BAHAWALPUR: Five monkeys escaped from their cages in the Bahawalpur Zoo allegedly due to the negligence of the zoo’s staff and created panic among the hundreds of visitors present inside the zoo on Sunday.

The zoo was jam packed due to the holiday and a large number of students of all ages were also present at the zoo. The five animals, including two large and three small monkeys, escaped from their cages and made their way to the open lawns. The large number of visitors were taken aback by their presence and it created panic especially among the children as the visitors started to run after seeing the animals.

The monkey climbed on the trees, a nearby mobile phone tower and private buildings, also frightening their residents.

The zoo staff, security guards and police swung into action to capture the escaped animals and lock them back into their enclosures. However, many of the monkeys climbed on trees creating problems for the rescuers. After hours-long efforts, the workers and guards were able to capture the monkeys by climbing on the trees on a ladder.

Curator Shehbaz Mann claimed that four monkeys were caught and locked in their respective cages. The fifth small brown monkey climbed on a mobile company’s tower outside the zoo premises, where thousands of people gathered to see its acrobatics. It was eventually also caught by the rescuers after a long struggle.

The curator claimed that the monkeys managed to escape from their cages when they were being fed by their keepers.

Locals expressed their surprise over the ‘negligence’ of the zoo staff that resulted in the escape of dangerous animals that created panic among the visitors. They said that anyone could have been injured due to the negligence of the zoo staff . They demanded strict action against the officials responsible for this major lapse.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2026