A female sea lion escaped from the New York’s Central Park Zoo on Friday after heavy rains caused her pool to overflow. The sea lion was then able to swim out of her flooded pool and roam around the area before she was returned to her enclosure and reunited with the two other sea lions.
According to the news release from Jim Breheny, the executive vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoos and Aquariums, the staff had been monitoring the sea lion’s safety until she could be returned to her habitat. No staff or visitors were in any danger, and the sea lion remained in the confines of the zoo during her entire adventure.
The Central Park Zoo, along with the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium were all closed on Friday because of the record setting rainfall. Staff at the zoos remained on premises to make sure all of the animals were safe.
The sea lion, a California species native to the West Coast, is protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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