Animals successfully get out of zoos, shelters, and even pet shops more frequently than one may think. Mistakes made by staff are the leading cause of the incidents. But there have also been cases of people purposely aiding escapes as well as some rare, ingenious breakout tactics devised by the animals themselves.
Although the majority of animal breakouts involve small and harmless creatures, here is a list of the more dangerous beasts that have escaped captivity.
Eagle
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In 1965, a golden eagle named Goldie escaped from the Regent’s Park Zoo in London. After five years of living at the zoo, Goldie escaped while the cage was being cleaned. The eagle became a national sensation during its 12 days of free reign. Hundreds of calls and letters were sent to the zoo with capture advice. A crowd of roughly 1,000 people gathered to watch the eagle’s keepers, police, firefighters, and even a BBC reporter attempt to catch the bird. The navy was also consulted about supplies, including a net and line-firing rifles. Goldie was caught by the deputy head keeper, who lured the eagle with a dead rabbit tied to a rope. He quietly walked up to the bird and caught it with his bare hands. Goldie was declared unhurt and returned to the London zoo, where visitor numbers doubled during the following days.
Takin
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In May 2018, a 363-kilogram (800 lb) takin rammed its way out of a Rhode Island zoo. The beast ran around for an hour before it was captured and sedated. Two employees sustained minor injuries, which were treated on the scene.
The takin escaped early in the morning before the zoo opened for visitors. A veterinary team approaching to carry out a routine hoof procedure appeared to have caused the incident. The animal charged at reinforced doors multiple times until it successfully broke out of its enclosure and roamed the facility’s grounds.
Python
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An African rock python escaped from a pet shop in Canada in 2013.The 4.3-meter (14 ft) snake strangled two young brothers, aged five and seven, by slithering into their room through a ventilation system. The children were having a sleepover at their friend’s flat, which was located above a Reptile Ocean shop in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Mr. Savoie, their friend’s father and the owner of the shop, discovered their bodies the following morning. His own son had slept in a different room and was unharmed. Savoie was shocked and said that he thought of the kids as his own.
Crocodile
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At the beginning of 2017, no fewer than 10 crocodiles found their way out of a zoo after Southern Thailand was hit by a flood. Some of the crocodiles measured up to 5 meters (16.4 ft) long. Reports noted that all of the deer and rare bird species had also escaped. Attempts at locating the reptiles were unsuccessful due to the changing water level.
Wolf
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In January 2018, a Berkshire wolf called Torak fled from the Wolf Conservation Trust’s site after its enclosure was damaged by strong winds. However, the sanctuary has stated that someone may have left the gate open deliberately.
Torak was recaptured six hours later. Police said that the wolf had traveled roughly 13 kilometers (8 mi) before it was caught near a motorway. An expert in capturing animals who was tracking Torak noted that the police would have shot the wolf if it had run onto the motorway.
Gorilla
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A silverback gorilla named Kumbuka escaped through an open cage door at the London Zoo in 2016. Despite the description of Kumbuka as a “gentle giant,” visitors were ordered to take cover in buildings when the 184-kilogram (406 lb) ape escaped. Armed police got involved in finding and tranquilizing the gorilla. Kumbuka was tranquilized and returned to the enclosure within half an hour. The only damage caused by the gorilla was the loss of 5 liters (1.3 gal) of undiluted blackcurrant squash, which Kumbuka drank in the staff-only service corridor.
Elephant
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In Baraboo, Wisconsin, in summer 2017, Kelly, the 3,810-kilogram (8,400 lb) Asian elephant, escaped from the circus and went to munch on some nearby plants. Her stroll down the block was followed by shocked neighborhood screams.
Turns out that Kelly’s escape was assisted by Isla, another elephant. Isla is intrigued by anything shiny, including the nuts and bolts which held together their enclosure. The elephant released several bolts secured to a latch hinge, giving Kelly a chance to escape.
All it took to get the elephant back to the enclosure was Kelly’s trainer calling her name.
Bear
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A bear named Taps escaped from a zoo in Osnabrueck, Germany, in 2017. The bear was quickly shot dead by zoo personnel before it could cause any harm. Police officers rushed to the zoo and assisted in temporarily evacuating the area as well as investigating the animal’s escape. Taps was a cappuccino bear that had a brown bear and a polar bear as parents. The animal escaped through a hole in its cage.
Tiger
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During summer 2015, a flood freed hundreds of wild animals from a zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia. Among those animals was a tiger, which killed a man in a warehouse before being taken out by police. The 43-year-old man was attacked in the throat and died before reaching the hospital.
Lion
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A 65-year-old man turned his back on the king of the jungle while cleaning its cage in a Chinese zoo in 2015. The lion did not miss the chance to take a bite out of the man’s shoulder and neck. He later died from the injuries. After its escape, the lion roamed around the park for over an hour while local officers and special forces were mobilized. The lion was shot dead by police to ensure the safety of visitors. Later that afternoon, the park reopened for business.
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