Amid NYC Flooding, Sea Lion Makes a Break for It

The governor of New York and mayor of New York City urged everyone to stay home Friday amid chaotic flooding caused by heavy rains, but one party didn't get the message, or chose to ignore it. ABC News reports that a sea lion at the Central Park Zoo made a break for it after the zoo's sea lion pool overflowed, allowing her to swim out of her enclosure and do some adventuring. It was a temporary escape, however. "Zoo staff monitored the sea lion as she explored the area before returning to the familiar surroundings of the pool and the company of the other two sea lions," says the Wildlife Conservation Society's Jim Breheny in a Friday statement. "The water levels have receded, and the animals are contained in their exhibit."

Breheny notes that the sea lion never left the zoo nor breached the zoo's "secondary perimeter," and that no visitors or workers were ever in peril. "Animal care staff will continue to monitor the situation through the duration of the weather event," he says. The NYPD's Central Park precinct was forced to issue a warning disputing rumors that a plethora of zoo animals had escaped, per USA Today. "There are several videos circulating online about flooding & escaped zoo animals," the department noted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. "These videos are misleading & inaccurate." (More New York City stories.)