Top 10 Animal Escapes

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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TIME has released a top 10 list of zoo animal escapes. Not all are what I would personally include in the list - many are remarkably mundane - but I thought it would be found interesting nevertheless.
Full List - Zoo Escapes - TIME
 
'Goldie' made big news at the time. I think initially they thought they would catch him very quickly but he had other ideas. As the days passed the press got more interested, especially when he started divedombing small dogs.
 
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No mention of Tatiana the Amur tiger at San Francisco Zoo? I assume you all know, but she escaped on Christmas Day (2005?) and injured 2 people (brothers) whilst killing another (their friend). This resulted in a major overhaul of the cat grottos at the zoo to make them more secure. The amazing thing is that tigers were held in the enclosure for over 40 years without it changing, and in all of that time a tiger had not escaped. I still don't think they know how it happened, but I think they believe something triggered the cat to snap, making it more determined to make the jump (really rubbish way of putting it, but I can't think of how else to say what I mean. Hope you all get the jist :))
 
Sorry, submitted that too quickly by mistake. There was a book written about Goldie, which I'm sure referred to him as a male; I always understood 'he' shared an aviary with a female called Regina. Or was this just 'puffery' for the press?
Around the same time, a wolf got out of Whipsnade & was shot. Also, in their very early days, Colchester Zoo lost an Emu, which I believe was 'never seen again'.
Then there's all the 'did it really happen?' escapes like the various Coatis & Porcupines, and the lynxes that may or may not still be running around Norfolk.
Did they ever find out where felicity the Scottish Puma came from?
 
On the Cuban Iguana story, it says that 4 feet is the equivalent of 12m :confused: That's way out :p

@Javan Rhino: I know exactly what you mean, I saw a documentary on this story which explained that theory a year or so ago.
 
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Roz said:
On the Cuban Iguana story, it says that 4 feet is the equivalent of 12m :confused: That's way out :p

@Javan Rhino: I know exactly what you mean, I saw a documentary on this story which explained that theory a year or so ago.
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I saw a documentary about it on (I think Animal Planet?) last Friday, probably the same one but a repeat. Very interesting, it also mentioned about an experiment about enrichment in carnivores, using I think it was Mink as a test (several in cages with just food and water, and others in multi-space cages with wheels, carpet, toys, smells etc, and studying the behaviour in both sets.
 
Javan Rhino said:
No mention of Tatiana the Amur tiger at San Francisco Zoo? I assume you all know, but she escaped on Christmas Day (2005?) and injured 2 people (brothers) whilst killing another (their friend). This resulted in a major overhaul of the cat grottos at the zoo to make them more secure. The amazing thing is that tigers were held in the enclosure for over 40 years without it changing, and in all of that time a tiger had not escaped. I still don't think they know how it happened, but I think they believe something triggered the cat to snap, making it more determined to make the jump (really rubbish way of putting it, but I can't think of how else to say what I mean. Hope you all get the jist :))
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None of the stories involve attacks. I think it was a story full of funny and interesting escapes, not bloody and terrible attacks.

I like how they use a penguin escape from yesterday, might this have triggered the creation of the list?
 
Roz said:
On the Cuban Iguana story, it says that 4 feet is the equivalent of 12m That's way out
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they missed out the period, it should say 1.2m
 
FBBird said:
Did they ever find out where felicity the Scottish Puma came from?
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I don't think it was ever established.

re Whipsnade wolves; didn't several of the pack get out(of the old Wolf Wood) at the same time rather than just one? I believe they dug under the fence- possibly just by digging a burrow that 'accidently' led them to freedom, or was it some other method like the fence being damaged.

I know of Nilgai antelope that escaped at two seperate parks in the South of England. One caused a car crash I believe, the other lived wild for some months before being recaptured.
 
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Javan Rhino said:
No mention of Tatiana the Amur tiger at San Francisco Zoo? I assume you all know, but she escaped on Christmas Day (2005?) and injured 2 people (brothers) whilst killing another (their friend). I still don't think they know how it happened, but I think they believe something triggered the cat to snap, making it more determined to make the jump
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Was there not a suggestion the three men/boys had been drinking and teased/stimulated the tiger into stalking them by crouching or running/getting over the barrier so it was incited to spring, as if at prey? An animal under those circumstances will really stretch itself, make bigger/longer/higher leaps than under normal, relaxed circumstances..
 
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Pertinax said:
Was there not a suggestion the three men/boys had been drinking and teased/stimulated the tiger into stalking them by crouching or running/getting over the barrier so it was incited to spring, as if at prey? An animal under those circumstances will really stretch itself, make bigger/longer/higher leaps than under normal, relaxed circumstances..
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I seem to remember this was the case. They found a footprint on the railing of her enclosure I believe, and as you say it certainly explains how she was able to stretch herself to clear longer distances than normal :)
 
Pertinax said:
Was there not a suggestion the three men/boys had been drinking and teased/stimulated the tiger into stalking them by crouching or running/getting over the barrier so it was incited to spring, as if at prey? An animal under those circumstances will really stretch itself, make bigger/longer/higher leaps than under normal, relaxed circumstances..
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Yes, that was definitely the case. One of his shoes was found INSIDE the moat and visitors reported seeing the three, who were basically juvenile delinquents (all around 19 or 20), taunting the animals. When the story first broke, this was widely reported. However, some time after that the boy's attorneys managed to force that part to be left out of official reports. I saw a television documentary segment on this, and they were not allowed to make any mention of how these delinquents basically caused the entire incident. BTW, one of the two survivors was arrested several months later on drug charges.
 
One that has always intrigued me is the escape of Nobby the [first UK breeding bull] Asian elephant from Chester Zoo in, I believe, 1976. I understand he ended up being shot on a local housing estate. Very sad thing to happen, but I would be very interested in any details anyone can supply. For a start, elephants don't normally get out. Presumably he was on musth & uncontrollable.
 
:) There are currenly two japanese macaques free roaming in Czech republic. Since June actually when they escpaed from Olomouc. Don't panic, it is not a pair, just two young males searching for a partner on their own. One of them has visited 3-4 regions so far :)
 
FBBird said:
One that has always intrigued me is the escape of Nobby the [first UK breeding bull] Asian elephant from Chester Zoo in, I believe, 1976. I understand he ended up being shot on a local housing estate. Very sad thing to happen, but I would be very interested in any details anyone can supply. For a start, elephants don't normally get out. Presumably he was on musth & uncontrollable.
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I don't know any more details of his escape, but apparently he's buried in what is now the Indian Rhino paddock.
 
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