Brookfield Zoo, located just outside of 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 more injured after a gunman opened fire from a rooftop on a Fourth of July parade.
Late Tuesday night, the zoo released a statement noting that staff members and visitors had been safely released home.
In a night 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 both hailed around 5 p.m. after the zoo police received a call from a crisis intervention line informing staff of a woman who called and threatened harm to zoo guests and to herself.
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The threat was enough to prompt a brief lockdown ahead of its 6 p.m. close time with patrons sheltering in place out of precaution. Authorities released everyone around 8 p.m. after it was determined there wasn’t a 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 is not in custody but the FBI had gotten involved after the threatening phone call.
“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.”
