Orangutan escapes from enclosure at Perth Zoo – video
Plucky ape mingled with visitors and climbed on bars before zookeepers lured her away
An orangutan broke out of her enclosure at an Australian zoo to mingle with visitors, with her astonishing exploits captured on camera.
The video footage shows Teliti, a five-year-old orangutan, putting the 'ape' into 'Great Escape' by vaulting the outer wall of the enclosure at Perth Zoo and clambering down to the ground.
As she scampers down a footpath alongside bemused families, some intrepid visitors flock around and even try to touch her but most steer well clear as she swings along the bars surrounding her enclosure.
Like many prison escapees before her, however, Teliti found it impossible to keep a low profile on the outside for long. Zookeepers were quickly able to lure her into a secured area, before returning her to her family in the enclosure.
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The extraordinary footage was captured by enterprising 12-year-old Reilly Lovegrove, who was visiting the zoo with his sister.
"Considering how strong they are and how they could actually pull someone's arm off, we were pretty scared," he told the West Australian. However, if Reilly appears perfectly calm in the clip, it could be attributed to the fact that this isn't his first rodeo. Strangely, he had already witnessed an orangutan jailbreak during a previous visit to Perth Zoo. "This is the second time I have seen an orangutan escape. The last time was in 2009," he said.
Perth Zoo officials confirmed that Teliti had briefly left her enclosure but stressed that no one had been hurt during her impromptu visit to the outside world. The zoo's official Twitter account joked that, like other errant five-year-olds, Teliti would now be sent to the "naughty corner".
