Zoo Atlanta evacuated due to bomb threat hoax over the weekend, officials say

A bomb threat led to the evacuation of Zoo Atlanta over the weekend, officials say.

In a statement, zoo officials said that they received the threat late Saturday afternoon and evacuated all guests and team members from the grounds.

Officials believe the incident may have been part of a series of threats made to zoos across the country in recent months. Over the weekend, at least five other zoos received either active shooter or bomb threats, CBS News affiliates report. All of the threats, including the one at Zoo Atlanta, turned out to be hoaxes.

A zoo employee who didn't want to be named told CBS News Atlanta that the Atlanta Police Department brought bomb-sniffing dogs onto the property to search for any possible explosives.

"We only came up with a code for bomb threat in the last couple of weeks because of what's been happening with the other zoos around the country, and we didn't think we would actually have to use it," said the employee.

Authorities have not shared more details about the nature of the threat or any updates to a possible investigation.