Exotic Incident #642
Incident Date:
01/19/2004
Location:
Los Angeles, CA - USA
Facility Name:
Los Angeles Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Escape of animal (EA)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Chimpanzee
Animal disposition:
Recaptured
Summary:
Gracie, a 17-year-old, 80-pound chimpanzee, escaped from her enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo and roamed freely for 45 minutes, forcing closure of the zoo and evacuation of some 9,000 visitors. It was Gracie’s fourth escape since the chimpanzee habitat opened in 1998. Zookeepers cornered Gracie and fired a tranquilizer dart, but that only grazed her. She returned to the exhibit on her own a short time later. Gracie was involved in a previous incident of 08/02/98.
Action take by Born Free USA:
Notes: