A zookeeper dressed as a zebra plays the role of escaped animal in an emergency drill conducted at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A zebra has escaped from its enclosure in a Japanese zoo, giving one keeper a heart attack and injuring another – or that was the apparent outcome of a drill aimed at dealing with runaway animals.

Runaway zebra drill at Tokyo zoo – in pictures Read more

The zebra – actually a zoo staff member dressed up in a furry suit – supposedly bolted from a cage at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo after an earthquake destroyed its enclosure. It then wandered around before ramming into a wall and sending a keeper to hospital with a heart attack.

After injuring another keeper, the zebra was subdued with a fake stun gun and bundled on to a nearby pickup truck, as curious zoo visitors looked on, laughing and taking photos.

“The zebra is an animal that easily panics,” said Yumi Tamura, 27, who dressed as the zebra but usually cares for gorillas and monkeys.

“I myself felt panicky when acting it out,” she told reporters.

Past simulations at Tokyo’s city-run zoos have featured faux gorillas, rhinos, lions and orangutans making a break for freedom. “Every year, a keeper plays the role of an escaping animal,” said an Ueno zoo spokesman. “They know how the animals would act.”