Dozens of people rescued from aerial ride at Massachusetts zoo

MENDON, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Greater than three dozen individuals had been suspended within the air after an aerial trip at Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon was stopped.

The trip is much like a ski carry and affords a birds-eye view of a few third of the zoo.

Forty individuals had been rescued Friday after the zoo’s ‘Skyfari’ trip needed to be stopped. It’s a triangular chair carry that hovers 30 toes within the air and affords a view of about one-third of the zoo.

“You journey up over the African plains, down by some aoudads and cheetahs, and thru a part of our deer forest, round by the chimpanzee habitat, and likewise by a part of our elk habitat after which again up the hill over ring-tail lemurs and camels and Ankole cattle and an alligator,” mentioned Southwick’s Zoo Proprietor Betsey Brewer.

It’s a preferred attraction that Brewer advised Western Mass Information is fairly distinctive.

“We do consider it’s the one one in the USA,” Brewer defined.

She advised us the trip is inspected yearly and has common upkeep and the zoo has by no means had any issues with it for the reason that trip opened in 2008.

“It at all times runs easily. We’ve by no means needed to evacuate anybody from it. We’ve by no means shut it down so far as I can bear in mind, aside from climate situations,” Brewer added.

Nonetheless, as a result of security is their first precedence, Brewer mentioned workers had been vigilant and shut the trip down out of an abundance of warning.

“The workers observed a small oil leak they usually had been attempting to determine the place that oil leak was coming from they usually didn’t know what was occurring, so out of precautions we shut down the trip and everyone was evacuated from it,” Brewer famous.

It was a course of that took about an hour and 45 minutes in whole to finish.

“We now have a carry that went up and simply pulled everyone down shortly, then the hearth division confirmed up about midway by they usually helped us end the job,” Brewer mentioned.

No accidents had been reported. Brewer mentioned mechanics do have an concept of what triggered the leak and are at the moment wanting into it, however the trip will probably stay closed for a few week whereas they get that fastened and reinspected.

Copyright 2022. Western Mass Information (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.