Toronto Zoo says orangutan used ‘cartwheel-like motion’ to escape habitat

The Toronto Zoo says it has figured out how one of its orangutans managed to escape its outdoor habitat earlier this week.

On Friday the zoo said Kembali managed to access an area just outside of its habitat Thursday evening. Staff were able to clear guests from the area quickly and police were on standby in the parking lot before the male primate was returned to the habitat without incident.

After reviewing video footage and photographs zoo officials say Kembali managed to use a cartwheel-like motion to swing from a rope that was on one of the towers at the south end of the outdoor habitat, bypassing a secondary barrier near the top of the tower before grabbing a steel bracket under the platform and climbing down the tower.

“We want to thank the many guests and Zoo members who sent us video and photographs from the orangutan habitat as they have been instrumental in helping us better understand how Kembali, the male orangutan was able to climb down the tower and access the area just outside the habitat,” the zoo said in a statement on Saturday.

The zoo says it is consulting with international experts to determine what modifications are required before reopening the outdoor habitat.