List of zoo escapes

The following is an incomplete list of notable incidents where one or multiple animals escaped from their enclosures at zoos.

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Australia Zoo	Beerwah, Queensland	Red-necked wallaby	3 days	The male, Dougle, escaped through a damaged fence during a thunderstorm.^[1]
2023	Perth Zoo	Perth, Western Australia	Silvery gibbon	30 minutes	^[2]
2022	Adelaide Zoo	Adelaide, South Australia	Red panda	2 days	The 7-year-old male Ravi was found two days after his escape in a tree in a nearby botanical park. The animal was tranquilised and brought back.^[3]
2022	Australian Reptile Park	Somersby, New South Wales	American alligator	Brief escape	^[4]
2022	Symbio Wildlife Park	Helensburgh, New South Wales	Red panda	Unknown	The 8-year-old female Kesari escaped after a tree fell in her enclosure. She died after being hit by a car.^[5]
2022	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Lion	2.5 hours	During the “Roar and Snore” program, where guests pay to sleep 100 metres from the lion enclosure, four cubs and their father Ato were spotted outside of their exhibit. The zoo was put under a lockdown and the visitors were evacuated to a bathroom block until the animals returned, one cub was tranquilized.^[6]
2019	Melbourne Zoo	Melbourne, Victoria	Sumatran orangutan	Brief escape	The 15-year-old Malu briefly escaped. The zoo was put under lockdown.^[7]
2018	Perth Zoo	Perth, Western Australia	Ghost bat	50 minutes	^[8]
2018	Perth Zoo	Perth, Western Australia	Red panda	90 minutes	^[8]
2017	Australian Reptile Park	Somersby, New South Wales	Koala	Less than a day	The 2-year-old female Irene escaped her enclosure at the start of the mating season.^[9]
2017	Perth Zoo	Perth, Western Australia	Binturong	Unknown	A baby escaped twice through holes in its enclosure.^[8]
2017	Perth Zoo	Perth, Western Australia	Sumatran orangutan^[10]	15 minutes	A 5-year-old male fell over a barrier and into a garden bed. His mother dropped into the area to retrieve him before moving onto the visitor boardwalk and back into her exhibit. The zoo was placed in lockdown.^[11]
2016	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Red-tailed black cockatoo	2 days	One bird escaped during the free flight show after being scared by a peregrine falcon. It was found in a backyard 20 km north of the zoo.^[12]
2015	Melbourne Zoo	Melbourne, Victoria	Sumatran orangutan	Less than a day	The 11-year-old Malu escaped into a secondary area before it was tranquilised. The zoo was put under lockdown.^[13]
2012	Australia Zoo	Beerwah, Queensland	Binturong	17 days	^[14]^[15]
2012	Ranger Red's Zoo & Conservation Park	Pinjarra, Western Australia	Tasmanian devil	Unknown	The three Tasmanian devils Itchy, Jamie and Genghis escaped after a falling tree knocked down the wall of their enclosure. One week later, Itchy and Jamie were found.^[16]
2012	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Red-tailed black cockatoo	At least 2 days	Five birds escaped during the free flight show after being scared by sea eagles.^[17]
2011	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Crab-eating macaque	10 minutes	^[18]
2009	Adelaide Zoo	Adelaide, South Australia	Sumatran orangutan^[19]	30 minutes	The 27-year-old Karta escaped her enclosure by short-circuiting an electric fence, but did not make it over a surrounding fence.^[20]
2008	Monarto Safari Park	Monarto, South Australia	White rhinoceros	Less than a day	The 18-year-old male Satara broke out to reach some female rhinos, but remained within a fenced zone. He was tranquilised and brought back to another enclosure.^[21]
2004	Mareeba Wild Animal Park	Kuranda, Queensland	Cheetah	Unknown	^[22]
1990	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Clouded leopard	1 day	One clouded leopard escaped through a broken wire into a nearby concrete structure, where it feasted on pigeons until a zookeeper tranquilised the animal.^[18]
1973	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Freshwater crocodile	1 day	Initially thought to have been stolen, the two reptiles actually had scaled a 2.5-metre tall mesh fence.^[18]
1972	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Orangutan	1 hour	^[18]
1967	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Northern plains gray langur	Unknown	The monkey escaped into nearby Bradley's Park where it was shot by zoo director Ron Strahan.^[18]
Mid-1950s	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Chimpanzee	Less than a day	The ex-circus chimp Koko escaped her enclosure and trashed the interior of the office manager’s Ford Prefect until she was sedated with a bottle of chloroform by a zookeeper.^[18]
1946	Taronga Zoo	Mosman, New South Wales	Bengal tiger	Less than a day	The animal was shot.^[18]
1914	Melbourne Zoo	Melbourne, Victoria	Leopard	2 days	The leopard fled into a garden where it was shot dead after attacking a 17-year-old girl.^[23]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2022	Doppelmayr Zoo	Wolfurt	Red-necked wallaby	Unknown	^[24]
2022	Salzburg Zoo	Salzburg	African penguin	Several hours	A young penguin escaped in an unknown way and was found in a cornfield, about 800 metres away from the zoo.^[25]
2021	Salzburg Zoo	Salzburg	African penguin	4 days	The penguin was found emaciated on a path near the zoo. It was suspected that the animal had been stolen, because it is unknown how it could have escaped.^[25]
2021	Salzburg Zoo	Salzburg	Cheetah	Several hours	In early June, the two females Juvi and Raha escaped the zoo and wandered towards Anif, but came back after their mother called them. Although the zoo stated that the safety measures will be improved, one month later, Juvi escaped again. This time, she could be pushed back into her enclosure by zookeepers and the vet.^[26]
2012	Salzburg Zoo	Salzburg	Cheetah	Unknown	In June, two cheetahs escaped. In July, one of them managed to escape again briefly.^[27]
2012	Salzburg Zoo	Salzburg	Eurasian lynx	1 day	A Eurasian lynx named Vivious managed to escape after a storm damaged its enclosure.^[27]
2009	Schönbrunn Zoo	Vienna	Spectacled bear	15 minutes	The male Huan escaped for 15 minutes before he was tranquilized by a vet.^[28]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Unspecified	Unknown	Pink-backed pelican	2 weeks	The pelican made its way to the Netherlands, where it was captured on the golf course in Vught. The bird was taken to Safaripark Beekse Bergen to be picked up by its owner.^[29]^[30]
2023	Planckendael	Mechelen	Spotted hyena	Brief escape	A fallen tree allowed four hyenas to briefly escape their enclosure before the zoo was opened for visitors. The animals could quickly be lured back by caretakers.^[31]
2022	Planckendael	Mechelen	Bonobo	Less than a day	A male bonobo escaped, causing the zoo to be evacuated. After the ape was tranquilized, it was brought back and the park was reopened.^[32]
2020	Pairi Daiza	Brugelette	Wolf	Several hours	A 3-year-old wolf escaped for one night, before being recaptured the next morning. Local farmers were warned.^[33]
2018	Planckendael	Mechelen	Lion	3 hours	A lioness got out of her enclosure shortly after the zoo was opened, causing the zoo to be evacuated. After attempts to sedate her failed, the animal was shot.^[34]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2014	Lovech Zoo	Lovech	Jaguar	6 hours	The animal was shot dead.^[36]
2014	Sofia Zoo	Sofia	Tiger	Less than a day	^[37]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Greenview Park and Zoo	Morpeth, Ontario	Red kangaroo	3 hours	A kangaroo escaped the Greenview Zoo by unknown means before being spotted by an Amazon driver and being captured by the Ontario Provincial Police.^[38]
2023	Oshawa Zoo	Oshawa, Ontario	Eastern grey kangaroo	Four days	A kangaroo escaped while being transported by truck. It eluded capture for a week before being captured by Ontario Provincial Police.
2023	Waddles 'n' Wags Animal Haven	Eganville, Ontario	Serval	Never found	A serval escaped from a roadside zoo and is presumed dead.
2022	Greater Vancouver Zoo	Langley, British Columbia	Wolf	2 days	Two wolves escaped from the Greater Vancouver Zoo after a hole was cut in their enclosure. One was recovered safely while the other was struck by a car and killed.^[39]
2021	Papanack Park Zoo	Wendover, Ontario	Kangaroo	Unknown	A kangaroo escaped before being found seriously injured on a highway. It was euthanised.
2019	Roaring Cat Retreat	Lambton Shores, Ontario	Lion	Unknown	Two lion cubs escaped from an illegal zoo.
2019	Zoo Sauvage de St-Félicien	Saint-Félicien, Quebec	Wolverine	Never found	^[40]
2017	Chippewa Park Wildlife Exhibit	Thunder Bay, Ontario	Bald eagle	Never found	Two bald eagles escaped after their enclosure was vandalized. One was never found.
2016	High Park Zoo	Toronto, Ontario	Capybara	35 days	Two capybara's known as Bonnie and Clyde escaped from the High Park Zoo. One was captured after 19 days while the other remained on the loose for 35 days.^[41]
2016	Papanack Park Zoo	Wendover, Ontario	Lion	2 hours	A lion managed to escape before being shot by police
2015	High Park Zoo	Toronto, Ontario	Indian peafowl	5 days	A peacock escaped his enclosure and explored Toronto before returning to the zoo^[42]
2013	Magnetic Hill Zoo	Moncton, New Brunswick	Indian peafowl	One week	^[43]
2013	Calgary Zoo	Calgary, Alberta	Hippopotamus	Several hours	The two hippopotamus escaped their enclosure during the 2013 flood, but were safely returned by the zoo staff.^[44]
2013	GuZoo Animal Farm	Three Hills, Alberta	Yak, sheep, coyote, ostrich, sika deer	A day	^[45]
2009	Greater Vancouver Zoo	Langley, British Columbia	Blue-and-yellow macaw	Three days	Chuva the macaw escaped his enclosure before hiding in an RV. The RV driver discovered the bird three days later and returned it to the zoo.^[46]
2008	Guha Exotic Animal Reserve	Huntsville, Ontario	Jaguar	1 day	A six-year-old jaguar escaped from the zoo, attacking a dog before being shot by police. The zoo is now closed.
2007	Safari Niagara	Stevensville, Ontario	Syrian brown bear	Several hours	^[47]
2007	Bergeron's Exotic Animal Sanctuary	Picton, Ontario	Japanese macaque	48 hours	Escaped before being tranquillised by a bylaw officer
2006	Chippewa Wildlife Exhibit	Thunder Bay, Ontario	Wolf	One week	A wolf escaped after jumping over its 8-foot fence. It was shot by police.
1997	Bear Creek Sanctuary	Barrie, Ontario	Tiger	2 days	A tiger escaped its enclosure. It was found two days later and tranquillized.
1997	Lickety Split Ranch and Zoo	London, Ontario	Tiger	4 hours
1958	Hertel's Zoo	Nanaimo, British Columbia	Lion	1 day	The 2-year-old lioness Fury managed to escape the zoo in the night. The next day, she killed a little girl before the animal was shot by a hunter.^[48]
1958	Storybook Gardens	London, Ontario	California sea lion	10 days	A sea lion named Slippery managed to escape his enclosure, travelling into the United States before being caught in Toledo, Ohio.
1939	Calgary Zoo	Calgary, Alberta	California sea lion	3 months	A sea lion named Buster became a local celebrity after escaping from the Calgary Zoo and travelling through irrigation canals to Chestermere Lake and then to Bassano where he played with children.^[49]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Yangzhou Zoo	Yangzhou	Capybara	2 months	Three capybaras escaped. While two of them were quickly caught by employees, the female Doubao managed to remain at large for two months, until she was caught in a trap and returned to the zoo.^[50]^[51]
2021	Beijing Zoo	Beijing	Giant panda	Brief escape	The 6-year-old panda Meng Lan climbed a 6 ft (1.8 m) tall fence, but did not make it into an area that was open for the public. She was lured back into her enclosure.^[52]
2021	Hangzhou Safari Park	Hangzhou	Leopard	At least 3 weeks	Three leopards escaped while a zookeeper cleaned their enclosure, it was kept a secret until seven days after they were spotted. Two of them were quickly recaptured, another one still wasn't found three weeks later.^[53]^[54]
2019	Hefei Wildlife Park	Hefei	Chimpanzee	Brief escape	^[55]
2002	Dongqian Lake Zoo	Ningbo	Wolf	2 months	Six wolves broke the wire net with teeth and claws and ran towards Guotongluan Mountain. All but one were killed.^[56]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles	Medellín	Tiger	Brief escape	The tiger was shot.^[57]
2023	Ukumari Biopark	Pereira	Chimpanzee	Several hours	Two chimps called Pancho and Chita escaped and were shot dead.^[58]
1993	Hacienda Nápoles	Medellín	Hippopotamus	Never captured	After Pablo Escobar was killed, his hacienda was abandoned. Veterinarians removed the animals from his private zoo, except for the hippos which were deemed to dangerous to approach. The animals moved to Magdalena River, where they reproduced. Nowadays, more than 200 hippos live in Colombia.^[59]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Contact Zoopark	Zvole (Prague-West District)	Lion	Unknown	The male lion was shot by the police.^[60]
2023	Děčín Zoo	Děčín	Celebes crested macaque	Unknown	Nine macaques escaped their enclosure after the fence was damaged by a man under the influence of cannabis. Six of them escaped out of the zoo, all but two of them were recaptured two days later.^[61]^[62]
2021	Děčín Zoo	Děčín	Macaque	Several hours	^[63]
2021	Tábor Zoo	Tábor	European bison	Unknown	Seven bisons escaped after a falling tree damaged their enclosure's fence during a storm.^[64]
2018	Contact Zoopark	Zvole (Prague-West District)	Cougar	2 days	^[60]
2017	Contact Zoopark	Zvole (Prague-West District)	Cougar	1 day	^[60]^[65]
2012	Liberec Zoo	Liberec	Bengal tiger^[66]	Unknown	The white tiger Paris escaped its enclosure and attacked three employees before in was tranquilized. All victims were hospitalized, one suffered from a head injury, the other two had minor injuries.^[67]
2010	Olomouc Zoo	Olomouc	Japanese macaque	Unknown	The macaques Simpy and Tatin escaped from the zoo after the sound of a chainsaw panicked them. Simpy was recaptured about 8 months later in a tree around 150 kilometres West of the zoo.^[68]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Jyllands Park Zoo	Videbæk	Zebra	3 days	Three zebras escaped by kicking open a lock. Three days later, one of them was found in a cow herd about ten kilometres (6.2 miles) away from the zoo.^[69]
2025	Odense Zoo	Odense	Pink-backed pelican^[70]	Unknown	Two birds escaped through a hole. One day later, one of them was captured.^[71]
2020	Copenhagen Zoo	Copenhagen	Giant panda	Brief escape	Before the zoo was opened, the 7-year-old male Xing Er climbed up a metal pole and crawled out into the garden. Quickly, he was sedated.^[72]
2016	Blåvand Zoo	Varde Municipality	Barbary macaque	6 weeks	After fighting over female monkeys, the male macaque escaped the zoo. Six weeks later, he was found dead under a tree by summerhouse guests, probably because of a car accident. To prevent further escapes, the fences of the enclosure were improved.^[73]
2016	Odense Zoo	Odense	Black-capped squirrel monkey^[74]	Several hours	A troop of 24 monkeys escaped their enclosure, but could be lured back with food.^[75]
2015	Odense Zoo	Odense	Gentoo penguin^[76]	Brief escape	Five birds escaped their enclosure through a corridor meant for staff. When they reached a dead end, they returned to their enclosure. In the media, this escape attempt was compared to the escape attempts of the four penguins in the 2005 DreamWorks Animation film Madagascar.^[77]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Elistvere Animal Park	Tartu County	Wolf	Unknown	A 2-year-old female that was brought from Riga Zoo two days earlier escaped.^[78]
2012	Elistvere Animal Park	Tartu County	Lynx	Unknown	Three lynxes escaped after a tree fell onto one of the fences. A week later, two of them were still not found.^[79]
2007	Tallinn Zoo	Tallinn	Polar bear	Brief escape	The 20-year-old male Franz walked out of his enclosure and was spotted between the cage and the safety barrier after a zookeeper forgot to lock his cage. He was tranquilised by zookeepers and brought back to his enclosure, where Franz died of heart failure.^[80]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Amnéville Zoo	Amnéville	Steller's sea eagle	At least several days	The eagle Ryu went missing during a free-flight training session and was spotted several days later at the France–Luxembourg border.^[81]
2022	Espace zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine	Saint-Martin-la-Plaine	Red panda	12 days	The animal was found by the fire brigade in Génilac.^[82]
2021	Trois Vallées zoo	Montredon-Labessonnié	Wolf	Unknown	A pack of wolves escaped after destroying the safety hatches on their enclosure. Four were shot and killed, while five were tranquillized.^[83]
2019	Espace zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine	Saint-Martin-la-Plaine	Red panda	2 days	Because of heavy snowfall, the 3-year-old male could escape from the park. About 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the zoo, the animal could be recaptured in a garden.^[84]
2018	Paris Zoological Park	Paris	Guinea baboon	Several hours	50 baboons escaped, causing the zoo to be temporarily shut down.^[85]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2026	Wuppertal Zoo	Wuppertal	Red panda	1 day	The male Liam escaped and climbed on a tree near the "Rivers of Sulawesi" area, which is still under construction. After a failed attempt to catch him, Liam returned to his enclosure by himself.^[87]^[88]
2025	Frankfurt Zoological Garden	Frankfurt	Sumatran orangutan^[89]	1 hour	Four orangutans could escape because of a technical defect. The zoo was evacuated, the animals could be lured back into their enclosure by zookeepers.^[90]
2025	Tierpark Ueckermünde	Ueckermünde	Barbary macaque	2 days	Ten monkeys escaped, probably through an open gate.^[91]
2025	Tierpark Wolgast	Wolgast	Porcupine	4 days	The porcupine Klette escaped two times.^[92]^[93]
2025	Wildtierpark Edersee	Edertal	Wolf	Unknown	A female wolf panicked and jumped over the fence of her enclosure when the veterinarian treated another wolf. To prevent her escape from the zoo's area, she was shot after efforts to catch or tranquilize her had failed.^[94]
2025	Wuppertal Zoo	Wuppertal	Red panda	Unknown	The male Liam escaped.^[88]
2024	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Red panda	Less than a day	The male Barney escaped and climbed on a tree until he was brought down by firefighters.^[95]
2024	Dortmund Zoo	Dortmund	Indian crested porcupine^[96]	5 days	The two porcupines Wilma and Barry escaped in the night through an open door. While Barry was recaptured the next morning, Wilma had to be searched for with sniffer dogs.^[97]
2024	Dortmund Zoo	Dortmund	Red panda	2 days	The male Chenpo escaped until he was recaptured by firefighters in a tree near the zoo.^[98]
2024	Tierpark Cux-Art	Beverstedt	Porcupine	2 weeks	Nine porcupines escaped. All but one were recaptured quickly. The animal was spotted by inhabitants as far as 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) away from the zoo until it was found dead on the A27.^[99]
2023	Tierpark Nadermann	Delbrück	Cheetah	10 minutes	Two cheetahs escaped their enclosures due to carelessness of the staff. They went into the neighbouring enclosure, where they ate a guinea pig. Because of being trained, the cheetahs could be led back into their enclosure by zookeepers.^[100]
2023	Tierpark Weißwasser	Weißwasser	Arctic fox	Less than a day	The fox fell asleep on a street in Weißkeißel before being recaptured.^[101]
2022	Wildpark Gangelt	Gangelt	Lynx	3 days	After their enclosure was damaged by a falling tree during a storm, three lynx escaped. Two of them were captured quickly, the third one, a female called Jumper, roamed free for three days before it also was tranquilized and brought back to the enclosure.^[102]
2021	Duisburg Zoo	Duisburg	Red panda	2 days	The male Jang probably used a plant to climb out of his enclosure. He was recaptured by firefighters in a tree near the panda enclosure.^[103]
2021	Klimahaus	Bremerhaven	Nile monitor	3 days	The 0,8-metre-long monitor lizard escaped through an open door. Three days later, it was found in the jungle section of the Cameroon area near its enclosure under a multi-layer floor covering.^[104]
2021	Nuremberg Zoo	Nuremberg	Eurasian lynx	Unknown	The lynx could escape because the electrical circuit of the electric fence around the enclosure had been interrupted. The animal went into the neighbouring enclosure, where it killed three adult blackbucks and injured a calf. The lynx died, after it was tranquilized and brought back to its enclosure^[105]
2021	Tatzmania Löffingen	Löffingen	Barbary macaque	Several hours	About two dozen escaped their enclosure and roamed the zoo before being recaptured several hours later.^[106]
2020	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Porcupine^[107]	1 week	The 4.5-month-old male Ben was found in a garden in Schölerberg one week after his escape^[108]
2019	Magdeburg Zoo	Magdeburg	Chimpanzee	1 hour	Two chimps called Sambala and Sokoto escaped and stayed on the roof of the chimpanzee house and on the nets spanning their enclosure. The visitors of the zoo could be brought to safety, the animals could be lured back into their enclosure.^[109]
2019	Thüringer Zoopark Erfurt	Erfurt	Cheetah	Several hours	After a falling branch destroyed the fence during a storm, two cheetah cubs escaped their enclosure. The next morning, the two could be brought back to their mother, one had to be tranquilized.^[110]
2019	Tierpark Berlin	Berlin	Golden-bellied capuchin	4 days	The 6-year-old Philippa and the 17-year-old Obi escaped through a small gap. Three days later, Philippa was captured near the monkey house, while Obi made her way to Biesdorf train station where she was captured one day after Philippa's capture.^[111]
2018	Eifel Zoo	Lünebach	Lion, jaguar, tiger, Asian black bear	Several hours	Multiple animals escaped from the private zoo during a flash flood. One bear was shot and the other animals were captured.^[112]^[113]
2018	Natur- und Tierpark Brüggen	Brüggen	Red-necked wallaby^[114]	4 days	A male called Jack escaped one day before his dentist appointment.^[115]
2018	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Guereza	Six days	Two female guerezas escaped over the 3.5 metres wide moat of their enclosure. After several days, they came back by themself.^[116]^[117]
2018	Tierpark Perleberg	Perleberg	Wolf	3 weeks	^[118]
2017	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Brown × polar bear hybrid	10 minutes	Hybrid bear Tips broke through an electric fence and squeezed through an opening that was only about 40 cm in size into the silver fox enclosure. She then broke through a bear-proof fence in order to get back to an area she was familiar with. Tips was then shot by an employee.^[119]^[120]
2017	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Black-headed spider monkey	4 hours	A female monkey had been swinging so hard on a climbing rope on the enclosure that the animal jumped onto a neighboring tree outside the enclosure. The area around the enclosured was blocked for visitors, till the animal returned to its group independently.^[121]
2017	Tierpark Bretten	Bretten	European fallow deer, Wallaby	9 days	Five wallabies and four deer escaped.^[122]^[123]^[124]
2017	ZOOM Erlebniswelt	Gelsenkirchen	Eurasian lynx^[125]	5 days	Lynx Findus escaped over a frozen moat. After he was not discovered in the zoo, people were advised to keep distance from the animal and call the zoo when discovering it. Five days later, Findus was discovered in Herne, only several hundred metres away from the zoo. He was tranquilized and brought back to his enclosure.^[126]^[127]
2016	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Abyssinian ground hornbill^[128]	10 minutes	The 15-year-old male Clyde used a gust of wind to escape his enclosure.^[129]
2016	Leipzig Zoological Garden	Leipzig	Lion	Less than a day	Two young lions escaped in the morning and hid in a bush on the zoo's area, before the zoo was opened for visitors. One could be pushed back into their enclosure, the other had to be shot.^[130]
2016	Tierpark Wittenberg	Wittenberg	Coati	6 days	Two coatis escaped.^[131]^[132]
2016	Wildpark Johannesmühle	Baruth/Mark	Lion	2 hours	Lion Massai and lioness Gretchen escaped through an open door, the zoo was evacuated. Massai could be pushed back into his enclosure. Gretchen, who had been trapped in a security area, had to be tranquilized.^[133]
2016	Wuppertal Zoo	Wuppertal	Snow leopard	Less than a day	Male snow leopard Irbis could escape because of a cage door that was not closed properly. His escape was quickly discovered, the visitors were told to go in the zoo's buildings and the zoo was temporarily closed. The animal was tranquilized and brought back into its enclosure.^[134]
2015	Duisburg Zoo	Duisburg	Bornean orangutan^[135]	15 minutes	The 26-year-old male Nieas could escape his enclosure because of an unlocked door. He then went into another enclosure and began fighting with the 12-year-old male Bayu. Nieas then flew through an open skylight, wandering around the zoo in panic. A zookeeper saw him and alarmed the other staff, who then tried to tranquilize the ape. Nieas had to be shot because he tried to escape over an external fence, Bayu could be tranquilized and brought back to its enclosure.^[136]
2015	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Coati	1 week	In this year, the coati Norbert escaped two times by climbing out of his outer enclosure and escaped into the nearby forest. The first time he was brought back by firefighters, the second time he was captured by a zookeeper.^[137]^[138]
2015	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Silver fox	1 week	A female fox escaped through a slot in the fence of the enclosure and moved East through several red fox territories. After one week, it was captured in Bünde.^[139]
2015	Zoo Halle	Halle (Saale)	Chimpanzee	Less than a day	The 42-year-old female Banghi escaped. All visitors were brought into safety while the chimp could be lured into a neighbouring enclosure, where it was tranquilized.^[140]
2014	Tierpark Greifswald	Greifswald	Porcupine	1 week	The 9-month-old male Hartmut escaped together with other porcupines, but was the only one to avoid capture. One week later, he was run over by a train only 500 metres (0.3 miles) away from the zoo.^[141]
2013	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Colombian red howler	2 hours	The animal escaped through a hole in his fence, but returned independently.^[142]
2013	Leipzig Zoological Garden	Leipzig	Cheetah	Less than a day	The cheetah jumped over a wall and injured a donkey. It was tranquilized and brought back to its enclosure. After that, the zoo's security measures were improved.^[143]
2013	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Guereza	13 days	The female Lubaya escaped and wandered around the area near the zoo, probably to found a new territory. She was seen by inhabitants in the forest and in gardens, some even fed her cooked potatoes and rice. After nearly two weeks, zookeepers were able to lure her into a cellar, where she was captured.^[144]
2013	Straussberg Adventure Park	Sondershausen	Barbary macaque	5 days	Three male macaques called Fred, Richard and Paul fled their enclosure in order to escape the aggressive alpha male Cornelius. They were recaptured and castrated.^[145]
2013	Tierpark Perleberg	Perleberg	Wolf	2 days	After failing to capture the animal, it was shot dead.^[146]
2012	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Marabou stork	Brief escaped	The marabou escaped briefly to get some fish at the feeding of the sea lions.^[147]
2012	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Cheetah	20 minutes	The male Nelson escaped by jumping over a 2.5 m (8.2 ft) high fence into the neighbouring flamingo enclosure.^[148]^[149]
2012	Hanover Zoo	Hanover	Chimpanzee	1 hour	In May, the male Toto escaped, but returned independently. Two months later, five chimps escaped and wandered around the zoo. The visitors were brought into indoor areas. A 5-year-old girl was hospitalized after one of the apes knocked her down. Four chimps returned to their enclosure independently, the last one could be lured back by zookeepers.^[150]
2012	Nuremberg Zoo	Nuremberg	Cheetah	1 day	A young cheetah jumped over the electric fence of its enclosure after being scared by zookeepers that tried to help its injured sibling. One day later, visitors discovered the animal in a forest near the goitered gazelle enclosure, where it was captured by the zoo's employees.^[151]
2012	Tierpark Rheinböllen	Rheinböllen	Red-necked wallaby^[152]	Unknown	Two wallabies escaped from the zoo through holes dug by a fox and a boar.^[153]
2011	Münster Zoo	Munster	African penguin	1 day	The 3-month-old female (later named Leona) escaped on New Year's Day and ended up in the lion enclosure. The lions didn't pose a threat as they were dozing in their house.^[154]
2008	Opel Zoo	Kronberg im Taunus	Red panda	2 days	One couple escaped by using bamboo plants to climb over the fence of their enclosure.^[155]
2008	Osnabrück Zoo	Osnabrück	Hudson Bay wolf^[156]	2 hours (second time)	Wolf Roy escaped two times by jumping over a fence. The second time, he was captured in Voxtrup near the A 33.^[157]
2005	Hanover Zoo	Hanover	Red panda	Unknown	One red panda escaped into the forest nearby. It was tranquilized and brought back.^[150]
2005	ZOOM Erlebniswelt	Gelsenkirchen	Eastern wolf^[158]	1 week	A 2-year-old female escaped after a fight in her pack by jumping over a 3.5 m (11.5 ft) high wall. A week later, the animal was run over by a car on the A42.^[159]
2004	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Western gorilla	Unknown	The 8-year-old male Bokito climbed over a three-metre glass wall.^[160]
2004	Hanover Zoo	Hanover	Northern plains gray langur^[161]	Less than a day	Four monkeys escaped. One was captured, the others came back independently.^[150]
2004	Tiergarten Mönchengladbach	Mönchengladbach	Unspecified monkey	Several hours	One little monkey escaped one night through a gap between the bars of its cage. It managed to turn off the heating of the monkey house.^[162]
2003	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Spectacled bear	30 minutes	The male Juan escaped by dragging a trunk into the water-filled moat of his enclosure. He went to the zoo's playground, where he was tranquilised by zookeepers.^[163]
2003	Tierpark Berlin	Berlin	Barbary macaque	2 days	Eleven monkeys escaped their enclosure, two of them even got out of the zoo. All but one of them were captured the same day.^[164]
2002	Hanover Zoo	Hanover	Asian elephant^[165]	Less than a day	The female Dunja was able to climb on the pool drain and escape. She was lured back into her enclosure.^[150]
2002	Krefeld Zoo	Krefeld	Cheetah	Several hours	Two cheetahs called Urs and Katrin escaped after burglars broke open the door of their enclosure. While Urs hid in a bush, Katrin managed to get into the grey kangaroo enclosure where it killed ten animals and bit another one. The next morning, Urs was lured back into his enclosure while Katrin was tranquilised.^[166]
2001	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Coati	Unknown	The coati escaped three times in that year. At the end of its last escape, the animal was captured in the Landeskriminalamt.^[164]^[167]
2000	Nuremberg Zoo	Nuremberg	Polar bear	3.5 hours	Four bears escaped and wandered through the zoo after unknown people cracked the locks of their cages open shortly before the closure of the zoo. The bears, that were only borrowed from Karlsruhe Zoo, had to be shot after tranquilisation attempts had failed.^[168]
1999	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Japanese macaque	Less than a day	^[164]
1996	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	California sea lion^[169]	Several nights	One sea lion escaped its enclosure repeatedly at nighttime to lay on the zoo's benches.^[170]
1994	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Chimpanzee	Unknown	^[164]
1989	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Chimpanzee	Unknown	The male Pedro climbed over the wall of his enclosure with the help of a hose.^[164]
1988	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Grizzly bear	Less than a day	The bear escaped by knocking down a tree, with which he could pass a moat. 4000 Visitors had to be evacuated until a zookeeper shot the animal dead.^[149]
1985	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Chimpanzee	Less than a day	The pair Petermann and Susi escaped because of the carelessness of a zookeeper. After Petermann attacked and nearly killed director Gunther Nogge, both animals were shot dead.^[149]
1983	Berlin Zoo	Berlin	Brown bear	Less than a day	The female Petzi wandered through the zoo after climbing a 2.5 m (8.2 ft) high wall. She was tranquilised in the Egyptian goose enclosure.^[164]
1975	Cologne Zoological Garden	Cologne	Jaguar	Less than a day	Three jaguars escaped their enclosure and wandered through the zoo. One animal that attacked a zookeeper was shot by the police, the other two were recaptured.^[149]
1973	Karlsruhe Zoo	Karlsruhe	Brown bear	Unknown	Four bears escaped, one of them was killed.^[171]
Late 1960s	Phantasialand	Brühl (Rhineland)	Lion	Brief escape	The animal escaped when the park was closed for visitors. After walking around the park, it retreated into an artificial cave. One staff member eventually recaptured the lion by cutting a hole into the cave's wall and tranquilizing the animal.^[172]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2022	Attica Zoological Park	Spata	Chimpanzee	20 minutes	A zoo came under scrutiny after shooting a chimpanzee that had escaped.^[173]
2018	Attica Zoological Park	Spata	Jaguar	Unknown	^[174]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2022	Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden	Budapest	Penguin	Several hours	The 6-month-old male Sanyika got out of his outdoor enclosure and wandered out of the zoo until he was captured by the police the next morning.^[175]
2019	Veresegyházi Medveotthon	Veresegyház	Lion	Less than a day	The lioness Lili escaped through an open door. She went for the goat enclosure, causing panic among visitors and caretakers. She was tranquilised and brought back to her enclosure.^[176]
2015	Pécs Zoo	Pécs	Wolf	1 day	The wolf, which had been brought to the zoo two days earlier, jumped over a 2.5 m (8.2 ft) high electric fence. The zoo was evacuated until the animal was shot one day later by the zoo's director.^[177]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo	Reykjavík	Arctic fox	Several hours	The female Ylfa escaped in the night through a hole in the fence and was spotted in Laugardalur the next morning. Behind Laugardalshöll, she was cornered by five teenagers, until she was brought back to the zoo.^[178]^[179]
2015	Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo	Reykjavík	Seal	Several hours	A baby seal escaped the zoo in the night and went for a nearby campsite, where it was caught the next morning. Shortly after, the zoo announced that it would be slaughtered to feed the zoo's foxes.^[180]^[181]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Alipore Zoological Garden	Kolkata	Crocodile	1 hour	Two crocodiles briefly escaped after heavy rainfall.^[182]
2025	National Zoological Park Delhi	Delhi	Golden jackal	Unknown	Four animals escaped, two were recaptured two days later.^[183]^[184]
2022	Alipore Zoological Garden	Kolkata	Chimpanzee	Unknown	In June 2022, a chimpanzee named Buri escaped her enclosure because the gate door was open while the zookeepers were feeding her. Onlookers paraned that she jumped out of the cage, descended into water and swam around the moat. She returned in late noon (1 PM).^[185]^[186]^[187]
2021	Nandankanan Zoological Park	Bhubaneswar	Bengal tiger	Several hours	The male Suraj was able to break the enclosure wire as it had become weak after rusting. All visitors were evacuated and the zoo was closed. The tiger was eventually captured and brought back.^[188]
2018	Nehru Zoological Park	Hyderabad	Bengal tiger	1 day	^[189]
2016	Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalay	Navlakha	Bengal tiger	1.5 hours	1-year-old tigress Jamuna climbed a 12 ft high wall and crawled under the iron mesh surrounding the habitat after being scared by a balloon thrown into the enclosure.^[190]
2015	Nehru Zoological Park	Hyderabad	Bengal tiger	Brief escape	The 5-year-old Kadamba scaled a 10 ft (3 m) tall fence, before it was tranquilised and brought back to its enclosure.^[191]
2013	Nandankanan Zoological Park	Bhubaneswar	Bengal tiger	Brief escape	^[192]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Lembang Park & Zoo	Sukajaya	Leopard	Unknown	^[193]
2021	Sinka Zoo	Singkawang	Sumatran tiger	1 day	Two 1-year-old tigers escaped after a landslide and killed a 47-year-old zookeeper. Nearby tourist attractions were ordered to close by police and people were told to stay at home. One tiger could be tranquilised, the other was shot after it behaved aggressively.^[194]
2017	Museum of Wildlife and Culture Zoo	Bukittinggi	Malayan tapir	Brief escape	The tapir escaped, but fell into a palace pond, where it had to be rescued.^[195]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Agile gibbon	Brief escape	The male Conor made his way towards the lions and tigers before heading to the perimeter fence, but was quickly recaptured.^[196]
2023	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Black-and-white ruffed lemur	Less than a day	One female pushed through a fence and made it off her island despite getting shocked after getting into a "squabble" with two other females. She could be lured back into her enclosure.^[196]
2023	Wild Encounters Mini Zoo	Kilmeedy	Capybara	Unknown	^[197]
2022	Dublin Zoo	Dublin	Citron-crested cockatoo	Never found	^[197]
2022	Dublin Zoo	Dublin	Celebes crested macaque	Brief escape	In June, one macaque crossed the electric fence and climbed into a tree at the edge of the habitat. The animal returned to the island ten minutes later. Two months later, another monkey escaped two times on the same day. To improve the enclosure barrier, the zoo planned to install additional metal plates on both macaque houses^[198]
2022	Emerald Park	County Meath	American bison	Brief escape	Three bison escaped from their enclosure. Visitors were forced to shelter in a gift shop^[199]
2021	Emerald Park	County Meath	White stork	7 hours	^[199]
2021	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Great white pelican	Several months	One of the birds that escaped in 2018 flew to Wexford. It was later spotted in Arklow, Bull Island and Rochestown.^[200]^[201]^[202]
2021	Wild Encounters Mini Zoo	Kilmeedy	Japanese raccoon dog	Never found	Two raccoon dogs escaped on their first night in the zoo.^[197]
2020	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Great white pelican	Unknown	Two birds escaped and were spotted at the wetlands at Harper's Island.^[202]
2020	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Roloway monkey	Brief escape	The male Valentino escaped briefly at around 4.30 pm.^[203]
2018-2019	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Great white pelican	Five months	Two pelicans escaped and stayed in Wexford, 100 miles (160 km) away from the zoo. They returned on their own.^[200]^[201]^[204]
2017	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Mantled guereza^[205]	3 days	The monkey Cheeky Chops spent at least one night sleeping in a public toilet, before it could be caught and brought back into its enclosure.^[206]
2016	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Humboldt penguin^[207]	Unknown	^[208]
2016	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Lion-tailed macaque^[209]	3 days	^[208]
2015	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Humboldt penguin^[207]	1 day	The bird spent all day in the park’s lake.^[208]
2015	Fota Wildlife Park	Fota Island	Lion-tailed macaque^[209]	Less than a day	The male Stevie left his island several times on January 11 and knocked over rubbish bins. On January 12 and January 18, he and another monkey left their enclosure to raid bins.^[208]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Tama Zoological Park	Tokyo	Wolf	5 hours	^[210]
2017	Shibukawa Animal Park	Okayama	Aldabra giant tortoise^[211]	2 weeks	The tortoise Abuh was found only 140 metres away from her enclosure.^[212]^[213]
2016	Sendai Yagiyama Zoological Park	Sendai	Chimpanzee	2 hours	^[214]
2012	Tokyo Sea Life Park	Tokyo	Humboldt penguin	82 days	^[215]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Johor Zoo	Johor Bahru	Malayan tapir	1 day	^[217]
2020	Lok Kawi Wildlife Park	Sabah	Clouded leopard	14 hours	^[218]
2011	National Zoo of Malaysia	Ulu Kelang	Siamang	Brief escape	The gibbon attacked two children, one of them was hurt severely.^[219]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Quinta La Fauna	Reynosa	Bengal tiger	5 days	The male Tony escaped and killed nearby hens and pigs. The zoo was closed until the animal was captured. The Environmental Protection Agency noted that Tony would be transferred to Tamatán Zoo.^[220]^[221]
2015	Mangrove Paradise	Coyuca de Benitez	Jaguar, lion, tiger	At least 1 month	Two tigers, a jaguar and a lion escaped from this private zoo on 26 October. In early November, all but one of the tigers were captured and taken to a zoo in Hidalgo.^[222]^[223]
2008	Bioparque Estrella	Montemorelos	Tiger	Brief escape	After the zoo had closed, the tiger left its unlocked cage and fatally attacked 26-year-old zookeeper Herminio Rodriguez Palma before being shot.^[224]
2008	Unspecified private zoo	near Acapulco	Lion	Unknown	Before it was tranquilised and captured, the lion killed two dogs and a pig and attacked a woman and child on a donkey.^[224]^[225]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Eindhoven Zoo	Eindhoven	Eurasian lynx^[228]	1 week	A 1-year-old lynx managed to make a hole in a fence and escape for one week, before it was recaptured.^[229]
2024	AquaZoo	Leeuwarden	Raccoon	More than two weeks	11 of 12 raccoons escaped on their first night in the zoo by digging their way out. More than two weeks later, five of them still were not captured.^[230]^[231]
2021	DierenPark Amersfoort	Amersfoort	Wolf	Less than a day	Two wolves escaped and roamed around in the park, before being sedated and brought back to their enclosure.^[232]
2020	DierenPark Amersfoort	Amersfoort	Chimpanzee	Less than a day	Two males escaped. The zoo was evacuated and the apes were shot.^[233]
2019	Mondo Verde	Landgraaf	Red-necked wallaby^[234]	Several hours	A pair of wallabies escaped to Kerkrade, about 2.5 miles (4 km) away, where they were captured by the police and brought back.^[235]
2017	Artis	Amsterdam	Red ruffed lemur	45 minutes	^[236]
2007	Diergaarde Blijdorp	Rotterdam	Western gorilla	Less than a day	The 11-year-old male Bokito climbed over a high stone wall and made his way through a water-filled moat. He then ran amok, dragged one woman to the ground and bit her. As Bokito approached the nearby restaurant, people hid inside and tried to barricade the door, but fled as the gorilla punched through the glass and ran in. He was tranquilized inside the restaurant and brought back to his enclosure.^[237]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2016	National Aquarium of New Zealand	Napier	Common New Zealand octopus	Never found	Inky
2006	Auckland Zoo	Auckland	Asian small-clawed otter	Almost a month	Jin
2006	Hamilton Zoo	Hamilton	Red panda	6 days	Found dead.^[238]
2004	Auckland Zoo	Auckland	Asian elephant	Less than a day	Burma
1925	Auckland Zoo	Auckland	Leopard	27 days	Found after drowning in a harbour.^[239]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo	Maiduguri	Crocodile, Ostrich, Snake	Unknown	The animals could escape because of a flood.^[240]^[241]
2015	Jos Wildlife Park	Jos	Lion	1 day	The animal was shot dead by police and soldiers.^[242]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2022	Argao Nature Park	Argao, Cebu	Philippine long-tailed macaque	Unknown	The monkey escaped after its cage was damaged by Typhoon Odette and later bit a motorist.^[244]
2019	Albay Park & Wildlife	Legazpi, Albay	Python	Several days	The 15 ft (4.5 m) long python called Sawa ventured into a farm and ate poultry.^[245]

Related Articles

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Unspecified private zoo	Gdańsk	Capybara	Less than a day	Two animals escaped.^[246]
2024	Unspecified mini zoo	Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship	Bactrian camel	Less than a day	^[247]
2023	Gdańsk Zoo	Gdańsk	Red panda	Several hours	^[248]
1939	Warsaw Zoo	Warsaw	Bear, lion	Unknown	They escaped when the zoo was bombed during the invasion of Poland.^[249]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Beo Zoo vrt	Belgrade	Grant's zebra^[252]	Less than a day	The zebra escaped by kicking a door open and injured three people before it was captured and brought back.^[253]
1988	Beo Zoo vrt	Belgrade	Chimpanzee	1 hour (first escape), 4 hours (second escape)	Sami
1987	Beo Zoo vrt	Belgrade	Jaguar	Less than a day	The jaguar was hindered from escaping from the zoo by the guard dog Gabi. It was shot after the police failed to capture it.^[254]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Mantled guereza^[255]	6 months	^[256]
2014	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	African wild dog	30 minutes	^[257]
2005	Night Safari	Mandai	Unspecified African cat	Brief escape	The cat escaped off the stage of an animal show and bit the foot of a Chinese tourist. After the incident, the zoo built a moat to act as a barrier between the animals and the visitors.^[258]
2005	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Bornean orangutan	1 hour	The female Medan ran up a tree when walking back to her enclosure after a photography session. She could be lured back with food.^[257]
2005	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Jaguar	30 minutes	The 7-year-old Angel squeezed through an opening that zookeepers used to feed it. About 500 visitors were evacuated.^[257]
2004	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Chimpanzee	25 minutes	The 6-year-old female Ramba escaped by climbing a palm tree. Although she was shot with a tranquilizer dart, she managed her way through two animal exhibits and straight into the Upper Seletar Reservoir, where she eventually drowned.^[257]
1996	Night Safari	Mandai	Malayan tiger	25 minutes	The 1-year-old Giggo was shot dead after it escaped from its enclosure through an unlocked door. None of the visitors were hurt.^[258]
1974	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Eland	11 days	The female antelope jumped over a 2.4 m (7.9 ft) high barbed wire fence. 18 months after her escape, she gave birth to a calf, which was believed to be the first eland born in the region.^[257]
1974	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Hippopotamus	52 days	The male Congo is thought to be looking for its mate, Lucy, which had died three months earlier.^[257]
1973-1974	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Black panther	11 months	The 3-year-old panther Twiggy escaped its cage just months before the zoo opened. About 200 police troopers and Singapore Armed Forces sharpshooters searched the forest area near the zoo to recapture it. Nearly a year later, the animal succumbed to injuries ensued when authorities and trackers were trying to flush it out of its hiding spot.^[259]^[257]
1973	Singapore Zoo	Mandai	Sun bear	Less than a day	Two bears squeezed through a narrow opening. One bear was recaptured immediately, while the other died after being shot 45 metres away from the cage.^[257]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2019	Pretoria Zoo	Pretoria	Western lowland gorilla	Brief escape	17-year-old Binga escaped briefly through an unlocked door.^[264]
2003	Johannesburg Zoo	Johannesburg	Leopard	Brief escape	An injured female leopard escaped her enclosure after attacking a veterinarian. She went to the male toilet area, where she was tranquilised.^[265]
2002	Johannesburg Zoo	Johannesburg	Lion	Several hours	The lion killed two antelopes before being tranquilised the next morning.^[265]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Children's Grand Park	Seoul	Plains zebra	3 hours	Following the death of his parents, a plains zebra named Sero escaped from his enclosure and wandered through the streets of Seoul. Sero was tranquillized and brought back to the zoo.^[266]
2018	Daejeon O-World	Daejeon	Cougar	4 hours	The 8-year-old female Pporongi escaped her cage, residents living near Mount Bomun were alerted to stay indoors. After failing to tranquilise the animal, it was shot in a forested area near the zoo’s dry feed storage center, which was heavily criticized by the public.^[267]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2024	Safari Zoo	Sa Coma	Hamadryas baboon^[268]	Unknown	A troop of baboons escaped after a branch landed on the electric fence of their enclosure. They ran around the town before being recaptured.^[269]
2015	Safari Zoo	Sa Coma	Chimpanzee	2 days	The pair Adam and Eve escaped after bending the metal bars of their cage. Eve was found in the nearby town of Son Carrio, where she was killed by rangers. Later, Adam was also killed.^[270]^[271]
2010	Cocodrilo Park	Gran Canaria	Tiger	Unknown	Three tigers escaped a zoo and were shot by police.^[272]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2022	Furuvik Zoo	Furuvik	Chimpanzee	3 days	Seven chimpanzees escaped their enclosures through an unlocked lattice door. The staff opened fire on them using live ammunition, which killed four apes, among them the infant Torsten. Another one was severely injured. The decision to use lethal force rather than to attempt to use tranquilisers or otherwise recapture the apes resulted in widespread criticism.^[273]^[274]
2022	Skansen	Stockholm	King cobra	1 week	^[275]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2025	Walter Zoo	Gossau, St. Gallen	Red panda	Unknown	After a snow storm, plants in the enclosure collapsed, allowing the cubs Li and Yen to escape. Li resided alongside the vicuñas, while Yen went to the nearby forest. Both could be recaptured.^[276]
2023	Zoo Basel	Basel	Cheetah	Several minutes	The female Saada escaped through a small gap between the grid and its attachment point on the artificial rock into the neighbouring elephant enclosure. The animal was tranquilized and brought back to her enclosure.^[277]
2023	Zoo Basel	Basel	Ruffed lemur	1 day	^[278]
2019	Zürich Zoologischer Garten	Zurich	South American tapir^[279]	Less than a day	The female Oroya probably panicked because of the noises of a sewer cleaning and fled into the neighbouring bear enclosure, where it fell into a moat. She was tranquilized and brought back.^[280]
2018	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Greater flamingo^[281]	At least half an hour	A 3-year-old flamingo escaped out of the zoo and wandered through the city of Bern, before being captured by the police. The bird was not integrated into its group and its wings were not trimmed yet.^[282]
2016	Zoo Basel	Basel	Cheetah	Unknown	^[283]
2015	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Dalmatian pelican^[284]	Less than a day	A pelican without trimmed wings escaped and went to Marzilibad, a lido at the Aare, where it swam on the river together with the visitors before it was captured and brought back to its enclosure.^[285]
2014	Zoo de Servion	Servion	Syrian brown bear	Less than a day	The bear escaped through an unclosed gate and ran out of the zoo, but was quickly lured back with a trail of food.^[286]^[287]
2012	Zürich Zoologischer Garten	Zurich	Golden-bellied capuchin	Unknown	One monkey fell into a moat, where it could escape into the nearby forest.^[288]
2009	Zoo Basel	Basel	Cheetah	Unknown	Three young cheetahs escaped.^[283]
2008	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Bezoar ibex	Less than a day	A male goat jumped over the 2-metre-high electric fence and began wandering along the Aare till he was recaptured at the lido Marzilibad.^[289]
2008	Zoo Basel	Basel	Cheetah	Unknown	^[283]
2008	Zoo Basel	Basel	Reindeer	Several minutes	Shortly before Christmas, a reindeer walked out of his enclosure over the frozen moat, but quickly returned after discovering visitors.^[283]
2008	Zoo Basel	Basel	Vervet monkey	Unknown	After the group was recaptured, new electric fences were installed.^[283]
2005	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Nutria	Never found	During a flooding, three nutrias escaped. Only one of them was recaptured.^[289]
2005	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Eurasian otter	2 years	During a flooding, the otter pair Lumpi and Orava escaped and settled at the Aare between Bern and Münsingen. Shortly after, Orava gave birth to three pups. In 2007, the pair was captured, as well as one of the pups. The other pups were never found.^[290]
2000	Zoo Basel	Basel	Ring-tailed lemur	Unknown	^[283]
1999	Tierpark Dählhölzli	Bern	Eurasian beaver	Never captured	A pair of beavers escaped the zoo and settled at the Aare between Münsingen and Lake Wohlen.^[289]
1987	Zoo Basel	Basel	Chimpanzee	Several hours	Five chimps escaped out of their enclosure, but stayed in the ape house. When trying to tranquilize the male Eros, he broke through the glass roof. After several hours, four apes could be tranquilized and recaptured. The 6-year-old male Dan tried to escape again and attacked a policeman, who shot him.^[283]
1936	Zürich Zoologischer Garten	Zurich	Leopard	Unknown	The animal didn't survive its escape.^[291]
1933	Zürich Zoologischer Garten	Zurich	Black panther	Several weeks or months	It is unknown how the animal could escape. It roamed free through Eastern Switzerland until it was shot by two poachers, who turned its meat into sausages. The two received a fine, which was offset by the reward for killing the panther.^[292]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2023	Kazkova Dibrova	Nova Kakhovka	duck, swan	Unknown	They escaped after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.^[295]
2022	Kharkiv Zoo	Kharkiv	Chimpanzee	2 hours	The 13-year-old female Chichi was wheeled back to its enclosure on a bike.^[296]

Year	Zoo	Location	Species	Time loose	Notes
2026	Marwell Zoo	Hampshire, England	Capybara	8 days	Samba and Tango escaped one day after arriving at the zoo. While Tango was found quickly, Samba remains on the run. People in the area around the zoo took the incident with humor, generating AI images of the rodent.^[297]^[298]
2025	Curraghs Wildlife Park	Isle of Man	Yellow mongoose	Unknown	^[299]
2025	Jersey Zoo	Jersey	Capybara	2.5 hours	The zoo closed temporarily after the 2-year-old Tango escaped.^[300]
2025	Wildwood Devon	Devon, England	Eurasian brown bear	Brief escape	The two young bears Mish and Lucy escaped their enclosure and raided a honey store. The park was evacuated and the bears were monitored by staff, before Lucy was lured back and Mish returned by itself.^[301]
2024	Colchester Zoo	Essex, England	Rainbow lorikeet	Never found	The bird escaped after landing on a guest who exited the curtained aviary. To encourage its return, the remaining lorikeets were moved into their outdoor enclosure and food was left overnight, but the bird never returned.^[302]
2024	Dartmoor Zoological Park	Devon, England	Palawan binturong	19 days	^[303]
2024	Amazon World Zoo Park	Isle of Wight, England	Raccoon	Seven days	Four raccoons escaped, with the last being captured seven days later.^[304]
2024	Hoo Zoo	Shropshire, England	Capybara	One week	^[305]
2024	Highland Wildlife Park	Kingussie, Scotland	Japanese macaque	Five days	The macaque, named Honshu, escaped and survived in the wild for five days before being captured after being found eating from a bird feeder two miles away in Kincraig.^[306]
2024	London Zoo	London, England	Blue-throated macaw	Six days	The two females Lily and Margot did not return to their enclosure after their usual routine of flying freely. Six days later, they were found 60 miles away behind a family’s garden in Cambridgeshire.^[307]
2023	Blackpool Zoo	Lancashire, England	Great white pelican^[308]	19 days	The 17-week-old bird went missing after being scared by seagulls. 19 days later, it was captured in Knaresborough, 73.5 miles (118 km) away from the zoo.^[309]
2023	Newquay Zoo	Cornwall, England	Red panda	One day	^[310]
2023	Pet Encounter Cumbria	Cumbria, England	Tegu	2 weeks	Echo tescaped after digging her way out of an enclosure. Two weeks later, she was found in the backyard.^[311]
2023	Wild Zoological Park	Staffordshire, England	Yellow parrot	Unknown	The birds were knocked off the zoo's area by a gust of wind.^[312]
2022	Tiny Steps Petting Farm	Lincolnshire, England	Wallaby	18 days	^[313]
2021	Waulkmill Menagierie Petting Farm	Aberdeenshire, Scotland	Wallaby	Unknown	The 6-month-old Eddie escaped on his first day in the zoo. He was spotted one mile (1.6 km) away from the zoo outside a pub in New Deer.^[314]
2021	Whipsnade Zoo	Bedfordshire, England	Brown bear	Less than a day	A falling tree damaged a fence, allowing two female bears to cross into the neighbouring enclosure, where they attacked a male boar. They were shot by zookeepers.^[315]
2020	Curraghs Wildlife Park	Isle of Man	Red panda	3 days	The 7-year-old Kush escaped.^[316]
2020	Johnsons Zoological Gardens	Cambridgeshire, England	Wallaby	Unknown	The wallaby was captured by the police in St. Ives, almost six miles (9.65 km) away from the zoo.^[317]
2019	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Chimpanzee	Brief escape	Several chimps used a branch to climb up a wall.^[318]
2019	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Red panda	1 day	^[319]
2019	Curraghs Wildlife Park	Isle of Man	Red panda	3 weeks	The 7-year-old Kush escaped after a tree fell across his enclosure. He was spotted a mile (1.6 km) away from the zoo in garden.^[320]
2019	Exmoor Zoo	Devon, England	Pink-backed pelican^[321]	Unknown	The 3-year-old bird escaped while workers were cutting the feathers of its flock.^[322]
2018	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Colombian spider monkey^[323]	Several hours	The monkey died after being hit by a car on the M2 motorway.^[324]
2018	Dudley Zoo	West Midlands, England	Snow leopard	Less than a day	8-year-old Margaash shot dead after a zookeeper left the enclosure door open and it escaped. At this time, the zoo was already closed.^[325]
2018	Five Sisters Zoo	West Lothian, Scotland	African sacred ibis	3 days	The 3-year-old bird was caught six miles (9.65 km) away in Whitehill Industrial Estate in Bathgate.^[326]
2018	Tropiquaria	Somerset, England	South American tapir	Several hours	^[327]
2018	Unspecified private zoo	Cornwall, England	Clouded leopard	1 week	The animal hunted sheep until it was caught in a farmer's fox trap.^[328]
2017	Borth Animalarium	Borth, Wales	Eurasian lynx	13 days	1-year-old female Lilith climbed a spindly sapling growing in her enclosure and jumped over the fences. She was killed by marksmen in a caravan park in Aberystwyth.^[329]^[330]
2017	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Sumatran orangutan	Brief escape	The 8-year-old female Indah escaped her enclosure and went into a staff area.^[331]
2016	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Sumatran orangutan	Brief escape	The four apes Subis, Indah, Tuti and Siska escaped during a time when the Monsoon Forest building was not open for visitors.^[332]
2016	Dartmoor Zoological Park	Dartmoor, England	Carpathian lynx	3 weeks	The 2-year-old male Flaviu escaped one day after arriving from Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. Children at the nearby Little Orchard Montessori School were told to stay inside earlier. Until he was captured three weeks later, the young lynx killed four lambs.^[333]^[334]
2016	London Zoo	London, England	Western lowland gorilla^[335]	Brief escape	After a door was left unsecured during feeding time, the male Kumbuka made his escape but only made it as far as a storage area, where he drank five litres of undiluted squash before being tranquilised and brought back to his enclosure.^[212]
2016	Paignton Zoo	Devon, England	Lechwe	2 hours	The escape was triggered by fights between the males in the zoo's herd. After it was tranquilized and recaptured in a garden in Paignton, it was put down.^[336]
2015	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Lion-tailed macaque	3 days (1st escape), brief escape (2nd escape)	In March, the two monkeys Zoid and Rose escaped. Rose was captured one day later at Cave Hill, Zoid was captured three days after its escape near houses in Ben Madigan Park in northern Belfast. One month later, another animal escaped for a brief period, before it was also recaptured.^[337]^[338]
2014	Tropiquaria	Somerset, England	Raccoon	Unknown	The female Missy escaped by digging a tunnel through the ground which was softened due to a recent flooding.^[339]
2013	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Lion-tailed macaque	1 week	Six monkeys escaped.^[340]
2013	Colchester Zoo	Essex, England	Timber wolf	8 hours	Five wolves escaped through a damaged fence. Three of them were shot dead.^[341]
2010	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	White-nosed coati	Five weeks	^[342]^[343]
2009	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Chimpanzee	3 hours	30 chimps escaped their enclosure at lunchtime and went to a food preparation area. The zoo was evacuated. After they had eaten, they could be brought back.^[344]^[345]
2008	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Prairie dog	Unknown	^[346]
2008	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Ring-tailed lemur	Unknown	The lemur was found dead 1.5 miles away from the zoo on Hightown Road.^[346]
2008	Hamerton Zoo Park	Cambridgeshire, England	Cheetah	Unknown	The 3-year-old animal escaped through a defective fence and was later found by a 9-year-old boy in his back garden.^[347]
2007	Dartmoor Zoological Park	Dartmoor, England	Wolf	Less than a day	^[333]
2006	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Bongo	Unknown	After a dog attack, two animals jumped over the fence of their enclosure.^[346]
2006	Dartmoor Zoological Park	Dartmoor, England	Jaguar	Less than a day	The animal escaped into the tiger enclosure before it was sedated.^[333]
2005	Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park	Birmingham, England	Red panda	Less than a day, 4 days	Believed to have been blown out of a tree or leapt to another. Initially escaped and recaptured the same day, then escaped again a few days later. Netted after being found in a tree.^[348]^[349]
2005	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Chimpanzee	Several minutes	9-year-old Phoebe escaped together with two other chimps by using a log to climb out of the enclosure. They put their hands up and returned after the police fired warning shots into the air.^[350]
2005	Belfast Zoo	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Eastern black-and-white colobus^[351]	1 week	The young male Mojo fled after an argument with his father and returned one week later. After his return, it was decided to ship him and his brothers off to South Africa's Induna Primate and Parrot Park.^[352]^[353]
2003	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Orangutan	90 minutes	The ape sat on the roof of its enclosure until he went back in to sleep.^[344]
1997	South Lakes Safari Zoo	Cumbria, England	White rhinoceros	Brief escape	The animal fell down a ravine and had to be shot.^[22]
1996	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Chimpanzee	Less than a day	A 30-year-old ape escaped and attacked a zookeeper. It was shot after tranquilisation failed.^[344]
1975	Chester Zoo	Cheshire, England	Asian elephant	Less than a day	The bull Nobby broke through the perimeter fence while in his musth. He was shot dead in a nearby residential area after employees failed to tranquilise him.^[344]
1965	London Zoo	London, England	Golden eagle	17 days	The escape of the male Goldie caused a nationwide sensation. Ten months later, he escaped again for five days.^[354]
1957	Glasgow Zoo	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Red deer	Unknown	The deer Bambi was later recaptured after being found more than 1.5 miles (1 km) away.^[355]
1951	Glasgow Zoo	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Raccoon	Never found	^[355]
1949	Glasgow Zoo	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Bengal tiger	Less than a day	The tigress Sheila was shot dead after nearly killing a zookeeper.^[355]
1948	Glasgow Zoo	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Asian elephant, camel	Less than a day	The female Freda bursted out of the elephant house and released a camel from the neighbouring enclosure.^[355]
1947	Glasgow Zoo	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Kangaroo	Unknown	Two kangaroos escaped. One wandered through the zoo, the other was found at a field in Mount Vernon.^[355]
1904-1905	Unspecified zoo	Northumberland, England	Wolf	2 months	Hexham wolf