Bomb threat forces evacuation of North Carolina Zoo. Juvenile to be charged.

The N.C. Zoo in Asheboro was evacuated Monday morning following a bomb threat later found to be a hoax.

In a news release, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said it had received a call at 10:43 a.m. that a park representative had received a bomb threat “through electronic means.” The park began evacuating visitors immediately.

By 1:30 p.m., the zoo posted on its website that all school groups and employees had been evacuated. The zoo later said all public areas of the park had been searched twice and no suspicious items were found.

Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the park were joined by others to secure the perimeter of the property, the release said. Investigators also asked for the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office to put its bomb squad on standby.

Randolph County Sheriff’s investigators were able to identify the person who sent the threat, saying it was a juvenile. Investigators said a juvenile petition will be filed in the case.

The park did not say how many visitors were there on Monday, but spring is typically the busiest time of year for the zoo.

The zoo hosts an average of 100,000 schoolchildren each year.

The zoo will return to normal operating hours on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the threat can contact Randolph County Sheriff’s investigators at 336-318-6658 or call Randolph County Crime Stoppers tip line at 336-672-7463. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via the Sheriff’s Office app or the Crime Stoppers app.

Visitors who had to leave the park and want to ask about refunds or return tickets can send an inquiry to guestservices@nczoo.org. School groups needing to reschedule can email reservations@nczoo.org or speak with them at 336-879-7700 starting Tuesday.