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Summary Visitors to the zoo took refuge in the cafe and chimpanzee enclosure.
A runaway bull caused pandemonium at Edinburgh Zoo on Monday after it escaped from its enclosure and enjoyed 40 minutes of freedom on top of Corstorphine Hill.Visitors to the zoo took refuge in the cafe and chimpanzee enclosure as zookeepers armed with stun guns chased the animal after it made its bid for freedom.The 600kg Heck bull, which has three-foot curved horns, managed to escape from its enclosure before being subdued by a tranquilliser dart shot by a keeper.A spokeswoman for the zoo said keepers had managed to subdue the bull after 40 minutes.She said: “An adult Heck cattle bull escaped from its enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo for 40 minutes. It stayed within the locality of the enclosure. Edinburgh Zoo visitors were immediately escorted to indoor areas in the zoo. “Edinburgh Zoo’s trained team of expert keepers and veterinarians safely and effectively darted the animal. “Staff are establishing the circumstances of the escape, and have secured the area . We regret any inconvenience this caused and our visitor services staff will respond to any queries related to this.”Three bull and nine female Heck cattle arrived at the zoo from Devon in 2009 and are located in a field near the top of the hill on which the zoo sits. Yesterday, visitors to the zoo spoke about the lockdown.Michaella Nicholson tweeted: “We can’t believe we were stuck in the chimp enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo after a bull got out.”Computer scientist Richard Dean, who was on a trip to mark his wedding anniversary managed to capture film of the incident. He described being rounded up and taken to the cafeteria where he watched men with guns running up the hill. Later the visitors to the zoo were evacuated to the gift shop, which he said was doing “a roaring trade”.The footage shot by Mr Dean shows families in an enclosure where they had been watching an animal show. A member of staff tells them: “If it does get any closer we will have to move indoors.”At that moment, half a dozen cattle can be seen running across a field behind the enclosure.The escaped bull then wanders into shot as a member of the zoo staff yells at Mr Dean to sit down. He can be heard saying on the soundtrack: “That one looks quite angry.”The escape comes exactly a week after zoo staff recaptured an ibis that had spent several days on the loose.The scarlet ibis known as Cherry, flew off after a squirrel chewed through its cage.In May, hundreds of visitors to the zoo had to seek shelter after a family of hogs escaped from keepers and ran amok.Guests who took refuge in the monkey house described how zoo staff armed with sweeping brushes and dart guns pursued the red river hogs through the park. After a drama lasting more than an hour, the two 200lb hogs were shot with tranquilliser darts and captured unharmed.In June last year, a gelada baboon sneaked past an electric fence and enjoyed ten minutes of freedom.
