Published 12:44 IST, February 26th 2020
Baboons escape from research facility, create chaos outside Sydney hospital
A group of baboons were spotted outside a Sydney hospital after escaping a research facility nearby. on Tuesday afternoon. One male and two females had escaped.
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In a bizarre incident, a group of baboons were spotted outside a Sydney hospital after escaping a research facility nearby. According to reports, officers were contacted at 5:30pm on February 25 about three baboons that were on the loose. The New South Wales police force later posted on their official Twitter handle that the situation was under control.
Baboon's daring escape
According to reports, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard clarified the situation and claimed that a 15-year-old male baboon was being transported to a facility in order to undergo a vasectomy and was accompanied by two female baboons in order to keep him calm. The facility to where they were being transported for the procedure is called the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
This is not a Mandrill! Earlier this afternoon, a troop of baboons escaped from a facility and were going bananas in Camperdown. Police and wildlife handlers now have the situation under control, so please let them do their job and don't be tempted to pry, mates.
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) February 25, 2020
The baboons that escaped at Sydney hospital were from a medical research facility — weren't pets — that's illegal in 🇦🇺 — and they weren't from the zoo, were purpose-bred for medical research.https://t.co/lppMFe3abI
— 💧Jade & David for a Better Australia (@PerthWAustralia) February 26, 2020
#coronavirus ??? pic.twitter.com/cbFEgfne9I
Hazzard also added that the baboon was undergoing a vasectomy because there was no desire to have him breed anymore and therefore researchers had only two options, either remove him from the troop or have him undergo a vasectomy. The researchers choose a vasectomy because that way the baboon could spend his old-age with his troop.
According to reports, experts from's Sydney's Taronga Zoo were asked to come in and help in rounding up the rogue baboons. The baboons were sedated by Taronga Zoo staff and then transported back to the research facility.
12:44 IST, February 26th 2020