The chronicle of animals’ escapes from the Moscow Zoo

The Chronicle of escapes was compiled on the basis of memoirs and oral recollections of employees, so the details of the description may be inaccurate.

Early 1920s. Elephant Mavrik got irritated, broke the fence and got out of the Zoo. At Kudrinskaia Square he smashed the window of a bakery and ate all the buns. After that an employee of the Zoo put the settled down elephant back to his place. 

1929. An ounce made a complex, pre worked through jump to get out of the cage and hid in a house outside of the Zoo. When jumping from the roof of the house was caught by the tail by a member of the Circle Of Young Biologists of the Zoo - G. Ulyanov. 

1934. A snake escaped from the Zoo and stared living under the windows of the Chief of the local Police Department where the man kept firewood; On warm days the snake looked into his window, so the Chief always kept his revolver on the table. But proposals from employees of the zoo to catch the runner were refused, since the Chief feared for the safety of firewood. 

1941. In Sverdlovsk, where the zoo was evacuated, a rhinoceros escaped. The zoo staff P.E. Krylov, E.N. Filippkinoy and I.S. Lapkin who detained the animal, got the gratitude. 

Around 1943. A capricorn escaped from quarantine. In Bolshaya Gruzinskaya st. he went to the hairdresser’s. When he saw his reflection in a mirror he broke it. Was arrested by a livestock expert and a veterinarian. 

1960s. An adult male orangutan came out of his cell, got frightened and made a mess of the housing of primates. The Zoo director I.P. Sosnowski drove him back into the cage with a warning shot from a gun. 

1960s. A group of penguins donated to the Zoo by whalers, escaped from the poorly equipped enclosure. Were detained on the steps of Krasnopresnensky department store, almost two kilometers from the Zoo. Also penguins made escapes from Zvenigorod reserve (Biological Station of Moscow State University), were caught by local residents from the Moscow River and returned back to the reserve. 

Early1980s. A couple of crowned cranes flew away; For a while they wandered over the Great Pond, then most of them scattered around the city and died. One of them landed on the stern tail of the pond and was detained by M. Matveev, who managed to sneak up to him unnoticed. 

1983. One late night a young crocodile broke through the net of the enclosure and went to the zoo. Was detained by a herpetologist S.V. Kudryavtsev. 

1980s. Taking the advantage of an unclosed door, a gibbon escaped from the detention center, then hid on the roof. During the arrest offered resistance - he was biting. 

1980s. A couple of horses escaped from the zoo, huddled together in a herd and managed to get to the square of the Bolshoi Theatre, where they were detained. 

Late 1980s. Red Wolves, accommodated on the Island of animals, jumped out of the enclosure, pushing off the opposite wall (in the wild they live in rocky terrain). 

Late 1990s. A young cheetah escaped from the enclosure, tried to hunt a pony, who was returning with a drover to the stables from the "circle of riding"  . Was noticed before the attack and detained. 

Late 1990s. Taking advantage of an attempt to introduce a cell-free keeping, a couple of peacocks flew away. Were subsequently detained by ornithologists with the support of residents of Presnenskiy district. 

Early 2000s. A marten escaped (a yellow-chest marten). Previously she made escapes inside the territory of the Zoo and attacked flamingos. Has not been caught yet and according to the incoming information, lives in the city and hunts cats. 

Early 2000s. Black antelopes repeatedly got outside the enclosure. After investigation it was found out that they crawled through a half-meter gap under the fence, preliminarily pushing their heads with massive horns. 

2008. An escaped nutria was detained at the bus stop where passengers while waiting for the bus fed her with bread. 

2013. One night a trespasser opened bird cages in a field section but was attacked by a goose. Two released eagles stayed around their cage, waiting for the arrival of employees. Zoo animals perceive their place of residence as their own territory.

 

Source: http://www.moscowzoo.ru