Escaped London Zoo gorilla drank five litres of fruit cordial

The silverback gorilla whose "opportunistic exit" caused London Zoo to go into lockdown last week drank five litres of undiluted blackcurrant cordial during his escape, according to Professor David Field of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

Describing the animal's security breach as "less dramatic than some would have you believe", Field explained that Kumbuka made the escape through two unlocked doors into a corridor where a keeper was working. The member of staff was able to keep the animal calm.

"Thanks to the incredibly close bond and relationship shared by the zookeeper and Kumbuka, the zookeeper was able to continually reassure Kumbuka, talking to him calmly and in the same light-hearted tone he would always use, as he removed himself from the area," Field, ZSL's zoological director, wrote on the zoo's website.

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"Staff raised the alarm that triggered our standard escape response, while Kumbuka briefly explored the zookeeper area next door to his den, where he opened and drank five litres of undiluted blackcurrant squash.

"Kumbuka was immediately contained in the non-public area by quick-thinking zookeepers responding to the alarm, where he was tranquilised and moved back into his den."

Armed police were called to the zoo and visitors to the park were evacuated once it was safe to do so.

"I can certainly tell you that there were no broken locks, Kumbuka did not smash any windows, he was never 'on the loose', and his normal gorilla posturing reported by visitors earlier in the day was unrelated to the incident," said Field.

He added that the human error which facilitated the escape was rare and the risk of mechanical failure meant having an automated security system posed a "greater" threat.

Sir David Attenborough said he felt "deep, deep sympathy and sorrow" for Kumbuka. It was "hardly surprising", he added, that the gorilla made his bid for freedom given he is subjected to visitors watching him through a glass panel for up to ten hours a day.

A spokesperson for ZSL London Zoo responded by telling The Independent that Kumbuka and the rest of the gorillas are provided with "multiple choices" of where to spend time, including constant access to off-show dens and a secluded cave on their outdoor island.