DUBLIN ZOO yesterday dismissed criticism from animal rights activists after an orang-utan escaped from its enclosure.
The 26-year-old ape, Maggie, made her escape on Wednesday by reaching out to branches at the edge of her compound and climbing out over a wall.
The alarm was raised within minutes by a group of schoolchildren and two of their teachers, but it was an hour before zookeepers could sedate the animal with a tranquilliser dart.
Bernie Wright, of the Alliance for Animal Rights, said that animals in captivity were being driven insane. "The understandably frustrated animal has been confined in an enclosure for 24 years . . . Zoos are a throwback to the menageries of Victorian times. They should be abolished . . . as they are cruel and archaic," she said.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Zoo said: "Clearly, we do not imprison animals . . . Animals in zoos live longer than in the wild. They have no natural predators and are free from drought or conflict."
Ms Wright accused the zoo of keeping animals in captivity for the amusement of humans and pointed out that zoos deprived animals of a natural existence.
The zoo's spokeswoman rejected this assertion and added: "[ Our] animals are healthy and active. Animals are kept in proper social groups, they raise their own young and . . . [ live in] habitats which are inspired by their lives in the wild."
The statement from Dublin Zoo pointed out that 10 per cent of their profit went towards animal conservation.
The spokeswoman said that escapes were very rare: "Following an incident of this kind, the zoo undergoes a full and thorough de-brief."
The zoo insisted that no member of the public was in danger and said that drills were carried out regularly to ensure that their team was prepared.