Sea Lion Escapes Central Park Zoo Enclosure During New York City Flooding

A sea lion in Central Park got a chance to experience life outside of its normal habitat on Friday.

Amid the flash floods caused by the stormy rains that fell in New York City, Sally—a sea lion at the Central Park Zoo in the heart of Manhattan—saw her way out of her enclosure, swimming around to visit a new area of ​​the popular attraction.

Zoo officials “supervised” Sally during her research, according to a statement from Jim Breheny, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s executive vice president of zoos and aquariums. She was seen splashing around in the outdoor area before joining two sea lions in their pool.

Cheetah Gretchen briefly escaped from her enclosure at the Omaha Zoo

Sally the sea lion at the Central Park Zoo in New York.

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“None of the staff or visitors were in danger, and the sea lion remained inside the zoo, never breaching the zoo’s secondary perimeter,” said Karen Dugan — who works at the Arsenal, headquarters of NYC Parks and Central Park Zoo. The New York Times.

“When we got to the Arsenal, everything was pretty flooded,” Sally recalled watching from a distance with her co-workers. “We watched him explore around the enclosure and then go back inside.”

The Central Park Zoo is part of the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks, which also includes the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium.

By 3 p.m. local time, the floodwaters began to recede and all the animals were safe and found.

A sea lion found on a busy California highway 4 miles from the ocean is returning to the sea after recovering

Central Park Zoo.

Noam Galai/Getty

However, news of Sally’s adventure quickly spread on social media, prompting officials to continue to clarify that everything was under control.

“The videos you see are from earlier today! Flood @centralparkzoo pulled it a few hours ago!” Monica Medinapresident and CEO of The Wildlife Conservation Society, posted on X Friday.

“During the flood, neither people nor animals were endangered. The sea lions are safe and back in their enclosure and we will be monitoring them throughout the night. @JimBreheny and our team is on top of the situation,” she continued.

Her tweet got a repost from the Central Park Zoo.

Breheny also thanked the NYPD’s Central Park Division for addressing “misleading and inaccurate” videos circulating of “escaped zoo animals.”

“Thank you @NYPDCentralPark for helping us set the record straight!” he chirped.

“After a brief survey of the flooded plaza inside the zoo, Sally the sea lion returned to her enclosure, the floodwaters receded and all is well @centralparkzoo with our sea lions all certainly pleased with their display,” added Breheny.

His post contained video of sea lions climbing a large rock that rose above the floodwaters.

Floods in New York.

ED JONES/AFP via Getty

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Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in New York City due to extreme flooding on Friday. He urged residents to shelter in place during bad weather.

AP News called it “one of the city’s rainiest days in decades,” noting that subway and light rail lines were affected, drivers were stranded on roads and basements flooded.

Rain is expected to start falling again on Saturday morning.

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Source: HIS Education