DENVER (KDVR) — An orangutan was able to escape from its exhibit after a “malfunction” at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance on Wednesday.
The Denver Zoo confirmed with FOX31 that on Wednesday, around 3:45 p.m., employees were doing a check when they discovered that an orangutan wasn’t in its exhibit. Jake Kubié with the Denver Zoo said there was a “malfunction in the primary enclosure area,” and an orangutan left the enclosure.
However, the great ape wasn’t completely on the loose. Kubié said the orangutan went into another area for specialists and didn’t come in contact with any employees or visitors.
The zoo has Sumatran orangutans, a species that is usually between three and six feet tall and weighs between 66 and 250 pounds, depending on their gender.
Here’s what they look like:
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Berani is a 30-year-old Sumatran orangutan that lives at the Denver Zoo. (Denver Zoo) -
Mom and newborn orangutan (Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo) -
Orangutan at Denver Zoo (Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo) -
Mom holding baby orangutan (Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo) -
Mom and baby orangutan (Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo)
The Denver Zoo is an 80-acre campus in the City Park neighborhood. The zoo said there are over 2,500 animals at the zoo, including penguins, camels, hippopotamus and lions.
