LONDON (AP) – London Zoo said Friday that a silverback gorilla’s escape from its enclosure was a “minor incident” that posed no danger to the public – but animal rights activists are demanding an official, independent investigation.
A wildlife advocacy group said the incident, which ended without injuries to visitors or the animal, could have had a more tragic outcome.
Kumbuka, a 400-pound (184-kilogram) male western lowland gorilla, escaped from his enclosure Thursday evening into what the zoo said was a “secure keepers’ area.”
Armed police descended on the zoo and visitors were locked inside buildings until the animal was subdued by a tranquilizer dart. Officials said the public was not in danger and the gorilla was back in his enclosure in just over an hour.
“In the zoo, we train throughout the year for a variety of different emergency procedures, often in collaboration with the emergency services,” said Malcolm Fitzpatrick, the zoo’s curator of mammals. “It’s testament to that training that this incident was dealt with so quickly and remained a minor incident.”