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Panic in Australia after five lions escaped enclosure at Sydney zoo

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Residents of Australian east coast city of Sydney were on Wednesday morning, thrown into panic after authorities at the Sydney’s Taronga Zoo announced that five lions had escaped their enclosure, sparking a brief emergency as officials rushed to contain them.

According to the statement by the zoo management, the facility was immediately put in lockdown with a “code one” alert, which is a response involving a dangerous animal while guests of the zoo’s overnight stay “Roar and Snore” program were also quickly rushed to safety.

The statement said the lions, four cubs and a male adult named Ato, slipped loose from the enclosure due to “an integrity issue with a containment fence.”

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“The lions were observed in a small area adjacent to the main lion exhibit, where a six-foot fence separated them from the rest of the zoo,” Simon Duffy, Taronga Zoo’s director, told a news conference.

In a later statement, the Duffy said four out of the five lions made their own way back into their dens at the main exhibit while one lion cub was safely tranquillized by staff at the zoo.

“All of the animals are now safe and being closely monitored in a back-of-house holding area.

“All zoo staff responded and acted swiftly, and procedures and processes were followed as they should have been. As a result, the situation was under control within minutes,” said Duffy.

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