A contractor at Taronga Zoo was given an early morning surprise when he spotted a cheeky chimpanzee sitting calmly outside its enclosure.
The man alerted authorities just before 6am on Thursday, and they leapt into action and activated the zoo’s emergency response unit.
But the chimp simply let himself back inside the exhibit, within minutes, and no intervention was required.
“The chimp is safe and well and is being monitored by our specialist keepers and vets,” a statement from the zoo read.
“Taronga has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident. All people on site were immediately directed to enter secure areas until the situation was resolved.”
An investigation is now under way to determine how the chimp escaped. Taronga’s chimp troop would remain off display until then, the zoo said.
“Taronga is pleased to report that all people and animals, including the adventurous chimp, are all safe,” the statement read.
The zoo remains open.
