VIENNA: Two young cheetahs that escaped from an Austrian zoo overnight returned to their enclosure a few hours later, led home by their mother's calls, the zoo said on Tuesday.

“Their mother called them and they followed her cries,” said Christine Beck, a spokeswoman at the zoo located near Salzburg.

Zookeepers were unaware the cheetahs were missing until police spotted them at around 6:30 am (0430 GMT) and dispatched a team of 30 officers to the site, with a plan for experts to tranquillise the animals so as to bring them back to the zoo.

However, the operation proved pointless as the two cheetahs returned to their enclosure two hours later alongside zookeepers, following their mother's calls.—AFP