INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WXIN) – The Indianapolis Zoo lifted its lock down after a scary incident Sunday morning.
Visitors at the zoo were instructed to seek shelter around 9:30 a.m. after they were told a cheetah escaped its holding area.
According to the zoo, one of the Indianapolis Zoo’s male cheetahs got out of his primary enclosure into a landscaped area of tall grass and trees behind a barrier fence between the exhibit and public space.
The Zoo’s emergency protocols were immediately activated.
When the emergency response team’s veterinarian approached the cheetah, it was calm and lying down in the high grass. The veterinarian was able to dart and sedate the cheetah.
After being darted, the cheetah jumped back down into the exhibit and was unconscious in three minutes.
All guests, staff and cheetahs are fine.
The 4-year-old cheetah, named Pounce is new to the Indianapolis Zoo and came here from the San Diego Zoo with his brother, Zephyr.
The Zoo’s Cheetah: The Race for Survival exhibit will remain closed and the cheetahs will stay indoors until the zoo is certain the issues that led to this incident have been resolved.
