Thanks to CCTV footage, it’s been revealed how five lions escaped Taronga Zoo in Sydney a month ago.
Four cubs and one adult male left and later returned to their enclosure on November 2, putting the entire zoo into a "code one" lockdown.
Guests who’d been staying overnight at the zoo were forced to hide in safe zones, while the animals were captured.
The great escape left zookeepers scratching their heads, as they worked out how the group pulled off the feat.
Footage released today shows a young cub being the first to squeeze under a fence in their enclosure.
One by one, it was followed by three more cubs and the adult male lion Alto.
The group of five can be seen investigating the vegetation on the other side of the fence, before attempting to climb back under.
Male cub Luzuko was the first one to make it back in, before being followed by two other cubs.
Female cub Malika was tranquillised by the zoo’s emergency response team, and Ato returned to the exhibit with some encouragement from keepers.
Taronga Zoo says its review of the incident is ongoing, and an independent engineer has been brought in to understand why the fence failed.
In the meantime, the lions are being kept in a back-of-house outdoor habitat and won’t be back in their main exhibit before Christmas.
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