I was walking down the main alley of our zoo, carefully checking the information signs, when I suddenly heard loud screams. At first, I thought a child had simply fallen or gotten lost in the crowd, but the noise grew louder and soon turned into a real panic. I immediately ran towards the sound and froze on the spot when I saw a scene that would be a nightmare for any employee. A huge adult lion was running down the main alley, right among the visitors, causing wild terror in those around.
People were scattering in panic in all directions, trying to find any shelter from the predator. Mothers grabbed their children and hid behind a newspaper kiosk, trembling with fear. A father quickly pushed his wife and two small children into the nearest souvenir shop and slammed the door shut.
An elderly couple froze by the enclosure of the zebras, afraid to even move lest they attract the beast’s attention. The lion hadn’t touched anyone yet, but the situation was on the verge of disaster.
I grabbed my walkie-talkie and shouted into it, demanding the immediate evacuation of visitors and an urgent call for a team of veterinarians with tranquilizers. Then I rushed to the lion’s enclosure to understand how this could have possibly happened in our zoo.
The massive metal doors of the enclosure were wide open, and the electronic lock was hanging on its hinges, clearly broken. I remembered that about ten or fifteen minutes ago, the fire alarm had sounded throughout the territory due to a malfunction in the technical building.
All the employees ran to check if something serious had happened, and the automatic locks probably failed due to a sudden power surge in the network.
Atlas, that was our lion’s name, must have just pushed the door with his paw, and it gave way, granting him a freedom he had never even dreamed of. I ran out after him and saw that the lion was not running towards the main exit, where the frightened visitors had gathered, but in the opposite direction, towards the service area.
The gates for feed delivery were open there today, and I realized with horror: if Atlas breaks through them onto the city streets, the consequences will be unpredictable…
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