A fallen tree allowed four hyenas to briefly escape their enclosure at Planckendael Zoo in Muizen, near Mechelen, a spokesperson for the zoo has confirmed.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning before the park was open to the public. Police from Mechelen, following standard procedure, arrived at the site where they found that a large, dead tree had fallen on the hyenas’ enclosure, forming a makeshift bridge to a nearby path.
“There were no visitors in the park at the time so no one was in danger,” Segers said. Caretakers managed to locate the animals quickly. With the strong bond between the hyenas and their carers, the animals safely and swiftly returned to their habitat.
Planckendael Zoo strives to regularly check the condition of their trees. However, they acknowledged that in such a heavily wooded area, the falling of a tree can never be entirely ruled out. Following a thorough inspection of the entire surroundings, the park opened its doors as usual at 10am.
