Escaped antelopes returned safely to Welsh zoo

March 26 (UPI) -- A controversial Welsh zoo said two African antelopes that escaped from the facility were safely recaptured by Thursday morning.

The Borth Wild Animal Kingdom in Aberystwyth, which revealed Wednesday that two lechwe, a male and a female, had escaped from the facility, said the male antelope was returned to the zoo "safe and well" Wednesday evening.

Officials said the female antelope was located near the zoo Thursday morning.

"Once we had eyes on the female we were able to construct a plan of approach which successfully allowed the female to wonder into a secure area of the zoo on her own free will," the zoo's management team said. "At which point a second plan was discussed and carried out with the priority of minimizing any stress to the animal. The female Lechwe is now back in its secure enclosure with the other two Lechwe."

The Borth Wild Animal Kingdom was ordered to close in January when the local government determined the zoo did not have proper security procedures in place to handle an animal escape. The facility was allowed to reopen in February, but has since closed again due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The zoo previously made headlines in 2017 when an escaped lynx was shot and killed by a marksman. It later emerged that one in five of the zoo's animals died due to various circumstances during 2018.