5 Lions Escape from Zoo During Sleepover Event

Guests of Sydney’s Taronga zoo were in for a surprise Wednesday morning. Four cubs and one adult lion slipped free of their enclosure during the overnight “Roar and Snore” event. The escapees were spotted at 6:30 AM. Safety responses mobilized less than ten minutes later. All guests and animals involved are unscathed.

Taronga Zoo takes the safety of its patrons extremely seriously. The incident triggered a full lockdown of the entire park and a “code one” alert. But authorities were called just in case. Thankfully, they merely served as a precautionary measure. While one cub needed tranquilizing, the other four big cats made their way back to their enclosures on their own. All safely returned to where they belonged by 9am.

Attendees were quickly alerted and whisked away from any danger, ensuring their complete safety. “They came running into the tent area saying, ‘this is a Code One, get out of your tent and run, come now and leave your belongings’,” Magnus Perri, one of the guests attending the event, said.

Taronga is Sydney’s largest zoo, and houses seven lions — five cubs and two adults. A formal review has been launched to discern just how the sneaky felines escaped. But Taronga’s executive director Simon Duffy reassures, “The zoo has very strict safety protocols in place for such an incident and immediate action was taken.” It’s certainly not the first time zoo animals have found a way to break out. Perhaps the adventurous big cats just wanted a change of scenery.