Orangutans at Denver Zoo briefly escape from enclosure

There’s a reason the animals at the zoo are locked in their habitats, but it doesn’t stop me from daydreaming about getting to play with a super nice orangutan. A “malfunction” at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance on Wednesday got the primates as close as they’ll likely ever get to freedom.

“Basically, they were able to access the hallway in their behind-the-scenes area, but again, that was still behind a heavy, locked gate, so there was never any scenario where they were able to access any other parts of the building or get outside of their habitat,” said Jake Kubie, spokesperson for the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.

Staff followed protocol by putting out a “code red,” indicating there’s an incident with a “dangerous animal.” Out of caution, he said, staff anesthetized some of the orangutans to bring them back to the enclosure.

Zoo staff blamed the incident on a malfunction that led to a door opening between the orangutans’ sleeping area and the staff hallway. The malfunction is being investigated. Kubie described the incident as rare, but said zoo staff were still prepared to handle it.

The zoo is home to six orangutans, including a two-year old baby.