INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Zoo is back open after a female chimpanzee was sedated and returned to her exhibit Friday morning following a brief escape.
“It’s very weird, you don’t expect that to happen at the zoo," one visitor told WRTV.
According to Jake Oakman, senior vice president of external relations for the Indianapolis Zoo, the female chimpanzee was spotted outside her exhibit at around 10 a.m. Following emergency protocol, the zoo was immediately locked down, and all guests were escorted to secure locations.
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The Indianapolis Fire Department was also called to the zoo after receiving reports of the loose animal at 10:10 a.m. A firefighter team was placed on standby during the incident.
Visitors who were still outside were told to wait in their cars until further notice. That was when they told WRTV they found out about all the craziness that had happened.
“We were pretty close to the door when it stopped and we were like, the zoo should be open, it was kind of confusing," Luna Steward, who was in the entrance line when the zoo went into lockdown, said. "And we asked the people in front and they said there was an animal incident.”
“We actually went to the booth to get into the parking lot and the lady said we should probably stay in our cars cause there was a chimpanzee loose," Tricia Brown, another zoo visitor exclaimed.
The zoo was on lockdown for several hours before the
chimpanzee was sedated and returned to her exhibit.
“When we first got here there was a big line, but luckily everyone was able to get in okay and it worked out," Laura, a visitor who arrived after the lockdown, stated.
“I guessed, I was like, it’s probably a chimpanzee. It’s one of the smartest animals to get out … I was right," Stewart told WRTV with a laugh.
Oakman emphasized there were no injuries reported to guests, zoo staff or the animal.
“The zoo security, animal care and veterinary teams train for these scenarios and responded in a textbook and professional manner," he said.
WRTV spoke to a Wayne Township spokesperson who said the district had two field trips scheduled to visit the zoo on Friday: second-grade and seventh, eighth-grade students. The spokesperson said the students never made it off the buses because they were told about the loose chimp
The zoo has reopened as normal.
