Mystery animal delays Greenville Zoo opening
Cleveland Park was closed as Greenville police, firefighters and zoo staff worked to contain an unidentified animal inside the zoo walls.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
An animal got out of its exhibit at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina on Thursday morning, forcing the zoo to delay its opening and prompting officials to close nearby Cleveland Park to the public.
The City of Greenville confirmed the delayed opening, while Greenville police, firefighters and zoo personnel responded to the incident. Officials said the animal remained inside the zoo’s walls while crews worked to contain it.
The city and the zoo had not publicly identified the animal Thursday morning, according to reports from UPI and Fox Carolina.
Park closed, public kept back
In a statement provided to WYFF-TV, the zoo said Cleveland Park and the Greenville Zoo were temporarily shut while staff and first responders handled an animal that had left its exhibit.
The zoo said Greenville police and firefighters were at the scene to keep members of the public at a safe distance. No injuries were reported in the available information.
The closure affected both the zoo and Cleveland Park, which sits around the facility. Officials did not give a reopening time in the information released Thursday morning.
Camp families told to stay away
The incident also reached families connected to a day camp at the zoo. UPI reported that a parent whose child attends the camp received an emergency message Thursday morning.
The message told “Jr. Zoologist” families that there was an emergency at the Greenville Zoo and said children who had already been dropped off were in Brook’s playground. Families were asked to stay away from the zoo until further notice.
The message said updates would follow as soon as possible.
Animal still not named
The central detail remained unanswered Thursday morning: what animal left its exhibit.
Neither the City of Greenville nor the Greenville Zoo had released the animal’s identity in the information cited by UPI. Fox Carolina also reported that police responded to an animal-related call near the zoo.
Zoo officials described the situation as contained within the zoo grounds, with first responders on scene. The public was told to keep away while the response continued.
The Greenville Zoo did not provide further details in the available reports about how the animal left its exhibit, what exhibit it came from or whether the escape damaged any enclosure.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.