Curiosity
tokyo zoo escaped gorilla training drill
Zookeepers hold a net to capture an animal keeper dressed in a gorilla costume during a drill to practice what to do in the event of a real animal escape, at the Ueno zoo in Tokyo, on February 6, 2014 (AFP, Kazuhiro Nogi)
A zoo in Tokyo staged an emergency drill to help train employees on what they should do if a gorilla escapes. The drill was an emergency response training drill hosted this past Thursday and was aimed at addressing what to do if an earthquake allows the gorillas to escape the zoo. As part of the drill one staff member dressed up on a gorilla costume and ran across the zoo before the employees were able to catch and sedate it.
As part of the Ueno Zoo drill 150 members of the zoo staff and some local fire and police departments joined in to help catch the gorilla. Zoo director Toshimitsu Doi stated that the drill was a success and it is very important for the zoo to be prepared for an unexpected event. He explained that work at the zoo tends to be completed on a routine basis, and this makes it easy to forget what to do in the case of an emergency.
Therefore, he felt it was important to host a drill to remind the staff that sometimes emergencies can arise and what should be done in if an animal escapes. In the past the Ueno Zoo has had several escape scares including in 2010 when a monkey got out of its enclosure.
On The Web:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10621117/Tokyo-zoo-captures-escaped-gorilla-in-emergency-drill.html