Kumbuka gorilla london zoo glass enclosure escape: Visitors were left shaken as an 18 year old Silverback made a break for it as officials play down afternoon escape.
Kumbuka a Silverback gorilla has sparked panic after the ‘psycho’ gorilla smashed through a glass enclosure at London zoo as terrified families were shut indoors.
Upon notice of Kumbuka escaping, armed police and zookeepers were successfully able to contain the animal after firing a series of tranquilizer darts, but not before some feared for their very lives.
So heightened were concerns as the enraged mammal broke through its glass enclosure, Scotland Yard issued a warning the public to stay indoors after the 18 year old beast escaped into the public area.
Told Scotland Yard via the sun: ‘Police were called by security at Regent’s Park at 5.17pm to reports of an ongoing incident.
‘Officers are there to support ZSL staff.’
Staff confirmed on Thursday evening the gorilla was taken back into his enclosure after being tranquillized and was ‘awake and well’.
Read an issued statement: ‘A male gorilla got out of his den at ZSL London Zoo and into a non-public keeper area at 5:13pm on Thursday, 13 October 2016,’
‘The gorilla remained contained within the exhibit’s off show area.
‘It is not yet confirmed how the incident occurred and a full investigation will be carried out to determine what happened.’
Told one witness, Brad Evans via BBC Radio London: ‘We were in the zoo for the day, having a cup of coffee in the main restaurant area when they locked us all in and said there was an incident.
“They gave us free teas and coffees and obviously we were asking what was going on and they told us that a gorilla had got out of its enclosure and that we weren’t allowed out of the park at half-five so we had to wait.
‘As we were waiting we saw the police turning up in numbers with loads of guns.’
Here’s the gorilla 30 mins ago …just 2 seconds before he threw himself at the window #scary #londonzoo #escapedgorilla pic.twitter.com/bjXjJnrMAy
— Rob Hogan (@RobHogan4) October 13, 2016
#Gorilla on the loose? Huddling in a building at the #londonzoo after staff told us to get into a building quickly! pic.twitter.com/BBbFvBLTn6
— Dr. Jonathan T. Mall (@CognitiveTwo) October 13, 2016
Offered another witness, Jonny Briers, 22 via the Evening Standard: ‘We went into the aquarium and they locked the doors.’
‘We were in there for about half an hour to 45 minutes. We didn’t know what was happening.
‘A zookeeper kept us calm and said it was an animal escape siren.
‘Some people were pretty scared. We did see a woman on a bench hyperventilating as we were leaving.’
Police say Kumbuka the gorilla escaped at around 5:10pm, confirmed the beast’s capture at 6:48pm.
‘He’s a fucking psycho, that ape,’ an employee told Buzzfeed. ‘He’s smashed the enclosure glass a couple of times.’
Oliver Barker, 24, who’d been visiting the zoo said the gorilla had seemed ‘agitated’ earlier in the day, with keepers having warned visitors not to stare at him.
He said: ‘He looked like he was in a sort of trance, he definitely wasn’t relaxed at all.’
‘He looked very intimidating. The zookeeper came over and said, ‘don’t aggravate him by staring at him.’
‘She could tell he was very agitated, and lo and behold soon after we were told he had escaped.’
A report via the mirror tells of the gorilla colony being led by male silverback Kumbuka, who parented his first offspring — a baby girl named Alika — with mate Mjukuu in 2014.
Last year Kumbuka’s second offspring, a male called Gernot, was born.
The group is completed by females Effie and Zaire.
Offered London Zoo cleaner Maria Camara, 56: ‘We were told to stay inside as a gorilla had escaped.
‘There were members of the public locked in, but they have now been escorted out.
‘There must have been about 50 to 100 people.’
She said ‘a huge amount’ of staff were on the hunt for the animal.
Adding: ‘We had (previous) training if any animals escaped.
‘I wasn’t scared. We had to stay in the building where it was safe.’
Nevertheless despite claims that there had been real danger, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, curator of mammals at London Zoo, repudiated such claims, saying that the escape was a ‘minor incident.
Reiterated the official: ‘At no time were any of our visitors in danger, the gorilla did not get out of his safe space. There were only about 100 visitors in the zoo’.
Adding: ‘We’re happy to report that he’s up and grumbling, and interacting with the rest of his family in his gorilla kingdom.’
The zoo will be open again on Friday as investigators seek to understand how Kumbuka the gorilla was able to smash through its glass enclosure and what future precautions will be taken as some question the practice of keeping the wild beast in public enclosures….
@SkyNewsBreak lock in at London Zoo – Gorilla on the loose? pic.twitter.com/X9ukqgrI9o
— hannah (@hannahod) October 13, 2016
