KANSAS CITY – There was a scare for families at the Kansas City Zoo Sunday after an orangutan got out of her enclosure.
The zoo's director of operations compared the escape to a child who climbed too high up a tree and then did not know what to do once she attempted to escape.
The zoo says the 7-year-old animal is one of the most inquisitive orangutans at the exhibit, and somehow managed to slip through a gap in the canopy.
Within a few minutes the ape was surrounded by zoo workers who called her back inside.
Zoo workers say the outdoor orangutan exhibit will be closed for at least a day to figure out how to prevent future escapes.
This escape comes just days after an orangutan escaped from an exhibit at Busch Gardens in Tampa. The 18-year-old ape was tranquilized by wildlife workers and returned.