Jaguar at Audubon Zoo, kills four alpacas, an emu and a fox after escaping Zoo enclosure

A jaguar escaped Audubon zoo enclosure in New Orleans and killed four alpacas, an emu and a fox trapped in their own habitats before zoo officials managed to sedate it.

In a press release, the officials said the big cat was first reported missing at 7:20 a.m. before the zoo opened. Around 8:15 they found the big cat, tranquillized and returned to its enclosure by veterinarians.

During the enclosure, no humans were injured by the animal, although the circumstances of the escape sparked a worrisome thought at what might have been: The "jaguar jungle" is also home to a children's play area.

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Apart from the animals killed, three other injured animals were being cared for.

A 3-year-old named Valerio, a jaguar was seen engaged in a territorial display, said Kyle Burks, the zoo's vice president and managing director. The animals it pounced on were unable to escape their own enclosures.

The zoo was closed Saturday but said it will reopen Sunday.

Kyle Burks, vice president and managing director for the zoo said, "We care for these animals every day. We closed the zoo today to help our team mourn."

"We take this situation very seriously and we're working to investigate everything that happened so we could prevent anything like this from happening again, " Burks said.

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