A circus-train derailment led to a bizarre morning in Albert Lea Tuesday as an assortment of escaped exotic animals roamed the city, a local radio station reported. Several people spotted a huge gorilla making its way north on Broadway Avenue.

A second gorilla was also seen &045; riding a moped.

Oh, and by the way, it was April 1.

Radio station KQPR, &uot;Power 96,&uot; was behind the prank. Around 7 a.m. on April Fool’s Day, morning announcer James Shaman told the listening audience about the &uot;derailment&uot; south of town and said a python, zebra, billy goat and gorilla were among the escaped animals.

Afternoon announcer Ron Hunter, who dreamed up the joke, donned a gorilla costume and started making himself seen in the southern part of the city, often pausing out of sight to take off his mask and call the station, pretending to be a circus official asking listeners to be on the lookout for the wayward gorilla.

&uot;It was so much fun,&uot; said Anna Rahn of Power 96. &uot;We had many people coming up afterward saying this was the best stunt ever.&uot;

As listeners called in reporting gorilla sightings, another Albert Lea resident thought he’d pull a prank of his own. He put on a gorilla suit and started riding around town on a moped, Rahn said.

&uot;The phones were just ringing off the hook,&uot; Rahn said.

Hunter made his way downtown to the radio station’s office, and during the 9 o’clock hour the station revealed that it was all a joke, and offered amusement-park tickets to the first caller who could guess who was in the gorilla suit. Craig Lestrud of Hartland was the winner.

The morning was eventful for Hunter. At one point, he had a run-in with a Rottweiler and went running for his life. &uot;It was a great story for him to tell afterward,&uot; Rahn said. &uot;He thought he was done for.&uot;

Hunter, a former law-enforcement officer, also took the precaution of wearing a bullet-proof vest underneath the costume in case a scared resident mistook him for a real ape and started shooting.