ASHEBORO N.C. (ACME NEWS) — A bomb threat forced the North Carolina Zoo to evacuate about 1,200 people Thursday afternoon, but a search turned up no explosive and no armed person, and the zoo reopened Friday.
Just before 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Emergency Management at the North Carolina Zoo contacted Randolph County 911 to report that the zoo’s communication center had received a bomb threat. The caller said a bomb had been planted at the zoo and that an individual was in the area armed with a rifle.
Zoo Police, zoo staff and Asheboro police officers evacuated the park. Asheboro Fire Rescue and a drone team from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office also responded.
About 1,200 people were estimated to be in the park. Two activity buses with students on field trips were loaded and left just before 3:15 p.m. Officials confirmed that zoo school had ended and its staff were off the grounds. By 3:20 p.m., a zoo official reported the park was clear of all guests.
With all members of the public evacuated, officers split into search teams and cleared the zoo area by area starting at the Stedman Education Building and working through the exhibits, including Asia, and the veterinary hospital grounds.
Zoo staff called an all clear at about 4:20 p.m., and emergency crews were released from the scene at about 4:50 p.m.
The Asheboro Police Department said in a news release that the search found no armed person or explosive device. The department said it believes the incident was a “swatting” incident, consistent with others at zoos and parks elsewhere.
Sara Pack, the zoo’s chief communications and public relations officer, said in a statement that no injuries were reported and all animals are safe, and that the “incident is consistent with threats zoos across the country have received in recent months.”
The N.C. Zoo joins a growing list of zoos targeted by hoax bomb threats this year. Zoo Miami in Florida received multiple threats in March. The calls picked up in May, when zoos in Phoenix, Louisville, Toledo, Denver, Cleveland, Akron, Atlanta and Waco, Texas, were among those targeted. The Toledo Zoo received a second threat May 31, and the Akron Zoo a second July 18. In every instance among those zoos, law enforcement sweeps confirmed the threats were false and the zoos reopened.
This was not the first bomb threat at the North Carolina Zoo. In March 2023, the zoo was forced to close, evacuate all guests and search the grounds after a bomb threat. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office later traced the threat to a juvenile and filed a juvenile petition with the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice.
The zoo reopened Friday under normal hours. Pack said guests with tickets for Thursday may contact the zoo for refund options. The Asheboro Police Department is handling the investigation.
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