Langton had travelled from Adelaide to visit the zoo during their holidays and were both shocked to hear about the lion escape but agreed it wouldn’t deter them from entering the park.

The big cat escape artists were nowhere to be seen at Taronga Zoo on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Supplied

Local and loyal members at Taronga Zoo, Kathy and Paul, said they visit every Wednesday and continued to go with grandson Elliot despite hearing the news.

“We heard about the excitement (but) we continued to come,” Paul said, who heard the siren during his morning run around the area.

Kathy said Elliot’s favourite activity was seeing the lions and was baffled as to how they escaped.

“We usually go straight to the lions. I don’t know how they got out,” she said.

It comes almost three years after a troop of baboons escaped a medical research facility near Sydney‘s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Taronga Zoo released a statement just before 9am on Wednesday that said all persons on site were moved to safe zones at the time of the “emergency situation”.

“The Zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident,” the statement read.

“All persons on site were moved to safe zones and there are no injuries to guests or staff.”

Taronga Zoo has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Human error not to blame for lions’ escape: Taronga Zoo