CHICAGO _ The animals are all right.
"All animals at Lincoln Park Zoo are accounted for and safe," the North Side Chicago zoo found it necessary to announce Monday.
"There were no break-ins, thefts, or incidents last night. Images circulating, claiming to be of Lincoln Park Zoo animals out of their habitats, are false."
Jillian Braun, the zoo's director of public relations and communications, said there was also reportedly "some chat on the (police) scanner about animals roaming the streets that were attributed to being from the Lincoln Park Zoo."
"We take all claims of animals being loose very seriously," said Braun, who noted the zoo is "close" to being able to announce a date for a limited reopening after being closed the past 2-{ months to limit the spread of COVID-19. "So we did go in and ensure that all the animals were accounted for."
She was unclear on the source of the talk on the scanner. Social media posts amid the unrest caused by protests and looting around the city and suburbs purported to show animals, including penguins and a hippo, on the loose.
There was significant skepticism about the images on sites including Facebook, but they are believed to have circulated widely, prompting the zoo to issue the extraordinary statement.
In addressing the topic, the zoo said it was responding to concerned messages it had received from "friends of wildlife."
A spokeswoman for Brookfield Zoo, in the near western suburbs, said that institution had no issues either.
