Four zoos in Ohio were forced to evacuate over the weekend after the latest swatting incidents to target such facilities across the United States.
Two of the incidents were reported just hours apart on Sunday — one at the Akron Zoo about a 40-minute drive south of Cleveland and the other at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, according to The Associated Press.
The Akron Zoo said in a notice on its website that they received a bomb threat just before 11 a.m. on Sunday “consistent with other zoos receiving similar threats in past days” and opted to remain closed for the rest of the day.
Media reports said there was also an active shooter threat called in, but authorities did not find anything suspicious after a “comprehensive sweep” of the park, according to Cleveland 19 News.
“The safety of all zoo employees, visitors and animals is top priority,” a zoo statement said.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, meanwhile, shut down Sunday afternoon after a similar threat was reported with an official telling Cleveland 19 News that they made the decision out of an “abundance of caution.”
Jacqueline Gerling, the zoo’s director of communications, said the zoo was evacuated to “ensure the safety of all guests and staff,” the outlet reported, and that they plan to reopen on Monday.
Threats also received in Columbus, Toledo
The incidents followed a bomb threat and active shooter threat on Saturday at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in the Ohio capital and a bomb threat on Friday at the Toledo Zoo near the state’s border with Michigan.
A bomb threat was also received on Friday at the Louisville Zoo in nearby Kentucky, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, while other incidents have been reported in Tennessee, Arizona and Florida in recent days.
Columbus Zoo president and CEO Tom Schmid told WCMH, via AP, that they in fact held a safety drill last week and another safety exercise on Saturday morning to prepare for such incidents.
“This is part of life now around the country, around the world,” Schmid said. “And so we have to make sure we’re vigilant.”
Toronto not immune to ‘malicious tactic’
Swatting, described as a “malicious tactic of making hoax calls or reports to emergency services, typically feigning an immediate threat to life,” has been an increasing problem for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI says swatting is a “serious crime” with potentially deadly consequences that can also divert public resources from real emergencies.
Last year, dozens of hoax calls resulted in U.S. college campuses being locked down and classes being cancelled. Such incidents in Pennsylvania in August 2025 led to federal charges being laid against a youth last week, who prosecutors said identified himself as a member of the cybercriminal group Purgatory, according to AP.
Swatting incidents have also been reported recently in the GTA with a Markham high school having to be evacuated for the second time this year after receiving a threatening call from a phone number in Los Angeles.
