Tokyo zoo stages 'zebra escape'

February 03, 2016 | 14:38

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The zebra - actually a zoo staff member dressed up in a furry suit - escaped from its enclosure in a Japanese zoo as part of a drill aimed at dealing with runaway animals.

A zookeeper dressed as a zebra is surrounded by staff members during an escaped animal drill at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo on Feb 2, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi)

TOKYO: A zebra escaped from its enclosure in a Japanese zoo on Tuesday, giving one keeper a heart attack and injuring another - at least that was the scenario of a drill aimed at dealing with runaway animals.

The zebra - actually a zoo staff member dressed up in a furry suit - supposedly bolted from a cage at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo after an earthquake destroyed its enclosure.

It then wandered around the zoo before ramming into a wall and sending a keeper to hospital with a heart attack.

After injuring another keeper, the zebra was subdued with a fake stun gun and bundled onto a nearby pick-up truck, as curious zoo visitors looked on, laughing and taking photos.

"The zebra is an animal that easily panics," said 27-year-old Yumi Tamura, who dressed as the zebra but usually cares for gorillas and monkeys. "I myself felt panicky when acting it out," she told reporters.

Past simulations at Tokyo's city-run zoos have featured faux gorillas, rhinos, lions and orangutans making a break for freedom.

"Every year, a keeper plays the role of an escaping animal," said an Ueno zoo spokesman. "They know how the animals would act in the event of disaster and their escape."

AFP

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