Routine Zoo Drill Leads To Panic After False Rumor Of Escaped Jaguar
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AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A routine drill at an Ohio zoo turned to panic after someone misheard chatter on a police scanner and believed a jaguar had escaped from the Akron Zoo.
People turned to social media to say the jaguar named Bella was on the loose and Akron's police SWAT team had responded along with zookeepers armed with tranquilizers. The Akron Beacon Journal reports this was not true and the reported escape was just a drill to train for potential animal escapes.
During the drill itself, the role of escaped ferocious creature was played by a zookeeper carrying a picture of a jaguar and mimicking the movements of the cat.
Zoo officials say they fielded calls and calmed residents, and also took to social media to set the record straight.
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