Top 10 Greatest Zoo Animal Escapes

From the daring to the dangerous, and the deadly... Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 zoo escapes.

For this list, we’re looking at the some of the famous examples of animals breaking free from their enclosures, and setting out into the big, wide world.

We start in Washington DC, where an adventurous red panda caused a social media storm in June 2013. Rusty, who was 11 months old at the time, had recently been moved to the Smithsonian National Zoo when he boldly broke out, and spent the day exploring the city. Though red pandas are naturally territorial animals, this maverick marched almost a mile away from his usual home, until he was eventually spotted a short distance from the zoo gates. Dubbed ‘The People’s Panda’ after the extensive effort on Twitter to locate him, Rusty had settled down to start a family by the following summer. His rebellious youth, however, will never be forgotten.

When an Egyptian Cobra went missing from her Bronx Zoo home in 2011, mild panic slithered through New York City. An untreated bite might’ve killed a human being, so visitors to the zoo were more than a little cautious. But there was really never anything to worry about. The fanged fugitive was found less than a week after escaping, less than 100 feet from her cage. And while zookeepers admitted a slight sense of relief, her handlers were always confident that the snake wouldn’t harm anyone. It’s believed that the 20-inch cobra slipped through a sliding glass door and retired to the shadows of her reptile house home. The rest is “hisssss”-tory.

1960s Britain may be best remembered for Beatlemania, but for two winter weeks in 1965, the limelight fell elsewhere. Goldie the Golden Eagle evaded his London Zoo handlers in late February, before taking up a temporary residence in nearby Regent’s Park until mid-March. The majestic predator was a national celebrity as crowds appeared every day to see the bird stretch its wings. His two weeks on the run were even mentioned in parliament, getting a cheer during a debate in the House of Commons. Goldie was eventually recaptured, only to flee his nest once more in December of the same year, before his appetite for the outside world was finally satisfied.

In one of the early 21st century’s longest and most successful bids for freedom, Penguin #337 from the Tokyo Sea Life Park eluded its captors for 82 days, in 2012. Having jumped a rock more than twice its height before finding a small gap in the aquarium’s parameter fence, the Humboldt Penguin found fame by making various appearances throughout the Japanese capital, including frequent returns to Tokyo Bay. On one occasion, it even outran the Japanese coastguard. The bird’s keepers had been concerned that it would not survive the city, but gave it a clean bill of health upon its return. With ample food supply in the surrounding waters, it had clearly been dining in style.

To Canada next, and some clipped wings that simply refused to be stopped. Chuva the Macaw was a resident at Vancouver Zoo in 2009, when she up and left, by way of RV. Unable to fly for long distances, she somehow fluttered from her enclosure and hopped into a hidden compartment of a nearby family vehicle, where she stayed for three days until she was discovered. The distinctive blue and gold bird had nestled up close to the engine, having a hitched a ride for over 20 miles. Her story proved a media sensation, but her exact means of escape remains a mystery.

Sadly, not every escape story is a lighthearted one. The Midwest town of Zanesville, Ohio, was the scene of carnage on the night of October 18th 2011, when Terry Thompson, a collector of exotic animals, recklessly set big cats, bears, wolves and monkeys free, before committing suicide. His actions prompted a massive police operation to hunt and kill or capture the escapees, all of which sadly posed huge risk to the public. The surreal urban safari resulted in the deaths of 49 animals, including 18 tigers, 17 lions, and six black bears. As international news channels aired images of the devastation next morning, the story brought global criticism to the doors of local lawmakers.

The San Francisco Zoo was closing up on Christmas Day 2007 when it played host to a terrifying escape. Tatiana, a four year old female Siberian tiger who had previously mauled a keeper, was at the centre of the incident which resulted in the death of a visitor, and the killing of the animal itself. As you can imagine, it caused quite the controversy. An investigation suggested that Tatiana may have been taunted before she seemingly leapt from her enclosure, while the San Fran Zoo came under fire for falling short of some industry standards. Two further patrons were injured in the thirteen-minute attack, which some experts say was a disaster that could’ve been avoided.

For this entry, it’s time for a little bit of teamwork. When three kangaroos embarked on a Hollywood-style great escape from Hochwildschutzpark Hunsrück, near Frankfurt in Germany, they enlisted help from the outside. The trio bypassed two external fences not by jumping over them, as might be expected of their bouncing breed, but by tunnelling underneath, using holes dug first by a fox and then by a wild boar. The interspecies effort inspired headlines all over the world, with readers marvelling at the marsupials’ cunning. While two of the burrowers were quickly caught, the other continually evaded its pursuers. Meanwhile, the fox and boar accomplices disappeared without a trace.

The earliest example of animal escapology to make today’s list, Cyril the Sea lion made waves on both sides of the North American border in 1958, when he escaped from a small pool in London, Ontario. Cyril slipped away from Storybook Gardens Zoo and swam some very risky waters, including military-occupied Lake Erie, until he was eventually found in a different country altogether, by a boathouse in Ohio. Nearby Toledo Zoo took the creature in, and after some slightly tense negotiations agreed to return him to his former home. To mark the occasion, the Chicago Tribune led with ‘Toledo Yields Dopey Sea Lion’, but there was little ‘dopey’ about Cyril’s awesome escapades.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Bokito the Gorilla

- Evelyn the Gorilla

- Sampal the Dolphin

When it comes to escaping, orangutans are extraordinarily good at it. In 1985, one Ken Allen became a superstar at the San Diego Zoo following three successful escapes in as many months. In fact, Ken was so good at getting out that other apes began copying him. But today’s winner is Fu Manchu, a tricksy resident at Omaha Zoo in the late ‘60s. Fu frequently busted his family out of their enclosures by reportedly hiding some wire under his lip, which he used to pick the locks on the gate. The ape was so skilled at breaking free; he was even awarded honorary membership to the American Association of Locksmiths!