UK enclosure breaches

Mr T

Mr T

Well-Known Member
With the recent news of orangutans getting out of their main enclosure at Chester the other day I was wondering how often zoo animals manage to breach their enclosures. I am aware of a few events over recent years including another orangutan at escaping it's indoor enclosure and sitting on the roof of the old orangutan house back in the early 00's. I believe chimps got out of their accommodation at Chester too and have heard of an escaped rhino at South lakes and wolves at Colchester.

Thought this might be an interesting thread. When I mean escape or breach, I mean got out of either their enclosures (Indoor/outdoor) or holding areas. It doesn't mean they were necessarily running riot in the zoo or outside of the zoo boundaries but these would obviously count. Let's try and stick to the UK for now.
 
The chimps did indeed escape at Chester at one point.

I know of several escapes, in various UK zoos over the years, some were public knowledge, but the vast majority were definatly not.
These things happen of course, and often more regularly than is realised. But most remain within the zoo grounds and so can be dealt with without too much fuss.
I am not sure that mentioning the ones that were not public knowledge would be particularly positive to the zoos concerned ?
 
I have been in a zoo when the following have escaped

Bennett's Wallaby
Hamadryas Baboon
Crimson-winged Parakeet

All back in the 1980s, the zoo remained open and visitors were even invited to watch the recapture of the baboon. No chance of that happening in this day and age.
 
Nanook said:
I know of several escapes, in various UK zoos over the years, some were public knowledge, but the vast majority were definatly not.
These things happen of course, and often more regularly than is realised. But most remain within the zoo grounds and so can be dealt with without too much fuss.
I am not sure that mentioning the ones that were not public knowledge would be particularly positive to the zoos concerned ?
Click to expand...

Escapes that were in the public domain were what I was after really to be honest as they are the easiest to prove. With regards to things not being particularly positive for the zoos concerned (when the escapes were not made public), this is a forum which seems more than happy to comment on all things zoo related whether or not they put the zoo in question in a positive or negative light.
 
This is in the public domain, but gets forgotten about. Nobby, a bull Asian Elephant escaped from Chester Zoo while in musth in 1975, and was shot dead in a local housing estate after a tranquilising attempt failed. He was the father of Jubilee, Chester's ( and the UK's) first surviving elephant calf.
 
Reaseheath - Capybara. A couple of years ago now. Spent the weekend on the loose in the local area before being caught on a nearby roundabout

Howletts - Dholes a few years before that - sadly several had to be shot whilst some were safely recaptured
 
Many years ago I was at Chester when a Highland cow (or possibly bull) escaped. I saw it being led back to its paddock on a halter, with a bodyguard of keepers. Bongorob may be able to embarrass me by telling us when Chester last kept Highland cattle :o

Alan
 
It was 1978 Gentle Lemur. I think they were last held in a paddock behind what is now the spectacled bear enclosure, not many people saw them as it was off the beaten track.

One famous escapee was goldie, the golden eagle who spent several days flying free in Regent's Park before being caught and returned to the zoo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldie_(eagle)
 
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bongorob said:
It was 1978 Gentle Lemur.
Click to expand...

Thank you :o :o :o

Of course, it may well have been several years earlier :o :o :o

Your description of their location fits, I saw them on the section of path between the bongos and the capybara (as it is now).

Alan
 
Dudley Zoo had Penguins escape in the mid 70's they were eventual all recaptured but some did make the top church area.
 
Flamingo Land's Chimpanzees escaped in 2005 (BBC NEWS | UK | England | North Yorkshire | Marksman shoots chimpanzee dead) (it wasn't long after that they stopped keeping them).

I have never had any experience of zoo animals escape, except one or two reluctant birds of prey who preferred sitting in trees rather than their mews. A wallaby escaped from someones back garden in York last year or the year before which absolute traffic chaos.
 
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something that always seems to find its way out in almost every zoo that has kept them - leafcutter ants.
 
My mother has told me that back in the late 1930s/early 1940s, one of the bears at Dudley used to escape quite regularly from bear ravine. Apparently, there used to be a flagpole in the centre of the concrete pit area and he learnt how to climb it and launch himself off. I've also heard about bears escaping into the network of limestone caves that run under Castle Hill in Dudley - I was never sure whether that was an urban myth or not, but it's mentioned in this review of Dudley Canal Tunnels.

Dudley Canal Tunnels and Limestone Mines, Dudley - Review - Would I Touch it WIth a Barge Pole?
 
Twycross approx 2000.

Giraffe jumped the moat (I think it was pushed into it by another Giraffe) while we were visiting. it walked up and down the central avenue until keepers could shepherd it back with vehicles, brooms etc. It seemed relieved to be home.
 
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