SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
By the way, there was a great escape on the grounds of the Paris zoo this week. Around 50 baboons made a break out of their enclosure and more or less took over what's called the Grand Rocher, a big, fake mountain that's in the center of the zoo. Officials closed the zoo so the baboons wouldn't encounter any zoo-goers. Baboons can be temperamental when stressed - by the way, like Parisians - and as a zoo official told reporters, they're stronger than us.
Zookeepers, vets and police armed with tranquilizer darts rushed to the scene, but no darts were necessary. The dominant male baboons reportedly led their packs back to their enclosures. Officials are trying to discover how they escaped.
Why would the baboons make a break for it? Well, with respect for one of the world's great zoos, it is still a zoo. And the baboons are kind of marooned in the middle of Paris, knowing that just over the Grand Rocher, there are meringues, macaroons and tarte Tatin. Wouldn't you make a break for it? Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
