Calgary Zoo deals with flooding

There were plenty of anxious moments at the Calgary Zoo as the flood waters were rising.

Today officials said zoo staff risked their lives over the weekend to stop a hippo from escaping into the swollen Bow River. The director of animal care says flood waters in the hippos’ enclosure rose high enough during the floods for the dangerous herbivores to swim out.

Staff at the zoo were still cleaning up today, and many areas are covered in mud. Zoo officials say the bulk of their losses were aquatic animals. Staff also had to act quickly and get 12 big and dangerous cats out of the zoo before they were in danger.