CLEVELAND — Two zoos in Northeast Ohio were evacuated Sunday after receiving threats similar to those faced by zoos across the country this weekend.
Around 10:50 a.m., the Akron Zoo received a bomb threat, prompting the implementation of emergency procedures, it said in a press release.
The zoo was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of the day.
Akron Police and Fire are on scene and assessing the situation, and found that the threat was false, the Akron Zoo said.
"They responded very quickly and did a full sweep of the park, and they found nothing suspicious and deemed that the threat was indeed a false threat," Akron Zoo Director of Marketing and Events, Elena Bell, said on Sunday. "We actually have very strict high protocols for any safety issue. We drill our staff on a regular basis for any safety issue, even if it's something like a guest falling down and hurting themselves all the way up to an active shooter or a bomb threat."
Bell said the zoo runs safety drills as such regularly.
"Our staff... did an amazing job. They were very quick to jump into action, to begin evacuations, to call 911, and they were able to really help make sure that there were no injuries. Everyone was able to be safe and it was because of their quick actions," Bell said.
Any guests who had tickets for Sunday can contact the zoo for rescheduling and refund options.
Just hours later, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo evacuated after receiving a threat, the Cleveland Zoo said.
News 5 had a crew on the scene and saw police outside the zoo as visitors were leaving.
The zoo will remain closed on Sunday and looks to reopen on Monday, it said.
Layne Bilek told News 5's Kaylee Olivas she and her family drove 40 minutes from Doylestown, getting to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo around 10:20 a.m. on Sunday.
Bilek said they were able to enjoy the zoo for roughly an hour before being ushered out.
"We were in the little 4D movie over by the giraffe feeding thing. Halfway through that, they turned the lights on and the worker said, 'I'm so sorry, you guys, we have to evacuate the zoo,'" Bilek said. "Thankfully everybody there seemed super calm. Nobody was freaking out. I think a lot of people had probably heard that this was going on, so everybody just filed out. It was packed."
Bilek said a friend's mom had warned her of threats happening at zoos around the state and to proceed with caution. If it hadn't been for that warning, she said she likely wouldn't have been as calm.
"I am glad that I knew ahead of time because I've never been in a situation like that, especially with, you know, my kids. When you have your kids with you, obviously that's your number one concern no matter what. I am really glad that my friend's mom told us about that because I probably would have been caught off guard," Bilek said. "People weren't running or anything. Everybody's just walking in, you know, as orderly of a fashion as you could to get out. So, thankfully it wasn't like panicky."
She said she and her family are doing fine after the incident, telling us that she's more frustrated that her kids lost a zoo day with clear skies.
Andy Sommers and his two-year-old daughter were also evacuated from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Sunday. He said they were there about two hours prior to the evacuation.
"I would say probably about like one o'clock or so, we were headed up past like the giraffe and ostrich and all that stuff. I just saw all these people were walking towards the exit, and then this kind lady was like, 'Hey, everybody, they're evacuating the zoo,' and we're kind of like, what? What's going on? But they're like, yeah, and then just seeing everybody heading towards the exit. So I'm like, okay, I guess it's time for us to head out. It was definitely surprising because I wasn't expecting that," Sommers said.
He said experiencing a threat evacuation was the last thing he anticipated happening on Sunday.
Sommers said it took about 15-20 minutes for him and his daughter to evacuate.
Sommers said while it's an unfortunate incident, it's not going to keep his family from going back to the zoo.
"You want to be cautious and have an eye out. You might have a better chance of getting struck by lightning or something like that to happen. I think I have enough confidence in people in public, you know, that things will be alright. I'm not too worried about that," Sommers said.
Bilek said her family will be back, too.
"It won't deter me from taking the kids. Maybe if it continues to happen, yeah, I don't necessarily want to drive 40 minutes away and have it happen all the time, but hopefully this was just kind of a one time thing," Bilek said.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is working with law enforcement and will provide more updates later, it said.
News 5 reached out to FBI's Cleveland bureau Sunday night for information.
A spokesperson told us:
"FBI Cleveland is aware of recent threats involving a number of zoos and other entities over the past several days and is working with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action.
Protecting the American public is our number one priority. We take potential threats very seriously and remind the public that hoax threats are no joke. Knowingly providing false information to emergency service agencies about a possible threat to life drains law enforcement resources, costs thousands of dollars, and, most importantly, puts innocent people at risk. Additionally, some offences may be punishable by law to include fines or prison.
As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they hear, see, or know of another doing that could be considered suspicious to the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or their local law enforcement. Your identity can remain anonymous when reporting tips or leads to the FBI."
A similar threat took place at the Columbus Zoo on Saturday, where visitors were told to evacuate, and the zoo closed for the remainder of the day.
RELATED: Columbus Zoo evacuates following safety threats
The Columbus Zoo reopened on Sunday.
