Did A Rochester Zoo Lion Get Set Loose During The Riots?
If you're starting to think 2020 is a chapter right out of Jumanji, then when you saw social media posts from Rochester about lions being on the loose it probably confirmed it.
Short Answer
Let us first start off with the obvious: Lions and other zoo animals were not released in Rochester during the George Floyd riots. 2020 isn't at the level of zoo animals running through New York just yet.
Longer, Fun Answer
The Irondequoit Police Department sent a tweet about 10:50 p.m. in all capital letters that according to the Democrat and Chronicle has since been deleted. The tweet was urging all Irondequoit residents to stay indoors due to the fact a lion was on the loose.
The Monroe County Fire Wire account, which tweets police scanner traffic and is not affiliated with the county, mentioned the lion in multiple tweets and retweeted the police department with the comment "If you live by the Zoo. STAY INSIDE. Animals are loose."
The Seneca Park Zoo Twitter account tried to quickly reply to people commenting on Twitter to let them know that wasn't the case. "Nope, not true. The security team at the Zoo is there protecting the animals tonight, as they are every night," the zoo said.
Irondequoit town Supervisor Dave Seeley confirmed that no animals were uncaged. It was just rumors circulating online, and on the phone, that caused a massive distraction to the city during a riot.
Final Thoughts
If you ever hear of a zoo animal being on the loose in CNY, or anywhere, check with the Zoo's offical page, or other official accounts. In the Rochester situation, the police department did tweet it out.....but.....always check official sources before heading down into your lion Bunker.
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