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Elephant Breaks Out of New Zealand Zoo

Posted on: Friday, 23 January 2004, 06:00 CST

An Auckland Zoo elephant named Burma disrupted rush-hour traffic when it staged a breakout Friday, dropping a large log on an electric fence before marching out to munch leaves and grass at a nearby park, zoo officials said.

Burma spent 25 minutes on the loose in Western Springs Park next to the zoo while police and fire fighters closed nearby roads and onramps to the city's busy northwestern highway as a precaution.

The breakout began when the 21-year-old, 2.5-ton (2.8 U.S. ton) Asian elephant broke the electric fence's circuits by dropping the large log, Zoo director Glen Holland said. Burma then climbed into a moat and walked along the zoo fence. Next, she lifted a large gate from its hinges and walked into the adjacent park.

Holland said passers-by notified the zoo that the elephant was outside her enclosure and four elephant keepers were at the scene within minutes.

Police said they closed off the highway and other roads around the perimeter of the 8.1 hectare (20 acre) park as a precaution.

"(It was) more to stop people and keep them away from the animal, we surely weren't in a position to stop it going out," Inspector Alan Wright said.

"It's gone for a walk and after 25 minutes with a bit of coaxing from the handler it's walked back in and it's been put away, where it should be," he said.

Peter Calder saw the elephant as he walked through the park, and with his wife tried to prevent the elephant walking into the open park.

"She was shifting from foot to foot and we were talking to her, and when she decided she'd had enough of that she just advanced on us ... in no way threateningly or aggressively. She just started ambling out ... so (we) retreated," he told National Radio.

The zoo's elephant team then walked her back to her enclosure where she was reunited with the zoo's other elephant, Kashin.

Holland said Burma was "a little shaken and both the girls were clearly happy to be reunited."

Holland said work will begin shortly to strengthen the fence systems.

"Over the next few days staff will be particularly vigilant to ensure that Burma does not attempt to re-enact her escapade," he added.

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