The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will reopen after a bomb and active shooter threat forced the park to shut down Saturday afternoon.
Following a thorough sweep of the zoo grounds in coordination with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Powell Police Department, and the Columbus Division of Police, officials confirmed that no suspicious items were found and that the park is safe.
“You heard the sirens, and you saw them running in with their AR-15s,” Samantha Washam LesCallett, who was visiting the zoo Saturday with her family, said. “And then as we were leaving, that’s when we saw all the sheriffs coming out with their AR-15s and were like, ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on?'”
According to the zoo, a security dispatcher received the threat at 2:18 p.m. Staff immediately alerted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and deputies arrived on scene within about 10 minutes.
Zoo officials said they chose to evacuate and close the park out of an abundance of caution, pointing to a recent string of similar threats targeting zoos across the country. They also noted that about 3,000 people were inside the park at the time of the threat.
Police quickly began guiding visitors and staff out of the park.
8-year-old Jayda Spates, along with her mother Angella and sister Nevaeh, said they had traveled from Painesville near Cleveland. They had only spent an hour inside the park when security began directing them toward the exits.
“I thought like someone was gonna get hurt because they couldn’t get to the bomb, or maybe they can like hurt one of the animals or stuff like that,” Spates said.
And then they said something about an active shooter.
Zoo officials said police found no evidence of any bombs and decided to close the park for the rest of Saturday out of “an abundance of caution.”
When ABC 6 crews arrived at the scene, the team saw several high school students waiting along West Powell Rd. and Riverside Dr. for their parents to pick them up after being cleared from the zoo parking lot. Those teens told ABC 6 off camera that the situation was frightening, with one nearly in tears, saying she just wanted to go home.
ABC 6 spoke with Columbus Zoo president and CEO Tom Schmid about the incident.
“Well, we did the right thing, and they did the right thing,” he said. “I mean, we evacuated the students, everyone out of the zoo. They came to a location where their parents could pick them up, so that’s probably the best thing you do in a situation like that.”
The Columbus Zoo also said similar threats were recently reported at zoos in Toledo and Louisville, Ky. Officials added that they had conducted training for such scenarios in advance.
Police have not identified a motive behind the threats. The zoo said it is now focused on strengthening security measures and providing refunds to families whose visits were cut short.
However, those families said they remain shaken and are urging people to stop making these types of calls.
“I would just say it’s childish, and it is not a real panic,” Angella Spates said. “I understand they’re trying to keep our safety, but if it’s a copycat situation and to induced panic like that for people is crazy.”
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