New footage uncovers how five lions managed to escape from their Sydney zoo enclosure

While 'The Great Escape' often calls to mind the legendary Steve McQueen, this time the real escape artists are five lions who broke out of their enclosure at a Sydney zoo last month.

Taronga Zoo revealed on Thursday that newly released CCTV footage shows how four lion cubs and one adult male squeezed through a mesh wire fence to escape. The lions were discovered outside their enclosure around 6:30 a.m. on November 2.

The cubs—Luzuko, Zuri, Khari, and Malika—were seen playing near the fence when one of them crawled beneath it. The rest of the cubs, along with their father Ato, followed suit, though lioness Maya and cub Ayanna remained inside, according to a zoo update.

The zoo reported that the five lions, after escaping, calmly explored the area close to their enclosure before making several attempts to return.

The zoo's emergency team responded within 10 minutes of the escape, quickly bringing the situation under control, as stated in their official report.

Luzuko was the first cub to return to the enclosure, followed by Zuri and Khari. Malika was sedated by the response team and safely transported back. After a little coaxing, Ato was also reunited with his pride.

Visitors at the zoo for the 'Roar and Snore' overnight camping experience were instructed to evacuate their tents and quickly find refuge in a nearby building after the lions escaped, according to 9News.

Magnus Perri, whose tent was located near the lion enclosure, shared with 9News that zoo staff entered the area urgently telling campers, 'This is a code one, leave your tents and run, come now and leave your belongings behind.'

The lions are currently being housed in a secured outdoor back-of-house area while the investigation is underway. The zoo has indicated they are unlikely to return to the main exhibit before Christmas.

An initial review found a 'structural integrity issue' with the fence, but Taronga Zoo has confirmed that their investigation into the escape is still ongoing.

An independent forensic engineer is conducting a thorough investigation into the fence failure and the complex mesh system, and will also advise on the necessary repairs, according to the zoo's statement.