Dozens of people were rescued from chairs suspended from animal habitats after an aerial ride at Southwick Zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts, became stranded Friday afternoon. The incident happened at the zoo’s Skyfari ride, which operates in a similar way to the cable car for skiers and snowboarders. The seat ladder operates in a triangular shape, giving riders an aerial view of the exhibits and animals on the large grounds. Video from Sky 5 shows multiple cherry picking elevators entering the park to rescue those trapped on the lifts. Sky 5 captured two people being rescued by a fire ladder. Mendown Fire Chief Bill Kessler said when first responders arrived at the scene, they found 19 people out of eight chairs. “Fortunately, not every car is full of seats,” Kessler said. “So that’s also helpful.” “The original person at the scene formerly worked for a ski resort and also performed rescues,” Kessler said. Kessler said: “When it went through trees, which is great for Southwick Zoo customers, it made rescuing them a little bit more difficult. Kessler said zoo staff were trying to clear some of the animal areas. “They weren’t able to enter some people, but combined with lifeguards and zoo staff, we were able to reach them,” Kessler said. Seven-year-old Sebastian was among dozens of people on the cargo ship, visiting Southwick Zoo with his grandparents. “It’s crazy,” Sebastian said. “I’ve never been on a ride that was like broken. I’m really confident, but I try not to be scared. I’m really good at it!” him after the rescue. People threw water on those trapped on the bus to keep them hydrated because of the hot and humid conditions. The owners of Southwick Zoo said workers detected an oil leak in the machinery and shut it down as a precaution. Machines are inspected every year. The zoo said it had never had a problem like this before, but it wanted to exercise caution after discovering the problem. “View the zoo from above on our Skyfari Sky Ride,” the zoo’s website says of the ride. “You’ll get panoramic views of the African Plains, Deer Forest, chimpanzees, crocodiles and more!” The Skyfari Sky Ride seat can accommodate up to two adults, two adults with one small child or two children with one adult.
Dozens of people were rescued from chairs suspended from animal habitats after an aerial ride at Southwick Zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts, became stranded Friday afternoon.
The incident happened at the zoo’s Skyfari ride, which operates in a similar way to the cable car for skiers and snowboarders.
The seat ladder operates in a triangular shape, giving riders an aerial view of the exhibits and animals on the large grounds.
Video from Sky 5 shows multiple cherry picking elevators entering the park to rescue those trapped on the lifts.
Sky 5 captured two people being rescued by a fire ladder.
Mendown Fire Chief Bill Kessler said when first responders arrived on the scene, they
Found 19 people in a total of eight chairs.
“Fortunately, not every car is full of seats,” says Kessler. “So that’s also helpful.”
“The original person at the scene formerly worked for a ski resort and also performed rescues,” Kessler said.
Kessler said: “When it went through trees, which is great for Southwick Zoo customers, it made rescuing them a little bit more difficult. “Especially with some animal crates.”
Kessler said zoo staff were trying to clear some of the animal areas. “They weren’t able to enter some, but combined with lifeguards and zoo staff, we were able to reach them,” Kessler said.
Sebastian, seven, was among dozens of people on board, visiting Southwick Zoo with his grandparents.
“It was crazy,” Sebastian said. “I’ve never been on a ride that was like broken. I’m really confident, but I try not to be scared. I’m really good at it!”
“You’re so good,” the grandparents said and hugged him after the rescue.
People threw water on those trapped on the bus to keep them hydrated because of the hot and humid conditions. The temperature at the time was in the mid 80s.
The owner of Southwick Zoo says workers discovered an oil leak in the machinery and shut it down as a precaution.
Machines are inspected every year. The zoo said it had never had a problem like this before, but it wanted to exercise caution after discovering the problem.
“View the zoo from above on our Skyfari Sky Ride,” the zoo’s website says of the ride. “You’ll get a bird’s-eye view of the African Plains, Deer Forest, chimpanzees, crocodiles and more!”
The Skyfari Sky Ride seat can seat up to two adults, two adults with one child or two children with one adult.
