Columbus Zoo evacuated after bomb and active shooter threat

The Columbus Zoo in Ohio was evacuated after receiving a bomb and active shooter threat, but no suspicious items were found during a search of the grounds, zoo officials said. Similar threats have been reported at several zoos across the U.S. in recent weeks.

The threat was received through the zoo’s security dispatcher at about 2:18 p.m. on Saturday, leading officials to evacuate the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, a suburb north of Columbus.

“After a comprehensive sweep of Zoo grounds in partnership with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Powell Police Department, and the Columbus Division of Police, no suspicious items were found,” the zoo said in an update Saturday evening. “The Columbus Zoo has been confirmed safe.”

The zoo said it will reopen with normal operations at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

The evacuation followed a bomb threat Friday at the Phoenix Zoo, where hundreds of guests and staff were evacuated but no devices were found. Similar threats have also been reported in recent weeks at Zoo Miami, the Toledo Zoo, the Sacramento Zoo and the Memphis Zoo.

A bomb and shooting threat was also reported Friday at a mall in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It was not immediately clear whether the threat was connected to the wave of false reports across the U.S.