What is the craziest thing you've seen happen at a zoo/aquarium?

The Alligator Lad

The Alligator Lad

Active Member
Sort of an unofficial sequel to the what is/are the worst kinds of zoo visitors? thread that I created, I would be intrested for you to share the stories of the weirdest, craziest things you've seen at a zoo. Not as in "this enclosure was terrible" or "I got really close to this rare animal", I mean the gossip stories. I think you all know what I mean, so I'll stop rambling. I look forward to hearing your tales!
 
A bent-toed gecko in an exhibit, deceased and in the middle of being eaten by ants.

Three tiger cubs wheeled out and put into a pen for the public to gawk at from a short distance.
 
Somebody getting out of their car in the lion enclosure at Longleat to relieve themself behind a tree. Fortunately the lions were all asleep or resting on the opposite side of the enclosure.

I am not sure the person was all there mentally. It was an elderly gentleman on his own and he had come dressed up for his day out, khaki shirt, khaki shorts, etc. We did see him later on in the walk around section so he didn't come to any harm.
 
The Alligator Lad said:
For me, its seeing rats inside zoo enclosures. Ironically, all the occasions were at NZ zoos, which makes you think about their anti-pest measures in a country where rats are one of the biggest offenders of native species predation.
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Yeah, it's an issue at pretty much every zoo. It is hard to keep them at bay when you feed animals outdoors and certain animals really scatter the food around, making it easy for rats to get. We used to have a lot of rat boxes around the grounds that would have to be checked frequently.
 
Probably when I walked into the (technically) closed Nocturnal House at the Mitchell Park Zoo in Durban, South Africa, only to find multiple dead tarantulas inside a plastic cup. Suffice it to say I did not renter the building.
 
The Alligator Lad said:
For me, its seeing rats inside zoo enclosures. Ironically, all the occasions were at NZ zoos, which makes you think about their anti-pest measures in a country where rats are one of the biggest offenders of native species predation.
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Scratch that, I just recalled the time I visited Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and one of the Kea's jumped on my back and bit me on the neck. Let me tell you man, those things have jaws of steel.
 
When I was a kid I saw an eagle at Zoo Antwerpen capturing, killing, plucking and eating a pigeon that got into its aviary.

I have seen apes (chimps and gorillas) smearing their faeces on windows or walls, then picking at them and re-eating some pieces of it. Perhaps coprophaghy isn't entirely abnormal in these species, but the way I saw them do it was a bit disconcerting.

Also in the great ape sphere, a zoo here in Belgium with a bit of a questionable reputation has an adult male chimpanzee that is infamous for sometimes throwing unpleasant materials at visitors. The exhibit has signage about the behavior and about desirable visitor behavior. However I once saw some complete idiot doing everything the signage says not to do, like making wild movements and yelling at the ape. Predictably the ape reacted by throwing fecal matter, mud and small rocks.

The same zoo of that ape incident also used to let kids pet, hold and take pictures with lion and tiger cubs back in the late 1990's.
 
A couple of things come to mind.
I watched my good friend John Foden, manager and reptile man of Drayton Manor zoo, force feeding 8 foot long King Cobra. Actually saw him do this a few times.
Whilst at Dudley zoo, I was walking past the Bactrian Camel enclosure with another keeper when young child decided to throw one of his shoes into the enclosure. The keeper I was with offered to retrieve the shoe. He entered the enclosure, picked up the shoe and has he threw the shoe to me the male Camel chomped on to the shoulder of his coat, picked him up and started to shake him. It only lasted probably no more than 20 seconds. I have to confess,I couldn't stop laughing. My friend picked himself off the ground, dusted himself down and said the only. words that I can repeat ,I'll never do that again.
 
Many years ago I was in Port Lympne zoo, it was approaching closing time and as I headed for the exit I passed a young couple who were watching the wolves. The man decided it would be a good idea to climb over the safety barrier and squat down close to the fence, while his girlfriend took a photo. What the man hadn't counted on was that he was actually posing by a gate into the enclosure, and that the gap between the gate and gate post was just wide enough for a wolf to get its muzzle through.
The wolves were all lying around, looking about as threatening as domestic dogs, when one wolf saw its chance and seized the sleeve of the man's jacket. In a second, perhaps less than a second, the whole pack went wild. They were howling, running frantically about, some started fighting. A couple of wolves joined in with trying to kill the guy.
Eventually the man managed to slip out of his jacket and a tug of war ensued with the couple having hold of one sleeve and a wolf clinging on to the other sleeve. I was convinced the man had lost his jacket but amazingly the wolf let go and the whole pack instantly calmed down.
I've never looked at wolves in the same way since.
 
Another one I have recalled, at Auckland me and some friends were in the Siamang viewing gallery, looking for the mated pair they had in the enclosure. The both exit the entrance tower (entrance to the arial pathway network) and almost immediatly after entering the enclosure they both get on the grass and start 'doing it' a ways away from me and my friends. Still waiting for the Siamang babies announcement from the zoo.
 
I saw a child fall face-first into the leopard shark touch tank at the Minnesota Zoo. Tipped right on over and right on in. He was very quickly rescued by a parent.

If animals mating is on topic, I got "the talk" at the zoo. I was with my dad and younger brother watching the gibbons (also at the MN zoo) when they started... jumping around kinda funny. Over and over. Making loud noises. My dad promptly ushered my brother towards the hornbills, got on one knee, and very briefly gave me the bare-bones biologics of it all.

I went to the MN zoo with some friends for my seventeenth birthday and the malayan tapirs- my favorite animals!- were copulating as well. Very very loudly. A volunteer was nearby so I inquired as to whether or not those were noises of distress, and she quickly informed me it wasn't.

I swear on my life that every time I go to a zoo, something is goin' at it. I always joke that they need to hire me for their breeding programs.
 
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