Five lions have sparked a brief emergency at an Australian zoo after escaping from their enclosure. The animals – one adult and four cubs – were spotted outside their exhibit at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo about 6:30 local time on Wednesday (22:30 GMT Tuesday). The zoo was put in lockdown and one cub had to be tranquillised but all lions were secured within minutes, a spokesman said. No-one was injured. An explanation for the escape has not been given. But zoo executive director Simon Duffy called it a “significant incident” that would be investigated. He told local media the lions had entered a small area “adjacent” to their exhibit – about 100m from where guests were staying at the zoo overnight. The main zoo was closed at the time. “At no time did the lions exit that [adjacent] area or exit Taronga Zoo,” he said. Mr Duffy added the small area was protected by a six-foot fence usually used to keep people at a safe distance, and the entire zoo was surrounded by a perimeter fence.(BBC)…[+]