Ananova:

A group of hungry chimps sparked chaos at Chester Zoo when they escaped from their enclosure.

About 5,000 visitors to the zoo were evacuated after the 30 males slipped out of their compound and headed into the area where their food is prepared.

James Facey, who was at the zoo with his family, said: "One minute everything seemed normal but then, all of a sudden, staff were pushing everyone inside the restaurant.

"One of the keepers told us that a large group of male chimps had broken free from their cage. We were told we had to stay inside until they were secured and it was safe to leave.

"But it wasn?t long before they told everyone that we had to leave the zoo completely and we were all escorted out."

Zoo spokeswoman Rachel Ashton said the public were not in danger and a total evacuation was merely a precaution.

She added: "The chimps were always contained and locked in so they couldn?t go anywhere.

"We needed to get them back into the chimp area, so as a matter of precaution we had to evacuate the zoo."