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The Denver Zoo shut down and evacuated its guests Tuesday afternoon after receiving a call from someone threatening to crash a plane into the zoo.
The zoo initially tweeted that it was a "credible threat to safety," but the police eventually determined that this was not the case. They are investigating to find the person who called and says he does not have a suspect at the moment.
Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said Tuesday that the call had arrived at the zoo around 3:19 pm. He added that the Denver police had responded to the call for the zoo protocol. The police were immediately informed after the zoo's call.
"The person who called is our suspect," Jackson said. "We are looking for whoever made the call. Calling a threat is a crime. You call a threat, it is a criminal act. "
Jackson would not detail the number of police officers or additional resources deployed Tuesday. He added that the "appropriate" number of officers had been sent to the scene. He added that the police were in contact with several airports in the area after the threat.
"Obviously, we think the zoo has made the right decision, taken the necessary precautions and we support it," Jackson said. "But we must always take the time to determine whether this is credible or not."
Denver Zoo President and CEO Bert Vescolani said about 1,000 people were evacuated following the threat, which arrived late in the afternoon. Vescolani said the zoo had called for evacuation.
"We have three priorities that are really important to us," said Vescolani. "Our animals, our staff and our guests. And every time we receive a call, our staff does not feel comfortable, we immediately review our protocol and procedures and do so. And that's what we've done. "
Vescolani said the day was not particularly busy and the zoo plans to reopen normally on Wednesday. He said he was proud of the actions of the zoo staff on Tuesday.
"I think it worked very well from our team's point of view," said Vescolani. "I always hate to inconvenience the guests in any way … but we want to invite them to come back, live another experience and say that it's a good place, it's a safe place, we have a incredible balance and we want to continue to do so. "
Mary and Jon Breuer were visiting the Greeley Zoo with their 4-year-old daughter, Brooklynn. The family was in the penguin habitat when the staff member cut the meal to the public and asked the guests to evacuate at about 3:50 pm
The guests were informed that there was a potential threat, asked them to head to Colorado Boulevard.
"You did not panic anyone. You made sure everyone knew what was going on, "Jon Breuer told the staff.
Denver Zoo staff at the scene told Denverite that everyone was in order but had no other comments.
A little after 16:30, the guests were allowed to go to their cars.
This story will be updated.
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