A daring orangutan cartwheeled, tight-rope-walked and trapezed its way out of an enclosure at the Toronto Zoo this week, officials said.

Kembali — one of the zoo’s seven Sumatran orangutans — was caught monkeying around an area outside of his brand-new outdoor orangutan exhibit Thursday, leaving staff scratching their heads as to how the animal left the otherwise secure perimeter.

Fortunately, several attentive guests caught the great escape on video, revealing Kembali’s swift and athletic maneuvers.

A four-second clip shows the orangutan swinging from O-line ropes to an elevated platform, from which he shimmied his way down.

The fuzzy animal executed a nearly perfect “cartwheel-like motion” to avoid a hot wire barrier near the top of the tower made to prevent escapes like Kembali’s, the zoo said in a statement Saturday.

“From there he was able to climb down the tower,” the Toronto Zoo said.

The freedom was short-lived, as the escape artist was quickly recaptured and brought back to his enclosure without incident.

According to the zoo’s previous social media posts, Kembali had only tested the new O-line equipment for the first time last month.

To no surprise, he was also the first of the zoo’s seven Sumatran orangutans to play on the ropes.

The ropes are set up so that the orangutans can tread across them and explore pavilions throughout the outdoor exhibits, offering zoo visitors a chance to watch the animals from below.

The outdoor exhibit has since been shuttered out of precaution and the zoo is re-evaluating what modifications are required to prevent another escape.

“While we continue to investigate this incident, the outdoor orangutan habitat will be closed to guests and media until further notice,” the zoo said.

Orangutan Escape: A Closer Look

The Toronto Zoo says it has figured out how one of its orangutans managed to escape its outdoor habitat earlier this week.

On Friday the zoo said Kembali managed to access an area just outside of its habitat Thursday evening. Staff were able to clear guests from the area quickly and police were on standby in the parking lot before the male primate was returned to the habitat without incident.

After reviewing video footage and photographs zoo officials say Kembali managed to use a cartwheel-like motion to swing from a rope that was on one of the towers at the south end of the outdoor habitat, bypassing a secondary barrier near the top of the tower before grabbing a steel bracket under the platform and climbing down the tower.

“We want to thank the many guests and Zoo members who sent us video and photographs from the orangutan habitat as they have been instrumental in helping us better understand how Kembali, the male orangutan was able to climb down the tower and access the area just outside the habitat,” the zoo said in a statement on Saturday.

Investigating the Escape

The zoo says it is consulting with international experts to determine what modifications are required before reopening the outdoor habitat. The zoo says it is thanking visitors and staff for submitting videos and photos that helped officials better understand how Kembali was able to leave the habitat.

“We are also grateful to Zoo staff and volunteers for their quick actions once they were notified of the incident,” it added.

Zoo officials are appealing to any visitors who were at the zoo on Thursday evening and may have captured video footage to contact the zoo’s health and safety supervisor Graham Birtles at [email protected].

The outdoor orangutan habitat will remain closed while zoo officials continue their investigation and review.

An Unexpected Escape Artist

The Toronto Zoo says it is not sure how Kembali was able to escape, but the zoo is investigating. The zoo is also reviewing video footage from the orangutan habitat to determine how Kembali was able to access this particular area. The zoo is grateful to its zoo team for their quick actions in clearing guests from the area and returning the animal to the habitat without incident.

The zoo says that Kembali is a free spirit who finds joy and adventure in every moment. A bundle of energy, he loves swinging high and fast through the exhibit, or hanging upside down and dropping dramatically to the ground. The zoo also said that it prepares for such situations through regular drills.

The Toronto Zoo is committed to the safety of its animals and guests. The zoo will keep the public updated on the investigation and the reopening of the outdoor orangutan habitat.