Cincinnati zoo, site of gorilla slaying, evacuated over suspicious device
Sept 8 (Reuters) - The Cincinnati Zoo was evacuated on Thursday after a threat of a "suspicious device," police said.
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden was evacuated as police and bomb-sniffing dogs searched the area, the police department tweeted.
The zoo has faced criticism since a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure in May, prompting zookeepers to fatally shoot an endangered gorilla named Harambe to protect the child.
Local television station WCPO reported that zoo officials said in a statement that they had safely evacuated staff and guests around 3:30 p.m. "as a precaution after an unspecified threat was called into Cincinnati Police."
No further information was immediately available. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
