Antelope named Taylor Swift escapes Sacramento zoo enclosure

Eastern bongos - seen here in Sydney's Taronga zoo - are critically endangered

A one-year-old Kenyan antelope named Taylor Swift briefly escaped its enclosure at Sacramento Zoo, before being quickly recaptured.

The eastern bongo, a critically endangered type of antelope, left a blank space in its enclosure and made it to the common visitor area.

Staff asked the public to evacuate or move into the gift shop while they moved the bongo back to her enclosure.

Zoo workers remain unclear how Taylor Swift managed to get loose.

"Staff used baffle boards and tables to gently guide the calf down the pathway and up the back road to her off-exhibit holding area," spokeswoman Laurel Vincent told the Sacramento Bee newspaper, saying she was recaptured after only around 15 minutes.

Ms Vincent told the newspaper that staff members are often allowed to name the animals they care for, and the bongo was named after the famous pop star because "she was very swiftly on her feet after birth".

Taylor Swift was unharmed after her escape, but will be monitored by staff as a precaution.

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The animal was born at the zoo in September 2017, according to its website. Fewer than 200 eastern bongos exist in the wild, the zoo adds.

Social media users were swift to comment on the attempted escape.

The near getaway could affect the zoo's reputation.

A recent report by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums was broadly positive about the zoo, but said in some cases the animals needed "more modern and spacious habitats".

Sacramento Zoo is considering plans to move to a larger facility in light of the report.

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