INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Zoo is back open after a chimpanzee was sedated and returned to its enclosure Friday morning following a brief escape.
The Indianapolis Fire Department responded to the zoo after receiving reports of a loose animal at 10:10 a.m. A firefighter team was placed on standby during the incident.
Wayne Township had two field trips scheduled to visit the zoo Friday — second grade and seventh/eighth-grade students — but they never made it off the buses because they were told about the loose chimp, according to Janine, Wayne Township’s public information officer. Wayne Township notified parents about the situation.
No one was injured during the incident, and the chimp has been safely returned to its enclosure. The zoo has since reopened to the public.
IFD officials said they had no indication that the animal left the zoo property during the escape.
A security officer at the zoo had earlier confirmed they were “dealing with an emergency, but we have it under control.”
