Storm frees six African birds from Oakland Zoo aviary

March 23 (UPI) -- A California zoo said six birds escaped from their enclosure when a tree fell onto the mesh surrounding the animals' aviary.

The Oakland Zoo said in an Instagram post that a severe storm Tuesday caused several trees to fall on zoo grounds, and one of the trees fell directly onto the facility's newest African Savanna aviary.

The tree tore open the mesh, allowing six birds to fly out of the enclosure.

The zoo did not identify the species of birds that escaped, but said none of them "pose a threat to the public, other zoo animals or our native wildlife."

"Our animal care team has been taking non-stop shifts to retrieve all six birds, which have chosen to stay nearby -- none have left zoo grounds," the post said. "We're receiving help from a local bird rescue organization, and we're confident we'll be able to recover all 6 soon."