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[Gregory Rehbein <suedehead73 AT yahoo.com>]

 http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2004/01/20/chimp_escapes_from_zoo_forces_evacuation/

LOS ANGELES -- An 80-pound chimpanzee dubbed an "escape artist" has done it again. The 15-year-old chimp named Gracie busted out of her enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo on Monday and forced the evacuation of about 9,000 visitors.

The primate, who had escaped four times before, was tranquilized and returned to captivity after 45 minutes, the zoo said.

Zoo Director John Lewis said Gracie is well known as a breakout specialist since she arrived in 1998.

"Each time we've made corrections based on her abilities, and she's found another way," Lewis said.

Gracie slipped out of her exhibit at 3:30 p.m. into the zoo crowded with visitors for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The chimp didn't stray far from her enclosure, however, and zoo staff surrounded her and moved her to another part of the park.

Visitors were ordered to evacuate while Gracie was on the loose, but Lewis said no one was harmed.

Gracie is currently being held in an enclosure with tighter security until designers can ensure she won't escape again, Lewis said.

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