A hippopotamus from the Ramat Gan Safari in central Israel left the safari at 6:00 pm on Wednesday evening. It is as yet unknown how it escaped its enclosed environment.

In a security video, the hippopotamus can be seen exiting the safari's main gate, as a man looks on and makes a phone call.

After taking a few steps towards a nearby road, the hippopotamus turned around and retraced its steps.

Safari staff at the scene helped bring the massive animal home.

"The safari's management is taking this incident very seriously," a representative said. "This morning we began a thorough investigation of the incident. We will soon come to conclusions and act accordingly."