Two preliminary statements on a chimpanzee's escape and death last week in Bastrop County were released Thursday.

An 18-year-old chimpanzee named "Tony" escaped from his corral March 12 from the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research.

According to the reports, the chimp's escape was not due to human error. Investigators say the chimp made a remarkable leap from the top of an exercise pole over a fence surrounding his enclosure.

Officials tried to recapture him with tranquilizers, but one missed and the other was not effective in sedating him.

He was shot and killed when he went outside the boundaries of the 380 acre campus. The research center's operating procedure does not call for deadly force except when there is an "immediate threat to life." The UT police officer who shot the chimp said he perceived there to be a threat from the chimp. He has been placed on paid administrative leave while UT police complete their investigation.

This was the second escape in four months.

A 17-year-old chimpanzee escaped from an unsecured gate at research center in November and was safely returned.