Zookeepers In Japan Zoo Hold Escape Drill In Front Of Real Lions
How would zookeepers handle a rogue lion?
Tobe Zoo in Ehime Japan is always prepared for emergencies.
On 22 June, their escape drill featured a lion mascot that “escaped” from the zoo as real lions witnessed the attempt. Here’s the full video.
As the wildlife drama ensued, the lions were left unfazed by the mascot’s dramatic imitation. Let’s take a look at what went down.
Zookeepers protect guests
The first priority is to keep guests safe so the drill began with zookeepers ushering them to a safe area.
Zookepers then placed nets to protect visitors from the eventual onslaught.
Never watched an escape drill in real-life? You’re not alone, but we don’t think anyone expected a lion mascot to make an entrance.
Fake lion fights back
The lion mascot evaluated the premises and planned his escape — cue spy music playing in the background).
Unfortunately, the zookeepers acted fast and successfully placed nets to trap the animal.
A lion roaming free is obviously dangerous, so the mascot played his part by bumping on the net.
The force of the impact was so strong that the zookeeper was left ‘unconscious’.
Finally, an escape attempt is never complete without a lone van tracking you down.
A white van secretly cruised through the road with a zookeeper that carried a tranquilizer gun. The lion noticed the van a second too late and shots were fired.
Lions left unimpressed
The camera then panned to the lions who watched the escape — they were hilariously unimpressed.
The fake lion was then shot and dramatically fell to the ground.
Safety always comes first. The zookeepers poked the lion to make sure he wasn’t playing dead.
We haven’t seen a real lion attempt an escape, but this hilarious pair of lionesses believes that the performance was pretty ‘meh’.
The escape attempt ended once the zookeepers trapped the lion in a net.
We’re curious to know what the lions actually think of the drill. They might be plotting a counter-attack after discovering how the zookeepers would react to their potential escape.
Singapore Zoo escape drill please!
Anything can happen inside a zoo which takes care of all animals, both big and small.
But what’s surprising about the life of a zookeeper is that they definitely take their job seriously, and also know how to have a little fun while practicing safety precautions if an animal goes on the loose.
Perhaps the Singapore Zoo also has a similar practice that we aren’t privy to?
If this is how our zookeepers prepare, then we definitely want a front row seat and some popcorn.
Featured image from YouTube.
