Seven chimpanzees briefly escaped their enclosure at the Kansas City Zoo on Thursday when one of them spotted a way out.
Zoo director Randy Wisthoff said one of the chimps used a fallen tree limb as a ladder. He climbed up to the top of the wall, and six other chimps quickly followed. A few of the chimps kept on going and dropped into a surrounding enclosure on the other side of the wall.
Wisthoff said the chimp may have found the fallen limb -- or possibly he broke it off to use it as a ladder. [KansasCity.com]
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Not all of the chimps made a break for it. One of the chimps was seen walking along the top of the inner wall for a few minutes but then headed inside.
Wisthoff said zoo visitors were never in danger, and keepers were able to lure the chimps back into their building with food. Most of the chimps were enticed with fruit, carrots, celery and lettuce, but one of them had to be convinced with a bag of malted milk balls.
The incident, which prompted a lockdown at the zoo, lasted about an hour. Wisthoff said the 100-acre area that is normally occupied by 12 chimpanzees would be closed Friday while a security check is performed.
