--- description: A gorilla escaped from its enclosure inside a London zoo on Thursday, prompting a visitor lockdown and the presence of heavily armed police. title: Gorilla Recaptured After Escape from Enclosure at London Zoo image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bb848a4f45dd312/6988aa08524fc0e973df9dc0/london-zoo-gorilla.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Gorilla Recaptured After Escape from Enclosure at London Zoo  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2016 9:26 PM CUT  The male western lowland gorilla Kumbuka in a photo from Jan. 2, 2014\. Kumbuka escaped from his enclosure, putting the London Zoo on lockdown on Oct. 13, 2016. The male western lowland gorilla Kumbuka in a photo from Jan. 2, 2014\. Kumbuka escaped from his enclosure, putting the London Zoo on lockdown on Oct. 13, 2016.Steve Parsons—PA Wire/Press Association Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 13, 2016 9:26 PM CUT A [gorilla escaped](http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article%5F2016-10-13-EU--Britain-Gorilla%20Escape/id-926ca944af8c4b1984fdd28ff7123132 "undefined") from its enclosure inside a London zoo on Thursday, prompting a visitor lockdown and the presence of heavily armed police. Kumbuka, the 18-year-old male silverback gorilla, was tranquilized by veterinarians and was returned to his den, where he is now “awake and well,” the Zoological Society of London’s London Zoo said in a [statement](https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/gorilla-at-zsl-london-zoo "undefined"). The animal stayed inside an area that is not open to the public during the entirety of his brief breakout about 5 p.m. local time. It is unclear how he managed to leave his exhibit. The zoo said the incident is under investigation. Rob Hogan, a guest at the zoo, told the [_Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/13/gorilla-reported-to-have-escaped-at-london-zoo "undefined") he had just snapped a photo of the gorillas, without using flash, moments before an alert sounded throughout the facility. “The animals were playing and the big silverback was swinging on a rope,” Hogan said. “I took the picture and, one or two seconds after, he jumped and hit the glass, which shook the glass and the ground.” Kumbuka leads a colony of at least five other gorillas at the zoo, according to its [website](https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/exhibits/gorilla-kingdom "undefined"). There were no immediate reports of injuries. Malcolm Fitzpatrick, curator of mammals at the zoo, told the _Guardian_ that there were about 100 guests inside the zoo during the incident. The zoo will be open on Friday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4530794/gorilla-escape-london-zoo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4530794/gorilla-escape-london-zoo/"},"headline":"Gorilla Recaptured After Escape from Enclosure at London Zoo","datePublished":"2016-10-13T21:26:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:37:39.330Z","description":"The 18-year-old silverback gorilla is “awake and well\" after being tranquilized","url":"https://time.com/4530794/gorilla-escape-london-zoo/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bb848a4f45dd312/6988aa08524fc0e973df9dc0/london-zoo-gorilla.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4bb848a4f45dd312/6988aa08524fc0e973df9dc0/london-zoo-gorilla.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gorilla escapes from London Zoo enclosure","caption":"Gorilla escapes from London Zoo enclosure. File photo dated 02/01/14 of male western lowland gorilla Kumbuka who escaped from his enclosure putting London Zoo on lock-down. Issue date: Thursday October 13, 2016. 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