A chimpanzee had to be tranquilized following a dramatic escape from its enclosure at a zoo in China last week.

‘Yang Yang’ was seen running on a path and sitting on a roof of a low-rise building after using a fallen bamboo tree in its bid for freedom at the Hefei Wildlife Park in Anhui province, Daily Mail quoted Chinese reports citing zoo employees as saying.

Visitors and staff were left astonished by the 12-year-old male chimp’s antics.

All visitors were evacuated as police officers tried to persuade the ape to return to its enclosure in a “two-hour standoff” before firing a single tranquiliser dart to put the primate to sleep.

The escapee ape was returned to its enclosure, unhurt.

Footage released by the Hefei Public Security Bureau shows the chimpanzee pacing on the roof after escaping from its cage even as caretakers try to lure it back with toys and food.

Another clip showed the chimp attack a zookeeper who tried to stop it.

An officer is then seen aiming a tranquiliser gun and firing a single shot at the chimp who yanks the dart out of its arm.

Several minutes later, the animal is seen sleeping on the roof and is moved into a large cage to be transported back to its enclosure.

Chimpanzee escapes enclosure, attacks keeper in wildlife park pic.twitter.com/tUPkFyIQJh

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) July 13, 2019

Visitor Li, who was at the zoo with his family, said he saw the chimpanzee being chased by a police officer holding a tranquiliser gun, according to the Daily Mail.

He said they were immediately asked to leave the premises for their safety.

A zoo worker told Anhui Online that Yang Yang was very intelligent and had been living at the park for 11 years.