Lions break free from their Sydney zoo enclosure, prompting swift evacuation of overnight guests

On Wednesday morning, five lions briefly escaped their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, triggering a 'code one' alert and the immediate evacuation of guests from the 'Roar and Snore' overnight program.

The alert was issued after a video showed four cubs and an adult lion outside their enclosure at 6:30 a.m., though they were contained within a separate area, secured by a six-foot fence.

Zoo staff tranquilized one of the cubs and safely returned it to its enclosure, while the other four lions wandered back on their own.

The zoo’s emergency response team acted within 10 minutes of the escape, and by 9 a.m., all the lions were safely back in their enclosure, according to local reports.

No injuries were reported among guests or animals, and the zoo resumed its normal operations.

Taronga Zoo Executive Director Simon Duffy stated at a news conference that the zoo has strict safety protocols for such incidents and that immediate action was swiftly taken.

The escape triggered a complete lockdown at the zoo, with alarms sounding between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. local time. Officers were dispatched as a precaution, according to reports from Dinogo affiliate 9 News and 7 News.

Police were called to Taronga Zoo, while staff quickly evacuated guests from the 'Roar and Snore' program to safety.

Magnus Perri, a guest, recounted to local media, 'They rushed into the tent area shouting, 'This is a Code One! Get out of your tents, leave everything behind and run!' as his family evacuated the zoo.

Taronga Zoo, the largest in the city, is home to seven lions, including five cubs and two adults, as stated on its official website.

The zoo has yet to determine how the lions escaped and has initiated an official investigation into the incident.