


The orangutan exhibit at the Toronto Zoo has been closed to the public indefinitely after the male Kembali fled this week.
On Thursday, he got out and entered an area just outside the exhibit before being apprehended and returned there by zoo staff. Nearby guests were evacuated during the incident, the zoo said in a release.
The zoo posted a video on X Saturday of Kembali climbing on and around a tower structure during his escape.
The staff’s preliminary theory is that Kembali was on a tower at the southern end of the orangutan exhibit when he swung in a motion similar to a cartwheel from a rope and got around a hot wire close to the top.
From there, he grabbed a steel bracket and climbed down the tower, zoo officials said on X.
Seven Sumatran orangutans are at the zoo. Their exhibit, which opened in June 2023, will stay closed as the Toronto Zoo consults with international experts to determine what modifications will help avoid a similar escape.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.