Man let zoo animals out of cages, Wisconsin cops say. An intern saved last escapee
The last animal let loose during a zoo break-in earlier this month is now back home in its enclosure at Ochsner Park Zoo in Wisconsin. Linda, a great horned owl, was found at a nearby garden.
Linda was the last of four escaped animals to return to the zoo after it was broken into, the Baraboo Parks Department said in a Facebook post.
During the night of June 6, a suspect broke into the zoo and opened some of the animal enclosures by cutting the locks off, reported Baraboo police. Two otters and two great horned owls escaped.
The otters — Mitch and Moe — were captured and returned to the zoo on the same day after being spotted by kayakers, police said. However, the owls remained on the loose.
On June 10, the zoo captured Jerry, the male owl, and brought him back. Jerry had two fractures in his wing, one of which may not fully heal, the parks department shared on Facebook.
After spotting the female owl in the area for weeks, the zoo intern managed to capture Linda and bring her back to the zoo on June 28. Officials said Linda was found in a garden near the zoo.
Now, “she will undergo a full vet exam and we will post updates and pictures as we have them,” the Baraboo Parks Department posted on Facebook. “Thanks for all your calls and help in locating Linda and Jerry and reuniting all our animals at the zoo.”
According to NBC 15, the person accused of breaking into the zoo was in custody in Indiana and cannot be extradited to Wisconsin.
Ochsner Park Zoo is about a two-hour drive from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This story was originally published June 29, 2022 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Man let zoo animals out of cages, Wisconsin cops say. An intern saved last escapee."
