Taronga Zoo in Sydney was forced to lock down after five lions escaped from their enclosures which caused panic with their keepers.
The incident happened at around 6.30am local time on Tuesday, November 2, where one adult and four cubs were located outside of their main exhibit.
This forced everyone who was on site to move into "safe havens" as the "significant incident" was swiftly dealt with by staff. No visitors were in the park at the time of the escape, however, guests can stay in a number of different accommodation at the venue.
When the five lions escaped, only a six foot fence separated the animals from the rest of the zoo. Social media posts saw dozens of police officers and staff gathered near the exhibit as they tried to rescue the animals.
Four of the beasts calmly returned to their dens but one cub had to be "safely tranquilised" in order to move them back. The cub is awake and well.
There were no injuries to guests or staff, according to a statement on the zoo's official Twitter account, and the zoo was open as normal. A full investigation will be carried out into how the lions were able to escape the exhibit.
Another statement was released on Taronga Zoo's website, which read: "At 6:30am this morning, five lions – one adult and four cubs - were located outside their main exhibit.
"The lions were observed in a small area adjacent to the main exhibit, where a six-foot fence separated them from the rest of the zoo. The zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident and immediate action was taken. We regularly conduct drills to ensure we are prepared.
"All persons on site were moved to safe zones. Four of the lions calmly returned to their dens, and one cub was safely tranquilised. The cub is now awake and well. All animals are now in their back-of-house exhibit and are being closely monitored.
"All Zoo staff acted swiftly, and procedures and processes were followed as they should have been. As a result, the situation was under control within minutes. We have since reviewed video footage, and we have confirmed it was less than 10 minutes between the lions exiting the main exhibit, and the emergency response being enacted.
"This is a significant incident, and a full review is now underway to confirm exactly how the lions were able to exit their main exhibit."
