Visitors to Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo were asked to evacuate the premises yesterday after it was reported that a gorilla had become loose from its enclosure. More than 50 members of staff immediately leapt into action, preparing giant nets and tranquilizer guns to take down the rampaging, and undeniably cuddly looking, animal.
This was, of course, simply a training exercise and one that numerous Japanese zoos carry out every few years. Last February, we reported on Tama Zoo’s own “animal escape” exercises, in which a guy wearing an enormous zebra costume pelted through the grounds before being tackled by staff, so the sight of grown men and women pursuing a woman in a fluffy ape suit yesterday was no doubt a surprisingly familiar sight for the Japanese TV-watching public.