Ape Escapes Baton Rouge Zoo, Quickly Captured

A small, 3-year-old siamang gibbon escaped from BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo on Friday afternoon but was quickly captured.

The gibbon, named Hantu, escaped from his main exhibit into a tree above.

The 15-pound primate stayed in the tree above his exhibit throughout the entire ordeal. Emergency safety protocol was immediately put into place, according to the zoo, and all guests were led to safe areas.

The zoo's response team was quickly able to tranquilize Hantu shortly after his escape. He was fully sedated at 4:40 pm. He escaped around 4:15 pm.

He was brought to his night house and allowed to rest. The zoo says no one was injured in the incident.

Hantu's exhibit will be reviewed by zoo personnel. They believe a small hole in the stainless steel mesh above his enclosure likely allowed him to escape.

All gibbons will be off display while staff resolves the issue.