Alice, a 52-year-old female Asian elephant living at a New Mexico zoo, got through a fence and escaped her habitat this past weekend, delaying the zoo’s opening.
Officials at the ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, 400 miles northeast of Phoenix, said security staff spotted Alice outside the habitat at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, 90 minutes before the zoo’s scheduled opening time for the day.
In her time outside the habitat, but still inside the zoo grounds, Alice ate from nearby trees and plants. After 10 minutes or so, zookeepers were able to arrive and call Alice back into the elephant enclosure.
None of the other elephants at the city-owned zoo left the habitat, and no elephants or people were injured during the incident, officials said.
“I think she was definitely curious and testing the boundaries. And it also shows her love and care … and her relationship with the animal care team, that she quickly came when they called and safely entered her habitat again,” ABQ BioPark Zoo Director Brandon Gibson told Albuquerque’s KOB-TV.
Further investigation found that part of the fence surrounding the elephant habitat had become compromised. The section in question was secured, repaired and reinforced, and the nearby portion of the elephant habitat was closed, officials said.
Officials told KOAT-TV that the section of steel fence that Alice broke through had not been updated or upgraded in almost two decades.
The zoo also delayed opening for 30 minutes on Sunday so staff could clear debris from paths around the habitat.
