The Melbourne Zoo was in lockdown for a short time after an orangutan escaped its enclosure and got into the public area.

Malu, an 11-year-old Sumatran orangutan, escaped his exhibit on Monday afternoon forcing zoo staff to evacuate the area.

Malu the #orangutan has returned to his night quarters after a brief stroll through the public area #melbournezoo pic.twitter.com/5X1JV1ap34

— Zoos Victoria (@ZoosVictoria) July 13, 2015

Zoo staff had to use a tranquiliser to subdue the animal.

“At no time were visitors or staff in danger and Melbourne Zoo staff acted quickly to lock down the zoo and all visitors have been safely ushered into secure areas,” a zoo statement said.

“Malu has been secured in an undercover area of the Zoo.”