Orangutan Escapes Enclosure A Second Time At Busch Gardens In Tampa Bay
An orangutan escaped her enclosure at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay on Friday afternoon. Luna the orangutan climbed up a tree then fell to the ground. She shuffled around briefly while some took photos and recorded the event. Park visitors were evacuated by staff, who tranquilized the animal with a dart before taking her back to her section of Busch Gardens.
A mild panic unfolded among visitors, but overall, people remained calm.
“This afternoon, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay moved guests safely out of the Stanleyville area of the park when a female orangutan was outside of her habitat,” the park said in a statement. “The animal care team responded immediately and the animal is back safely and securely in its habitat without incident.
“The safety of our guests, employees and animals is our No. 1 priority.”
This is the second time that an orangutan has escaped its habitat at the facility, Tampa Bay Times reports. On June 16, a young male managed to break free from his enclosure in the Jungala area of the park. Workers coaxed him back to his enclosure without any problems.
It wasn’t revealed how long Luna was out of her habitat, but she was returned to her exhibit at 6:30 p.m., according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse.
Several segments of the park were either on lock down or evacuated.
A visitor at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay — Jason Mayhew — was one of those among the evacuated from the area after the orangutan escaped her enclosure. He said park workers were upfront about what was happening and wanted to make sure everyone stayed calm.
“They were stalling and stalling,” Mayhew said. “Finally, someone said due to safety concerns, they had to clear the entire theater. People looked a little panicky, but everyone kept their composure.”
Morse says FWC intend to investigate Luna’s escape. This isn’t her first one. Park spokeswoman Karen Varga-Sinka said in 2008, Luna cleared a 12-foot-high wall to get out of her exhibit. She was 10-years-old and weighed 85 pounds at the time. It took 25 caretakers using carrots, apples, and vanilla ice cream to lure her back where she belonged.
Florida is the scene for wild animal news lately. Just a few short weeks ago, a toddler drowned after he was pulled into the water by an alligator at Disney resort while playing in the water. 2-year-old Lane Graves was playing in very shallow water on a resort beach when the reptile dragged him underwater. Last week, FWC officials found the reptile they believe harmed the little boy and humanely euthanized it.
UPDATE: The orangutan has been captured at Busch Gardens without incident and is back in its enclosure.https://t.co/6TdieIn1sF
— Fox 35 News (@Fox35News) July 1, 2016
Sometimes animals at exhibits, like zoos and theme parks, get loose. Many animals are capable of scaling tall fences, descending up trees, and finding other means of getting out of their habitat. It’s an infrequent occurrence, but alarming, nonetheless.
ABC Action News spoke with several park goers, who expressed concern for the orangutan’s escape. They think the park should find out why the apes keep getting loose and resolve the issue.
“It’s probably something they want to take a look at with all the instances going on with animal safety around the world,” said park visitor, Richard Rodriguez.
Other guests were thrilled to see a captive animal out of its habitat. Many began recording the escaped orangutan with their phones as they didn’t show much fear of anything going terribly wrong.
Since this is the second time in two weeks that an orangutan escaped its enclosure and has made national news, it’s safe to say that park staff and wildlife officials will do everything possible to prevent future escapes!
[Photo via Shutterstock]
