Elephant escapes Vietnam zoo for highway

By Dac Thanh   November 26, 2024 | 10:21 pm PT
Elephant escapes Vietnam zoo for highway
Police officers block a section of Vo Chi Cong Road after an elephan escaped a zoo in Quang Nam Province, Nov. 26, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh
An elephant escaped from a zoo onto a national highway in central Quang Nam Province on Tuesday, disrupting traffic.

The elephant escaped from the zoo in Thang Binh District and ran out on Vo Chi Cong Street at around 11 a.m. It later entered the National Highway 14E from an intersection. Zoo employees tried to use fruits to entice the elephant to return, but were later forced to follow the animal for monitoring.

An elephant roams a road after escaping from a zoo in Quang Nam, Nov. 26, 2024. Video by VnExpress/Dac Thanh

Police of Thang Binh District deployed barriers to block the roads where the elephants got on, ensuring traffic safety. At around 3:30 p.m., after traveling for around 6 km, the elephant decided to follow a mahout and got back to the zoo after an hour.

An official of the Quang Nam forest protection department said the elephant, weighing 4 tons, was gifted to the zoo on Monday. As it had not been able to get used to the new environment, it broke free from the cage and escaped.

"It got out, but it was very docile. When the mahout sat on it, it was willing to follow instructions," the official said, adding that authorities are discussing with the zoo to try and figure out why the elephant escaped, as well as measures to prevent it from happening again.

 
 
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