Escaped gibbon forces zoo into emergency lock down

'At no time were any visitors, animals or team members in any danger'

A male siamang inflates his throat sac to ward off predators (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)

A zoo was forced to go into emergency lock down after a gibbon escaped from its enclosure.

Families were ushered into a restaurant for safety until handlers managed to recapture the gangly-armed siamang.

Twycross zoo near Leicester later confirmed that the gibbon was only on the run for less than 20 minutes and stressed that no public or staff were ever in danger.

"As a precaution, and as part of our standard procedure, we temporarily closed the zoo this morning due to one of our gibbons being in an area he shouldn't be in," said Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, the zoo's chief executive.

"Our animal team were in control of the situation at all times and at no time were any visitors, animals or team members in any danger. The zoo reopened within 20 minutes and we are now back to normal operation with our guests continuing to enjoy the sunny bank holiday weekend with us."

The drama unfolded minutes after the zoo opened at 10am on Saturday morning.

One visitor tweeted: "An exciting visit already! I've only been here 15 minutes and an animal has escaped. Hope they are returned safe."

Another reported they were locked in a parrot enclosure.

Others complained they had been told not to leave their cars or were stuck in the queue outside the zoo.

The Siamang is the largest of the gibbon species with an arm span of up to 1.5m and has an inflatable pouch in its throat for making calls.

Although the animals have been known to attack without warning while in captivity, there have been no reports of human fatalities.

In one case in Hawaii in 2002 a zookeeper was left needing 45 stitches after being bitten on the leg.