Adelaide Zoo To Undertake Full Review After Student Breached Panda Enclosure

A full review will be conducted following a high school student breached the fences of the panda enclosure at Adelaide Zoo on Monday.

The student jumped an electrified wire to attempt to retrieve their phone – forcing the zoo to lock down the enclosure at around midday.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The South Australia Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

Zoos SA CEO Elaine Bensted the student was filming the Wang Wang and Fu Ni, the giant pandas, when they dropped their phone and made the “unwise decision” to enter the enclosure

She added the review will investigate if the zoo needs to do anything further to prevent an incident like this happening again.

An incident like this has not occurred since Adelaide Zoo opened the enclosure in 2009.

“I think Wang Wang slept through the entire time, but my staff certainly didn’t,” Ms Bensted said to the Advertiser.

“Staff were able to switch off the hot wires that we protect the animal area with and use a ladder to retrieve the student.

“(The student) did report some tingling in his fingers because he did touch the hot wire, but we’re pleased to say it appears nothing more than that.”

From The Monthly and LiSTNR comes The Politics Podcast, a new daily podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers you the in-depth analysis of the moments that defined the day in politics. Hear it on the LiSTNR app.