Southwick's Zoo visitors left stuck in the air, rescued after "Sky Ride" malfunctions again
More than 30 visitors at Southwick's Zoo in Mendon had to be rescued from gondolas that were stuck in the air on Monday after the "Sky Ride" attraction malfunctioned again.
The fire department responded with ladder trucks to reach people who were stranded high up. WBZ-TV's helicopter captured a firefighter carrying a child to safety down a ladder. Crews brought others to the ground with lift trucks.
The Mendon Fire Department said 32 people were evacuated from the ride and no injuries were reported.
"This afternoon, the Skyfari Sky Ride at Southwick's Zoo experienced an unexpected issue that required the ride to be shut down mid-operation," a zoo spokesperson said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, we contacted the Mendon Fire Department, who responded promptly and worked alongside our trained operations and security teams to safely assist guests from the ride's gondolas."
The Sky Ride gives guests an aerial view of the animals below. The ride takes visitors 30 feet in the air at its highest point.
"For some reason the emergency brake got stuck and they couldn't get it released. That's what I was told," said Bill Hesketh, who was evacuated from the ride. "But the question of the day is why was the emergency brake initiated in the first place?"
Similar incident in 2022
In 2022, 40 people were rescued from the Sky Ride after an oil leak forced it to stop. Nobody was hurt in the incident.
The zoo says that since then, it "developed a comprehensive emergency response plan specifically for the Skyfari Sky Ride and trained our team accordingly."
"It's happened once about three years ago and before that I can't even remember the last time it happened," said Betsey Brewer of Southwick's Zoo. "It's inspected every day, it's greased, it's oiled, it then goes through every three hours an inspection."
Mendon firefighters used a ladder truck to evacuate five people from two chairs located in areas that were difficult to access due to animal enclosures.
"The total operation was a great success, with no injuries, thanks to the seamless coordination between the Fire Department and Zoo Staff," Mendon Fire Chief Jason Bangma said in a statement. "This strong teamwork, coupled with the countless hours of training, ensured everyone's safety."
The zoo said the Skyfari ride will be closed until they determine exactly what happened.
"The safety of our guests remains our top priority, and we appreciate the patience and understanding of everyone involved," the zoo said.