The Great Escape: When Zoo Animals Break Free!

Zoos spend a lot of effort keeping animals in, and most of the time it works. But every now and then, a clever, curious or simply lucky animal finds a gap nobody spotted.

Here are some of the most memorable zoo and aquarium escapes, counting down to the greatest escape artist of them all, plus one wild bear with a sweet tooth.

#8 Fitz the Grizzly

The most recent escape in this story happened on August 16, 2026, when Fitz, a one-year-old grizzly bear at the Calgary Zoo in Canada, decided to climb a wire fence about 10 feet (3 m) high for his great escape.

At around 7:30 AM, staff discovered his brazen escape and found him roaming the zoo grounds near his habitat. He was anesthetized and returned safely by around 9 AM, with no people or animals harmed during his little adventure.

#7 Sero the Zebra

On March 23, 2023, a young zebra named Sero escaped from Children’s Grand Park in Seoul, South Korea, and trotted through city streets and traffic for about three hours - making little to no use of the city's zebra crossings.

Firefighters and police eventually cornered him in a residential alley, where zoo staff sedated him and took him home.

#6 Rusty the Red Panda

In June 2013, Rusty, a young red panda, went missing from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., USA. Zoo keepers concluded that he had probably escaped via overlapping branches and bamboo that were bent down by earlier rain.

He was found in the nearby Adams Morgan neighborhood after a resident spotted him and posted a photo on Twitter. Zoo keepers were notified and picked him up.

#5 Flaco the Owl

In February 2023, someone vandalized the enclosure of a Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco, at the Central Park Zoo in New York, and as a consequence, he was able to fly out. To many people’s surprise, he learned to hunt and lived free in Manhattan for about a year, becoming quite the local celebrity.

In February 2024, Flaco sadly died after hitting a building. Tests found a severe pigeon herpesvirus infection and exposure to four rat poisons, which the zoo said were significant contributing factors to his death.

#4 Penguin No. 337

In early March 2012, a Humboldt penguin known only as No. 337 escaped from Tokyo Sea Life Park in Japan, apparently climbing over rocks and slipping through a gap in the surrounding fence. It was later spotted swimming in Tokyo Bay by local residents.

After 82 days of exhilarating freedom, keepers finally caught up with 337 at a riverbank about 5 miles (8 km) from the park.

#3 Inky the Octopus

In 2016, staff at the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier came in to find Inky the resident octopus had vanished.

By following the wet trail Inky had left behind, staff believed he had squeezed out of his tank, crossed the floor and slipped down a drain leading to the South Pacific Ocean, like a scene from The Shawshank Redemption.

Inky was never seen again.

#2 Flamingo No. 492

In June 2005, two African flamingos flew out of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, USA, during a storm. Their flight feathers had grown back and were overdue for a clipping. The two birds separated, and one was last reported seen in 2005.

The other, known by the number on its leg band, No. 492, was spotted over the years in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas. In March 2022, it was filmed near Port Lavaca, Texas, and confirmed alive nearly 17 years after its escape.

#1 Ken Allen

In the 1980s, a Bornean orangutan named Ken Allen kept escaping from his enclosure at the San Diego Zoo in California, USA. Rather than run off, he usually stayed nearby, and keepers led him back whenever they found him wandering around.

The zoo was so baffled that it sent staff undercover as tourists to watch him, and had rock climbers check the walls for handholds. He still found a way out, earning the nickname the “Hairy Houdini.”

Bonus: The Gummy Bear Heist

This one isn’t a zoo escape, but we couldn’t leave it out. In October 2023, a wild black bear walked into a gas station in Lake Cowichan, British Columbia, Canada, grabbed a pack of gummy bears off the shelf and ate them in the parking lot.

When Escapes Go Wrong

Not every escape ends well. These three sadly didn't. 

San Francisco Zoo - 2007

On Christmas Day 2007, a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from her enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo. Its wall was 12.5 feet (3.8 m) high, below the 16.4 feet (5 m) recommended in voluntary guidelines.

Upon escaping, Tatiana killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. and injured his two friends within the zoo, before later being shot dead by police.

Zanesville, Ohio - 2011

In October 2011, the owner of a private animal collection near Zanesville, Ohio, which was not a zoo, released dozens of animals before taking his own life.

With people at risk, authorities shot 49 of the animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions. The following year, Ohio tightened its rules on keeping dangerous wild animals.

Tbilisi, Georgia - 2015

On the night of June 13–14, 2015, floods swept through Tbilisi, including its zoo. Around 20 people died across the city, and hundreds of zoo animals drowned or were shot. Many others escaped, including bears. One white tiger later killed a man, on June 17.

Thankfully, some of the animals that escaped survived. Begi the hippo, pictured at the top of this story, was found in a flooded street, tranquilized and returned to the zoo. Not a picture you see every day!

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