A gorilla escaped today from its enclosure at the London Zoo before being recaptured and reportedly subdued with a tranquilizer gun. Visitors were apparently locked in while the zoo attempted to thwart the gorilla’s surprise adventure.
In a statement given earlier to the Independent, the zoo said it was “managing an incident.” The Independent also reported that visitors apparently weren’t in danger, despite the fact there was a gorilla on the loose. The BBC says that police arrived at the zoo around 5:20 pm local time.
“Police were called by security at Regent’s Park at 5.17pm to reports of an ongoing incident. Officers are there to support ZSL staff,” Scotland Yard said in a statement to the Guardian.
The escape comes after another gorilla-related incident in May involving Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo. The animal was shot and killed by zoo workers after a three-year-old boy climbed into his enclosure.
@SkyNewsBreak lock in at London Zoo – Gorilla on the loose? pic.twitter.com/X9ukqgrI9o
— hannah (@hannahod) October 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/embed/status/786614585864359936
Update 1:53 pm: And they got it. The Guardian and Sky News are now reporting that the gorilla has been captured and shot with a stun gun.
Update 10/14/2016: The gorilla has been identified as Kumbuka, a Western lowland silverback.
