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State Investigating Tampa Busch Ape's Brief Escape

File photo submitted by Allyson Jackovics

An orangutan shown lounging in the new Jungala exhibit when it opened in April.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 19, 2008

TAMPA - State wildlife investigators were to be at Busch Gardens today to find out how an orangutan busted out of the new Jungala exhibit Saturday.

The primate was captured almost immediately, and no spectators were injured.

The female Bornean orangutan scaled the exhibit's 12-foot barrier. All the spectators were evacuated immediately, park officials said.

The 10-year-old, 85-pound ape remained calm throughout the incident, officials said, and keepers lured the animal to its night quarters with treats.

It was the second simian escape in the Tampa Bay area in a month. The first was at Polk County's fledgling Safari Wild preserve in April. That's when 15 patas monkeys swam a moat and scaled a wall to gain their freedom.

Thirteen of those monkeys remain in the wilds of northern Polk County.

A female patas and her offspring were trapped within a few days of their escape. Zoologists are feeding the remaining absconders, hoping to get them to relax and let their guard down so they can be trapped as a group.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators were expected to be at the park today to find out what happened, agency spokesman Gary Morse said this morning.

Park officials say it was not a case of human error.

Jungala, a 4-acre attraction set in the Congo area of the park, opened in April and features an up-close experience with exotic animals. There also are rides and live entertainment.

Park officials called the exhibit the "most ambitious park enhancement project to date."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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