LOS ANGELES: An orangutan tried to escape from his enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo, forcing about 3,000 visitors to head for the exit.

Bruno, a 29-year-old orangutan, punched a hole through the mesh that surrounds his habitat on Saturday afternoon. He was free for about 20 minutes until a handler saw him in a holding area behind the cage, zoo officials said.

Bruno never made it into the zoo’s public area, but park officials asked visitors to move toward the front of the zoo as a precaution.

Keepers quickly approached Bruno and sedated him.

“He was calm and responded well to the staff,” Gina Dart, the zoo’s promotions coordinator said. “He was never aggressive.”—AP