Sea lion escapes its enclosure in New York City zoo amid heavy rain and flooding

New York City is battling some serious rain which has affected lives all around, causing widespread flooding and loss of property, with subways, schools and streets inundated.

Amid the flooding, a sea lion escaped its enclosure at the Central Park Zoo on Friday. However, the creature couldn't venture out of the zoo's bounds. The zoo was closed amid the life-threatening flood in the city. Video of the sea lion's escape has gone viral on social media, with netizens reacting to it with hilarious memes and comments.

Wildlife Conservation Society's executive vice president, Jim Breheny, gave a statement about the incident. He informed that the sea lion was able to swim out of its pool due to flooding of the plaza caused by rains in New York City.

"Zoo staff monitored the sea lion as she explored the area before returning to the familiar surroundings of the pool and the company of the other two sea lions," said Breheny as quoted by the New York Post.

"The water levels have receded, and the animals are contained in their exhibit. Animal care staff will continue to monitor the situation through the duration of the weather event," he added.

Meanwhile, according to National Weather Service New York, JFK Airport and Central Park has experienced 8.58"and 5.85" rainfall respectively since Thursday.

Possible Causes of the flooding in New York

New York City experienced heavy rainfall which overwhelmed the city's drainage system. Several experts have attributed the torrential rain to climate change.

"We're in this new territory where we're seeing higher intensity rainfalls like this. Once you've exceeded the capacity of the sewers themselves, that's what causes these backups. When the pipes can't handle it, it backs up," Mr. Zarrilli, a former climate policy adviser to the mayor was quoted as saying by The New York Times.