According to reports, police were called to the zoo around 7am (local time) and residents living nearby heard an alarm telling them to stay inside.
Two hours later, the lions were safely returned to their enclosure and had not left the zoo grounds.
In a statement, Taronga Zoo confirmed that there were no injuries to guests or staff, and the zoo has reopened to the public after a temporary emergency lockdown.
“An emergency situation occurred this morning at Taronga Zoo Sydney when five lions were located outside their enclosure,” read the statement. “The Zoo has strict safety protocols in place for such an incident. All persons on site were moved to safe zones and there are no injuries to guests or staff.”
In total, Taronga Zoo has two adult lions and five cubs. It is not yet clear which lions were found outside of the enclosure.
The zoo says the animals are now being closely monitored and will provide more updates when possible.
