NEW YORK, NY – Heavy rain in New York’s Central Park resulted in a momentary escape of a female sea lion from her enclosure at the Central Park Zoo on Friday. The pool she shares with two other sea lions flooded, allowing her a short spell of freedom.
The sea lion swam out of the flooded pool and roamed the surrounding area before voluntarily returning to her enclosure, confirmed Jim Breheny, executive vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoos and Aquarium. Zoo staff kept tabs on the animal during her brief absence.
Water levels in the pool have since returned to normal, and all sea lions are back in their respective enclosures, according to an official release. “No staff or visitors were in danger and the sea lion remained inside the zoo, never breaching the zoo’s secondary perimeter,” Breheny stated.
The Central Park Zoo, part of the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks, was closed Friday morning along with other facilities such as the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium. The Wildlife Conservation Society made this decision in light of severe weather warnings.
New York is under a state of emergency due to record-setting rainfall, affecting not only wildlife but also causing floods in basements, schools, and subways. “We had closed our four zoos and aquarium this morning so staff could focus on the animals and our facilities during the storm,” said Breheny.
Animal care staff will continue to closely monitor all animals and conditions for the duration of the weather event.