Skip to main content

Here is a look at other animals who have escaped from Toronto zoos

Capybara
Share

A kangaroo who escaped during a one-night stay at a Oshawa zoo last week has been recaptured, ending a three-day search for the missing animal.

The kangaroo is not the first animal to sneak away from a Toronto area zoo in recent decades. Here is a look at other daring escapes by animals in captivity:

 

The search for the High Park capybaras

A pair of capybaras earned the nicknames ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ after slipping away from the High Park zoo for several weeks back in the spring of 2016. The rodents, who were the subject of much media attention at the time of their escape, were believed to be hiding out somewhere in the park. They were eventually recaptured about a month after they disappeared and the search ended up costing the city approximately $15,000. The capybaras made headlines once again in 2017 when the two became parents.

 

Peacock flies the coop

A peacock that escaped from High Park is spotted near Roncesvalles Avenue in this image captured by a CTV photographer. (Tom Podolec /CP24)

In 2015, a peacock at the High Park Zoo became a social media star after venturing out into the city’s west end. The bird was spotted strutting along Roncesvalles Avenue and through Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. Pictures captured the bird on rooftops and in trees. The peacock was located and brought back to the zoo five days later.

 

Long-tailed lemurs take in sights at Toronto Zoo

In this screen grab, a lemur is pictured after escaping an enclosure at the Toronto Zoo on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012.

Two long-tailed lemurs didn’t get very far when they hopped the fence at their enclosure at the Toronto Zoo in 2012. Video of the escape showed the lemurs wandering the zoo’s African Rainforest Pavilion as passersby gathered to take a closer look. Workers quickly wrangled the animals and brought them back to their pen.

 

Llamas, wallabies, and a yak make a break for it

In 2009, at least one person attempted to free animals at the High Park Zoo by cutting a fence and lock in the middle of the night. Four llamas, two wallabies, and a yak walked away from their enclosures but didn’t stray too far. It didn’t take officers long to corral the group and return them to their enclosures.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Stay Connected