On Wednesday, five African lions escaped from their enclosure at Sydney’s harborside Taronga Zoo, prompting an emergency lockdown as police and specialized handlers tried to apprehend the pride.

Before the lions were traced down and returned to their exhibit, alarms rang throughout the zoo, which was closed to the public at the time.

Simon Duffy, the zoo’s executive director, informed reporters that one lion cub had to be tranquilized.

“This is a significant incident,” he said, adding that “a full review is now under way to confirm exactly how the lions were able to exit their main exhibit.”

“We don’t have the exact details of how and why that occurred.”

According to a subsequent zoo statement, the fugitive lions were discovered in a tiny area next to the main display, separated from the rest of the zoo by a six-foot fence.

“All persons on site were moved to safe zones. Four of the lions calmly returned to their dens, and one cub was safely tranquilized. The cub is now awake and well. All animals are now in their back-of-house exhibit and are being closely monitored.”

Taronga Zoo, located in a lush, wealthy suburb with views of Sydney’s famed opera house and harbour bridge, stated that it will reopen later in the day as usual.

Zookeepers were observed inspecting the lion enclosure’s fencing for evidence of damage.

There are two adult lions in the zoo, Maya and Ato, as well as their five kids, Khari, Luzuko, Malika, Zuri, and Ayanna.

Male African lions may weigh up to 250 kilograms when fully grown, while females can weigh up to 180 kilograms.

A two-year-old Bengal tiger escaped from its enclosure at Taronga Zoo in 1946, roaming the grounds in a “frenzy of dread” before being shot and killed by a zoo worker.

In 1982, 20 police officers were dispatched to a neighbourhood in Sydney’s west after a lion was sighted near a soft drink plant; the perpetrator was eventually discovered as a chubby cat named Ginger.

On February 2020, one of Sydney’s most famous animal escapes occurred, when startled witnesses witnessed three baboons scampering about an inner-city car park after fleeing from a medical research facility.