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Michael Jackson's former pet elephant was a "Smooth Criminal" on Sunday when it escaped an enclosure at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida.
According to the zoo's statement, Ali -- a bull elephant that famously lived on Jackson's Neverland Ranch before being transferred to the zoo in 1997 -- "went through a gate that was accidentally left open and ended up in a courtyard behind the giraffe and elephant barn."
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View StoryThe zoo stressed guests were not in danger when Ali was on the loose for roughly 20 minutes on Sunday afternoon.
"Safety protocols went into place and Zoo staff immediately jumped into action to get the big guy back where he belonged," the zoo said on Facebook. "His keepers were able to quickly and safely walk Ali back into his enclosure with some food encouragement. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and all AZA accredited zoos practice for just such occasions so our dedicated team was prepared."
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View StoryThe zoo had a pretty good sense of humor about the whole thing, too. "What do you do when an elephant ends up in a yard he's not supposed to be in?" the Facebook post began. "You moonwalk him back to his proper enclosure."
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