Brookfield Zoo, just outside Chicago, went under lockdown and had visitors shelter in place Tuesday night after the facility’s crisis line flagged a phone call threatening violence, the zoo’s police said.
The scare comes on the heels of a mass shooting in nearby Chicago suburb Highland Park, where seven people were killed and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire on a Fourth of July parade from a rooftop.
Late Tuesday, the zoo released a statement noting that staff members and visitors had been sent home safely.
In a news conference, police said 50 officers from combined departments executed a “methodical” sweep of the 216-acre property. Police departments from Brookfield and Riverside were hailed around 5 p.m. local time after the zoo police received a call from a crisis intervention line informing staff of a woman who called and threatened to harm zoo guests and herself.
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The threat was enough to prompt a brief lockdown ahead of its 6 p.m. close time patrons sheltered in place out of precaution. Authorities released everyone around 8 p.m. after it was determined there was no threat.
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“In light of the Highland Park shooting, we wanted to do everything in our power to keep our zoo and animals safe,” Mike Pendola, chief of police for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, said in the news conference. He noted the caller was not in custody but the FBI had gotten involved.
“Our main priority is the safety of our guests, staff and animals. We are extremely grateful for the partnership and incredible collective response we received to this situation. We find comfort in knowing that our well-trained police officers and partners provide for a very safe environment at Brookfield Zoo.”
