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Three chimpanzees were shot and killed by the director of Zoo Nebraska on Saturday after they escaped from their cage at the small zoo near Royal in northeast Nebraska. A fourth chimp returned to its cage shortly after escaping.

Zoo Director Ken Schlueter Jr. said that when workers left the chimps’ cage after cleaning it, one of the padlocks was not clicked shut. Visitors and employees saw the chimps lift the padlock and break out of their cage.

Visitors were immediately moved into the office area and barricaded in for safety, Schlueter said.

“They were our first priority,” he said.

Deb Collins, spokeswoman for the Nebraska State Patrol, said no people were hurt in the incident, which began at about noon and lasted about 45 minutes.

The Nebraska State Patrol and the Antelope County Sheriff’s Department helped zoo employees in their attempt to capture the animals.

Collins said the four animals escaped from the zoo and ran into Royal, a community of about 75 people in Antelope County. The chimps tried to get into a couple of businesses in town, Collins said, before returning to the zoo.