Penscynor: Staff remember day chimpanzees escaped Welsh wildlife park

In February 1992, Penscynor Wildlife Park hit the headlines.

Three chimpanzees named Robbie, Sebco and Jeremy escaped from their enclosure and ran amok.

Two of the animals left the zoo altogether and made their way to the local primary school. 

Jonathan Hale-Quant and Howie Watkins were on duty at Penscynor on that fateful day.

“Over a period of time the three chimps had picked away at the joint of two plywood boards that lined the ceiling of their enclosure," Jonathan told ITV Cymru Wales.

"A lot of thought and patience had gone into this. They’d forced their way through the felt, batten and tiles.

“So now you’ve got three adult chimps on the loose in the Park. Chimps are eight to ten times stronger than a human adult, with a very powerful set of jaws and big teeth.”

The concerns of staff at the Park immediately focussed on the potential danger to the public.

Howie Watkins, who worked as the Park's educational officer, said: “My first priority was to look after the visitors in the zoo. I moved them to safety and kept them calm and safe while we tried to sort things out.

"It was very scary. There had been an escape and people were in danger.”

Immediate efforts to contain the chimpanzees to the Park failed, as two headed in the direction of a nearby primary school.

“One of the chimps stayed near the enclosure," Jonathan continued.

"Unfortunately, the other two decided to go across the road to the primary school. Luckily the children had just come in from break time so they were in the building. But the chimps were banging on the windows.

“They then went from the primary school and chased an elderly man around his car a couple of times with his shopping, until he managed to run into someone’s house."

From there, they headed toward Neath Coachbuilders, where they proceeded to throw spanners at workmen.

Despite the humorous elements to the story, the threat of two exceptionally strong and powerful animals was a serious concern.

Armed police marksmen were called, and the incident ended with two of the chimpanzees being fatally shot.

The third chimpanzee was also shot, but survived.

Howie continued: “The question was asked at the time, why weren’t the chimpanzees tranquilised?

"People were in danger and you have to remember that when you see an animal being tranquilised in a wildlife documentary it always looks really straightforward. 

“But you’ve got no way of knowing if you’re going to hit the animal with the tranquiliser. You’ve got no way of knowing that the tranquiliser dart will discharge before the animal - particularly a chimpanzee that can reach every part of its body - pulls it out.

"You’ve got no way of knowing if you calculated the dose correctly. And it can still take 15 minutes to work.

"Meanwhile you’ve got an animal capable of killing you running towards you. It’s just not practical in an urban setting.”

Reflecting on Penscynor's darkest day, Jonathan told ITV Cymru Wales of his personal bond with the escapees.

“Those two chimps grew up with me," he said. "They were like brothers, they were part of the family. And it was heartbreaking to have to make that decision.

"But, it was the right thing to do for the safety of everyone. 

“I would rather be dealing with the consequences that we had than explaining to a parent why they wouldn’t be seeing their child again.”

You can see more on this story in Penscynor: Life on the Wild Side.  Sunday 5th November at 7:30pm on ITV Wales. Catch up online afterwards.

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