The dog is a male shepherd, with no microchip. He will be placed on stray hold as the Humane Society searches for his owner.
ESCONDIDO, Calif. — A dog was safely removed from inside of a gorilla enclosure at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Sunday. The scary moment was captured on camera by CBS 8 viewers visiting the park.
After entering the enclosure, the shepherd was quickly spotted by a gorilla inside the exhibit. Desteniey Pickett told CBS 8 her family noticed the dog running around distressed as the gorilla began to chase it around the enclosure.
Picket said no zookeeper was around when they noticed the dog and guests began to yell for help. She said visitors began to gather around the enclosure and yell the gorilla’s name, attempting to distract it from the scared dog.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park staff were able to safely remove the shepherd from the exhibit.
The San Diego Human Society told CBS 8 that at around 6:30 p.m., three SD Humane Society humane officers responded to the incident.
“As soon as zoo staff saw the dog, they moved the gorillas out. Our Humane Officers were able to move in and safely leash the shepherd and bring him back to our Escondido Campus for evaluation,” the SD Humane Society said.
The dog is a male shepherd, with no microchip and will be placed on stray hold as the Humane Society searches for his owner.
The Humane Society said the San Diego Safari Park staff believe the dog had wandered into the park on his own and accessed the gorilla enclosure before he was noticed.
“We are so glad no one was hurt,” the Humane Society said.
CBS 8 spoke to representatives for the San Diego Zoo but have yet to receive a statement.
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