A saddle-billed stork wandered from its main habitat at the Maryland Zoo on Tuesday afternoon but was quickly captured and returned, officials said.
The Maryland Zoo said that around 1 p.m. one of the zoo’s two saddle-billed storks glided from its African Watering Hole habitat in the antelope yard to a section that has a rhinoceros, zebra and ostrich.
Employees noticed the stork and called for assistance, including the Animal Recapture Team. The team kept an eye on the stork as staff brought the zebra and rhino into the barns.
The team was able to “safely secure” the stork, the zoo said, and relocate it within 45 minutes.
The public was never at risk because the stork never left the property or entered public areas, the zoo said.
Staff members are trained for “unexpected situations,” the zoo said, and routinely conduct on-site drills to prepare for various scenarios. The zoo said the training helped the staff members act quickly to relocate the stork.