Escaped orangutan forces Melbourne Zoo into lockdown
Melbourne Zoo had been forced into lockdown with visitors needing to take refuge at a safe location after an orangutan escaped its enclosure.
The 15-year-old Sumatran orangutan, named Malu, escaped his enclosure shortly after 3pm on Friday.
A spokesperson from Zoos Victoria confirmed to Yahoo News Australia an orangutan had briefly escaped his area, forcing the zoo to enact emergency protocol for visitor safety.
The spokesperson added in a statement that “all visitors were managed safely.”
“We can confirm that was no danger or threat to any visitors in the zoo, however visitors were evacuated as is our standard protocol in these cases.”
Malu is a repeat offender for escaping his enclosure. In 2015 he again forced Melbourne zoo into lockdown when he got out of his enclosure by hiding under a blanket.
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