Elephant Escapes Albuquerque Zoo Enclosure

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Albuquerque BioPark was briefly disrupted on Sunday morning when Alice, a 52-year-old elephant, escaped her enclosure and roamed the zoo grounds for about 90 minutes before being safely returned to her habitat. Zoo officials said Alice rammed and broke through a steel gate, then moved through the park, stopping for snacks and stepping over a bamboo-like fence before being located and brought back using the zoo's emergency protocols and daily elephant training procedures.

Why it matters

Elephant escapes from zoos, while rare, can pose serious risks to public safety and the animal's own wellbeing. The Albuquerque BioPark's quick response and use of established safety protocols helped resolve this incident without any injuries, demonstrating the importance of comprehensive emergency planning and daily animal training at zoos.

The details

According to zoo officials, Alice, a 52-year-old elephant, escaped her enclosure on Sunday morning by ramming and breaking through a steel gate. She then moved through the park, stopping to eat some snacks, before stepping over a bamboo-like fence. It took zoo workers about 90 minutes to locate Alice and bring her back to her habitat using their emergency plan and daily elephant recall training procedures.

• On Sunday morning, Alice escaped her enclosure at the Albuquerque BioPark.
• It took zoo workers about 90 minutes to locate and return Alice to her habitat.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Zoo officials said they have reinforced the sections of the enclosure where Alice escaped and reassessed the perimeter for any other potential weak points to prevent future incidents.