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YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS BIOPARK ZOO STAFF ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT. NOT IN THE ROOM, BUT OUT IN THE PUBLIC AREA. ALICE GET THAT ALICE. THE 52 YEAR OLD ASIAN ELEPHANT IS BACK IN HER ENCLOSURE TODAY AFTER ESCAPING SUNDAY MORNING. PEYTON SPELLACY SHOWS US THE GREAT ESCAPE AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS IN PLACE. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SECURITY VIDEO. YOU CAN SEE ALICE TAKING A CALM SUNDAY MORNING STROLL DOWN MAIN STREET, SNIFFING THE MAP, PLAYING TOURIST AT HOME FOR THE DAY, PLOTTING HER OWN PRIVATE TOUR OF THE ZOO, NOT FORGETTING TO STOP FOR A BITE TO EAT FIRST. YOU WOULDN’T THINK ANYTHING HAPPENED HERE, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY WHERE ALICE MADE HER ESCAPE. THIS AREA HASN’T BEEN UPDATED IN 20 YEARS, BUT NOW IT’S BEEN REBUILT AND REINFORCED. SHE’S OVER 8,000 POUNDS. SHE’S DEFINITELY ABLE TO USE SOME FORCE. THE WATER POND SECTION OF THE ELEPHANT’S HABITAT IS CURRENTLY OFF LIMITS, AS WELDERS MAKE THEIR FINAL TOUCHES. NOT ONLY IS THAT SECTION BEEN. REPAIRED, IT’S ALSO BEEN REINFORCED. SO WE’VE ADDED SOME MORE PILLARS AND STEEL, UPGRADING IT TO ALICE PROOF. WE’VE ALSO REASSESSED THE PERIMETER. LOOK FOR ANY MORE AREAS THAT MAY BE WEAK POINTS. SO IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE’RE MONITORING DAILY. BRANDON GIBSON, THE DIRECTOR OF THE BIOPARK, SAYS STAFF RESPONDED TO THE ESCAPE IN JUST TEN MINUTES USING THE SAME RECALL METHOD. THEY TRAINED HER WITH. GOOD GIRL, ALICE, COME TO ME. THE STAFF SIMPLY CALLS AND ALICE FOLLOWS. GOOD GIRL. ALICE, COME TO ME. MOVE OUT. PROVING ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET. IT HAS BEEN A VERY LONG TIME SINCE ANY ANIMAL HAS A ESCAPED A PERIMETER CONTAINMENT AT THE BIOPARK. I THINK IT’S LOOKING DECADES AND DECADES, REMINDING EVERYONE THAT DESPITE SUNDAY’S SURPRISE, THE BIOPARK ZOO REMAINS A SAFE PLACE TO EXPLORE. THIS INCIDENT SHOWS THAT ALL OF OUR MEASURES AND TOOLS WORKED IN ALBUQUERQUE MANOR PEYTON SPELLACY KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. AFTER THE ADVENTUROUS SUNDAY MORNING STROLL, ALICE S
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Security video captures elephant’s great escape from zoo enclosure
Alice, a 52-year-old Asian elephant, escaped from her zoo habitat Sunday, taking a stroll through a public area before returning safely to her enclosure.
Staff at BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque addressed the elephant not in the room, but on the public walkway. Their 52-year-old Asian elephant, Alice, escaped from her habitat Sunday morning, spending time in a public area before safely returning to her enclosure.Security video captured Alice taking a calm Sunday morning stroll down Main Street, sniffing the map and playing tourist at home for the day.Alice escaped through a welded pillar gate in the water pond section of her habitat, which is currently off-limits as welders repair it. She then trampled another bamboo fence to reach Main Street.Brandon Gibson, director of the zoo, said, “The 8,000-pound elephant somehow squeezed through this opening, knocking down this fence, just to take a stroll down Main Street. She’s over 8,000 pounds. She’s definitely able to use some force.”Officials said the section of fence Alice escaped through hadn’t been updated in nearly 20 years.“Not only has that section been repaired, it’s also been reinforced. So we’ve added some more pillars and steel,” Gibson said. “We’ve also reassessed the perimeter, looking for any more areas that may be weak points. So it’s something that we’re monitoring daily.”Zoo staff continue to inspect other habitats for weak spots, using gross receipts tax money to modernize them.Staff responded to Alice’s escape in just 10 minutes, using the same recall method she’s trained with.Gibson said, “We were able to secure the perimeter, have our zookeepers come and start recalling her back. It has been a very long time since any animal has escaped a perimeter containment at the BioPark. I think it’s looking back decades and decades. I think the BioPark is a very safe place to be, and I think this incident shows that all of our measures and tools worked. Staff was safe, the public was safe, and Alice the elephant was safe.”After her adventurous Sunday morning stroll, Alice spent the rest of the day relaxing. Zoo staff said her behavior was back to normal Monday.
Staff at BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque addressed the elephant not in the room, but on the public walkway. Their 52-year-old Asian elephant, Alice, escaped from her habitat Sunday morning, spending time in a public area before safely returning to her enclosure.
Security video captured Alice taking a calm Sunday morning stroll down Main Street, sniffing the map and playing tourist at home for the day.
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Alice escaped through a welded pillar gate in the water pond section of her habitat, which is currently off-limits as welders repair it. She then trampled another bamboo fence to reach Main Street.
Brandon Gibson, director of the zoo, said, “The 8,000-pound elephant somehow squeezed through this opening, knocking down this fence, just to take a stroll down Main Street. She’s over 8,000 pounds. She’s definitely able to use some force.”
Officials said the section of fence Alice escaped through hadn’t been updated in nearly 20 years.
“Not only has that section been repaired, it’s also been reinforced. So we’ve added some more pillars and steel,” Gibson said. “We’ve also reassessed the perimeter, looking for any more areas that may be weak points. So it’s something that we’re monitoring daily.”
Zoo staff continue to inspect other habitats for weak spots, using gross receipts tax money to modernize them.
Staff responded to Alice’s escape in just 10 minutes, using the same recall method she’s trained with.
Gibson said, “We were able to secure the perimeter, have our zookeepers come and start recalling her back. It has been a very long time since any animal has escaped a perimeter containment at the BioPark. I think it’s looking back decades and decades. I think the BioPark is a very safe place to be, and I think this incident shows that all of our measures and tools worked. Staff was safe, the public was safe, and Alice the elephant was safe.”
After her adventurous Sunday morning stroll, Alice spent the rest of the day relaxing. Zoo staff said her behavior was back to normal Monday.
