3 Major Zoos Evacuated on the Same Day Due to Bomb Threats

NEED TO KNOW

• Three zoos across the country were evacuated following bomb threats on Friday, May 1

• The Louisville Zoo, Toledo Zoo, and Phoenix Zoo were forced to evacuate staff and visitors following the threats

• No explosives were found at any of the zoos following the threats

Zoos across the country on Friday, May 1, were the victims of bomb threats.

The Louisville Zoo in Kentucky was evacuated around 9:30 a.m. for a "safety threat."

"Due to a safety threat, the zoo is being evacuated following a reported bomb threat. All animals are secure," said the zoo in a statement on social media . "If you are at the zoo, proceed to Joe Creason Park. We will share more updates as we have them. Thank you for your understanding."

While the zoo does not open to the public until 10 a.m., it hosts a free walking club every day from 8 to 9:15 a.m.,  WLKY  reported, noting that there were about 250 people at the zoo at the time of the incident.

According to WDRB , the Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed a bomb threat was called in and gave the all clear at around 10:22 a.m.

"The safety concern at the zoo has been addressed and the zoo is now safe to reenter. We will open gates at 11 am," said the zoo in a follow-up statement .

The Louisville Metro Police tells PEOPLE in a statement that "out of an abundance of caution, the zoo was evacuated."

"LMPD conducted a thorough investigation of the grounds. No credible threat had been identified, and no injuries were reported. The LMPD continues its investigation," the statement adds.

That same morning, the Toledo Zoo in Ohio was the subject of another bomb threat.

Sgt. Mohamad Nasser with the Toledo Police Department said that calls about a potential bomb threat and gunshots fired at the zoo came in early in the morning.

"At this moment, there are no injuries. There are no suspects in custody," said Nasser while speaking with the media, including WTOL11 . "Our officers were able to get the tactical units out here. We did a sweep of the area. We have our Northwest Ohio bomb squad en route. K9 officers are deployed as we speak, and we're doing a thorough sweep of the entire zoo area."

Nassar noted that there was "a police-supervised evacuation" and that "everyone was cleared and evacuations went smoothly."

In a statement posted on social media , the zoo confirmed that they received a call through the security dispatch with a bomb and active shooter threat on Friday, notifying police "immediately," who were on site within 10 minutes.

Although the zoo remained closed for the remainder of the day, they said that the situation was "under control" and there was "no ongoing threat."

In a follow-up statement , the zoo said it was "incredibly thankful that the threat was determined to be false" and announced it would open on Saturday, May 2.

The Phoenix Zoo announced in a social media statement that it received a bomb threat on Monday at noon.

"Around 12:04 pm, officers responded to the Phoenix Zoo regarding a bomb threat. Prior to officers arriving on the scene, staff evacuated the area out of an abundance of caution," the Phoenix Police Department tells PEOPLE.

When officers arrived at the scene, "they secured the area, and with the combined effort of searching the zoo, there were no bombs located. Preliminary information suggests this may have been a swatting call," states the Phoenix Police Department.

Over 2,000 guests and about 500 staff members on duty were evacuated, KPNX reported.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all guests who were in the Zoo at the time, which allowed for a successful evacuation of the Zoo grounds," said the zoo in a statement.

The zoo said it would remain closed "out of an abundance of caution" for the remainder of the day and would reopen on Saturday, May 2, at 8:00 a.m.

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PEOPLE reached out to the Toledo Police Department for comment.

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