The Baton Rouge Zoo was forced to close to the public temporarily Tuesday after a small antelope escaped its enclosure, zoo officials said.
Zoo spokeswoman Robyn Lott said a male Nile lechwe got startled and lunged out of its exhibit about 10:35 a.m., breaking a portion of the exhibit's railing in the process.
The staff was able to sedate the animal by 10:47 a.m. and taken to an off-exhibit holding area about 11:15 a.m., Lott said.
"He was taken to his off-exhibit holding area at around 11:15 a.m," Lott said in a news release about the incident.
"The lechwe will remain off exhibit until further evaluation of the exhibit can take place," Lott said in a news release, adding that repairs to the exhibit are already underway.
It will likely take more than three years for the Baton Rouge Zoo to reclaim its cherished accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The zoo was closed from 10:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., and zoo patrons were shepherded to safe spaces during the escape, Lott said. No injuries to staff or visitors were reported.
"The ongoing training for these types of situations certainly paid off and the zoo is pleased with the extremely quick response, containment and return of the animal to safety," Lott said.
The zoo lost its 40-year-old accreditation last year due to antiquated exhibits and infrastructure. The list of other concerns the accrediting agency noted included worries about three animal escapes within a 16-month period and several high-profile animal deaths in recent years.
Zoo officials have said a multimillion dollar revamp of the zoo's outdated facilities will be required in order to regain recognition, a process that will take a period of years to play out. The revamp is in the preliminary stages of development.
A 15-pound gibbon escaped its exhibit at the Baton Rouge Zoo on Friday, zoo spokesperson Robyn Lott has confirmed.