Chimpanzees escape enclosure at Kansas City Zoo prompting 'Code Red' call

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 11 (UPI) -- Seven chimpanzees were on the loose for more than an hour after they were able to use a tree branch to escape from their enclosure at the Kansas City Zoo.

The escaped animals prompted zoo officials to declare a "Code Red" situation.

“Chimps are so smart,” zoo director Randy Wisthoff told the Kansas City Star.

"One of our chimpanzees was able to break roughly a six-foot tree limb that was then used as a ladder to climb on top of the outdoor enclosure wall. That chimp then enticed six other chimps to join the first chimp," Kansas City Zoo spokeswoman Julie Neemeyer said in a statement. "The chimps never left zoo grounds, nor did they ever leave the immediate exhibit area."

Zoo staffers were able to get the chimps back into their enclosure by tempting them with treats.

“It was almost their dinnertime already,” Wisthoff said.

The largest of the “jailbreakers” weighed about 150 pounds.

The chimp exhibit is closed so that zoo employees can “check for any additional tree limbs that could quite possibly create any issues," Neemeyer said.

[Kansas City Star] [ABC News]