Alice the Elephant escapes at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo
By Sam Smith
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — It wasn’t your typical Sunday morning at the ABQ BioPark Zoo. Sunday’s opening was delayed by a half hour – because Alice the Elephant was loose inside the zoo.
According to BioPark director Brandon Gibson, Alice’s adventure took place around 7:30 a.m., when she was spotted on a public walkway outside her living quarters.
Animal care staff quickly arrived at the scene and helped the 52-year-old Asian elephant return to her living area. No other elephants were involved.
“Alice has no injuries but will remain inside her habitat today for close monitoring by animal care staff,” Gibson said. “Staff located the steel stationary section of the perimeter fence that Alice damaged and breached and are now repairing it.
The zoo was closed at the time of the encounter, so no guests witnessed the incident. Zoo personnel cleared off debris in the area that was created when Alice decided to snack on plants and trees in the area.
Operations at the BioPark are now running as normal. The elephant habitat will remain closed to the public, while the fence is being repaired.
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