Zoos swatted in central states: 'Part of life now' [View all]

Source: Yahoo! News

Sat, May 2, 2026 at 8:28 PM EDT


(NewsNation) — At least four zoos or aquariums in the central United States were targets this weekend of apparent “swatting” calls that prompted the locations to temporarily close as a safety precaution. On Friday morning, the Louisville Zoo was evacuated for a “safety threat” that police said was someone calling in a claim there was a bomb on the premises.

Police swept the zoo, however, and quickly gave the “all clear.”. Around the same time, police in Ohio reported calls of a bomb threat and gunshots at the Toledo Zoo. Sgt. Mohamad Nasser said tactical units, a bomb squad and K9 officers responded and found no danger to the public.

Waves of fake threats to colleges are putting students on edge and testing dispatchers. The Toledo Zoo closed for the day, officials said.

On Saturday, bomb threats were called on two more facilities that house animals: Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio. “We swept the zoo. We found no traces of any bombs of any kind,” said President and CEO for Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Tom Schmid, who added employees have done recent drills to prepare for such emergency calls.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/zoos-swatted-central-states-part-002858914.html