An orangutan managed to escape from her enclosure at an animal theme park in Florida, prompting it to close a part of it off. Footage posted on social media shows the orangutan sitting high up in a tree as a crowd looked on.

Parts of Luna the orangutan's adventures were captured on video and she could be seen climbing branches. At one point, she fell to the floor to the cries of spectators before climbing on a display board.

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She was tranquilised with a dart and returned to her cage following her brief taste of freedom on Friday, 1 July.

In a statement after the incident, the park said: "Busch Gardens Tampa Bay moved guests safely out of the Stanleyville area of the park when a female orangutan was outside her habitat.

"The animal care team responded immediately and the animal is back safely and securely in the habitat without incident. The safety of our guests, employees and animals is our number one priority."

Luna was back in her enclosure by 6:30pm local time (11:30pm BST), according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman, Gary Morse.

Orlando resident and witness Jason Mayhew described the situation as park staff dealt with the situation. "They were stalling and stalling," he said. "Finally, someone said due to safety concerns, they had to clear the entire theatre. People looked a little panicky, but everyone kept their composure."

Park spokeswoman, Karen Varga-Sinka, said yesterday's episode was not the first time Luna tried to venture out of her enclosure, according to a Tampa Bay Times report. In 2008, the orangutan – then called Luna Bella – managed to escape by scaling a 12ft wall. She was coaxed back with a combination of carrots, apples and vanilla ice cream.

While orangutans are not usually aggressive, they are extremely strong and so can present a danger to people.

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