A wolf escaped from its enclosure at Tama Zoological Park in western Tokyo on Sunday morning, causing the facility to close. The animal was spotted shortly after opening and recaptured inside the park around 2:20 p.m. No injuries were reported among visitors who sheltered in safe areas.
Tama Zoological Park in Hino, western Tokyo, opened in 1958 and houses around 260 species from Japan and abroad. On Sunday, shortly after the 9:30 a.m. opening, a zookeeper spotted the European wolf on a public pathway. The escape was reported around 10 a.m., prompting the immediate closure of the facility.
Visitors already inside were urged to seek shelter in buildings and other safe spots, while new admissions were suspended for the day. The park did not reopen. The wolf was located and captured around 2:20 p.m. in a bushy area within the grounds.
According to NHK, the zoo keeps two wolves—a male and a female—but did not specify which one escaped. A 54-year-old man from Higashiyamato, Tokyo, who was visiting, told NHK: "As I saw police cars, I asked a zookeeper what was going on. I wonder how it escaped."
The cause of the escape has not been disclosed, drawing attention to the zoo's safety measures.
