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Valerio the jaguar likely escaped through 8-by-10-inch hole in woven stainless steel roof
https://www.nola.com/ ^ | 7/17/18 | Jennifer Larino

Posted on 07/17/2018 1:21:03 PM PDT by BBell

Valerio, the 3-year-old jaguar at Audubon Zoo who got out of his habitat and killed 9 animals on Saturday (July 15), is believed to have escaped through an 8-by-10-inch hole in the roof of his enclosure.

Audubon Zoo officials on Monday gave an update on their investigation into Valerio's escape, providing a detailed timeline of what zoo staff did once they discovered the jaguar was outside the habitat. Five alpacas, three foxes and an emu were attacked by the jaguar and died.

Officials believe Valerio bit through the enclosure roof's woven stainless steel fencing - a fact that a zoo official called surprising - to create the hole.

Zoo staff also do not know how long Valerio was out of his habitat. His escape was discovered at 7:20 a.m., when a staffer heard animals in distress and discovered Valerio in the fox pen. However, by that point he had apparently already attacked the alpacas and emu.

Valerio was fully sedated and inside a secure enclosure by 8:15 a.m. Here is the timeline of events during that period detailed by Burks.

7:20 a.m. - A zoo employee tasked with delivering animal diets to enclosures at Audubon Zoo approaches the Louisiana Swamp exhibit and hears "signs of animal distress." Burks said the employee looked through the fence of the zoo's fox enclosure and saw Valerio inside. He and a fellow employee immediately backed away and sought shelter inside.

7:22 a.m. - The employee sends a radio call to security staff saying a jaguar has escaped. The security staff started the zoo's animal escae protocol, which includes ensuring that everyone - including guests, if the zoo were open - takes shelter inside.

(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: audubonzoo; escaped; jaguar; neworleans; valerio; zoo
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It sounds like the escaped animal protocol worked well!

The escaped animal prevention.... not so well. Those folks really dropped the ball.

1 posted on 07/17/2018 1:21:03 PM PDT by BBell
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To: BBell

I remember going to Audubon Parkk Zoo as a kid. Most of the cages were very small, as I recall. There was this stir-crazy baboon who used to... Never mind.


2 posted on 07/17/2018 1:27:38 PM PDT by D_Idaho ("For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...")
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To: D_Idaho

It’s actually a very nice zoo now with nice “enclosures” (they don’t call them cages anymore). It’s one of the better run zoos in the country.


3 posted on 07/17/2018 1:32:06 PM PDT by BBell (Antifa are like house cats. One squirt from a squirt bottle and they scatter.)
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To: BBell

Best day of his life.


4 posted on 07/17/2018 1:33:15 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BBell
Jeezuz, can you believe this:
"A zoo employee tasked with delivering animal diets to enclosures"
How about this instead:
"A zookeeper feeding the animals"
These "reporters" must get paid by the word.
5 posted on 07/17/2018 1:33:50 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (MAGA in the mornin', MAGA in the evenin', MAGA at suppertime . . .)
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To: BenLurkin

He somehow missed the partridge in a pear tree.


6 posted on 07/17/2018 1:35:26 PM PDT by Husker8877
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To: BBell

Yes, I agree, a very nice zoo and I have been there many many times and stood by that exhibit.

Thank God the Zoo had not opened for the day.


7 posted on 07/17/2018 1:49:04 PM PDT by LouisianaJoanof Arc (#POTUS#Stable#Genius)
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To: BBell
"I'm still processing that the animal was able to bite through this woven stainless steel cable," said Kyle Burks, vice president and managing director of Audubon Zoo and Park.

It looks like chicken wire.


8 posted on 07/17/2018 1:51:36 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
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To: D_Idaho
There was this stir-crazy baboon who used to... Never mind.

I knew a Dutchman who used to sneak oranges rubbed in tuna into the zoo and toss them to the monkeys with predictable results. He thought it was hilarious.

9 posted on 07/17/2018 1:55:05 PM PDT by Quality_Not_Quantity (Capitalists sign their checks on the front. Socialists sign theirs on the back.)
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To: BBell

Must have been really hungry because libs tell us humans are the only ones that kill for sport.


10 posted on 07/17/2018 1:58:44 PM PDT by bigbob (Trust Sessions. Trust the Plan.)
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To: BBell

Any predator or any pest can fit its entire body through any hole that will allow its head to pass. Count on it. Evidently, some one at the zoo didn’t.


11 posted on 07/17/2018 2:02:09 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: yesthatjallen

That would be woven stainless steel chicken wire.


12 posted on 07/17/2018 2:02:57 PM PDT by BBell (Antifa are like house cats. One squirt from a squirt bottle and they scatter.)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: BenLurkin

He’ll tell his grand kids about it.


14 posted on 07/17/2018 2:03:55 PM PDT by BBell (Antifa are like house cats. One squirt from a squirt bottle and they scatter.)
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To: LouisianaJoanof Arc

My daughter said she and my grand girl are “friends” with him. Through the glass of course.


15 posted on 07/17/2018 2:05:17 PM PDT by BBell (Antifa are like house cats. One squirt from a squirt bottle and they scatter.)
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: ping jockey

I just looked it up and yes it was shot in New Orleans. part of it in the town I live in.


17 posted on 07/17/2018 2:08:19 PM PDT by BBell (Antifa are like house cats. One squirt from a squirt bottle and they scatter.)
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To: BBell
Clearly woven stainless steel chicken wire isn't good enough.

Was it ever tested or did someone just decide 'yeah, that'll work'?

18 posted on 07/17/2018 2:12:55 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
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To: BBell

It’s such a beautiful zoo. Yes, I have stood at that glass with my kids and grandkids many times through the years.


19 posted on 07/17/2018 2:17:59 PM PDT by LouisianaJoanof Arc (#POTUS#Stable#Genius)
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To: BBell

I remember reading that jaguars have the strongest bite force of any of the big cats - sounds like this chain link fence wasn’t nearly strong enough to hold him in.


20 posted on 07/17/2018 2:19:11 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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