A Paris zoo has been evacuated after several baboons escaped their enclosure.

The alarm was raised when an employee bumped into one of the baboons in a corridor, the Parc Zoologique de Paris said in a statement.

Although no monkeys had roamed into public areas, visitors were evacuated because baboons can be unpredictable "especially when stressed", The Guardian quoted zoo officials as saying.

"They're stronger than us."

Police and zookeepers went hunting for the baboons, managing to return all but three to their pens.

The zoo said one female baboon, its infant and a slightly-older female remained on the run.

English language European news site The Local said media reports originally had the number of escaped baboons as high as 50, but that was later revised to four.

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ABC/Reuters