[WARNING: Contains some disturbing images.] Usually, when you visit the zoo, you just see animals lying around trying to avoid the heat. If you’re lucky, you might get to see a large cat eat something that the trainers gave to him or her.

See Also: 10 Facts About History’s Shameful And Horrible Human Zoos

Every so often, trainers and handlers will get maimed or killed, but those are the hazards of a job like that.

Then, very rarely, things can go seriously wrong for people expecting to have a leisurely visit to the zoo.

10 Maqsood

A 20-year-old man living in Delhi, India, who was only identified by the name of Maqsood, had been obsessed with tigers ever since he visited the Delhi Zoo in June 2014.

After Maqsood lost his job as a porter in mid-2014, he would visit the zoo during the afternoon, telling his mother and pregnant wife that he was out looking for a job.

On September 24, 2014, Maqsood was visiting one of his favorite exhibits at the Delhi Zoo—the white tiger exhibit. Maqsood was seen leaning over the wall of the enclosure and warned by a guard not to do that.

When the guard wasn’t looking, Maqsood fell into the tiger enclosure and landed 15 feet below in a moat. A few minutes later, Vijay, a 7-year-old, six-foot-long, 450-pound white tiger approached him. As Maqsood crouched, either pleading or praying, the tiger bit his neck and dragged him to the other end of the enclosure.

Fifteen minutes after dragging the young man away, zoo officials were able to lure Vijay to another area of the enclosure with some meat.

Sadly, it was too late for Maqsood; he died as a result of his injuries.

After the death, attendance at the zoo went up, and the tiger exhibit became especially popular. Vijay is still at the zoo, and the staff says he isn’t a man-eater. But they always keep an eye on him, just in case.^[1]

9 Roger Dean Adams

On July 5, 1970, 19-year-old Roger Dean Adams and two of his friends were drinking beer. At some point, they decided that it would be an excellent time to visit the Oregon Zoo. But, when they arrived, they were surprised to find that the zoo was closed.

Undeterred, the three friends broke into the zoo and started roaming around. First, they visited the penguin exhibit where they jumped the rail. Once inside the enclosure, Adams picked up one of the smaller penguins and threw it in the pool.

Feeling a bit braver, Adams and his friends moved on to the bear enclosure. Adams climbed the wall, then lowered himself down and kicked a bear a couple of times in the head. He then managed to scramble out of the enclosure uninjured.

Having survived that encounter, the three young men moved on to the lion enclosure, where Adams climbed the wall and lowered himself into the cage. While hanging onto the wall of the enclosure, Adams kicked an 11-year-old lioness named Sis in the head. Sis jumped up and pulled Adams into the cage as he tried to climb out.

Adams’ friends tried to scare her away by throwing rocks and bottles, but eventually, they had to call for help.

The police arrived, and they had to shoot Sis and a 15-year-old male lion named Caesar.

Roger Dean Adams was dead by the time the police killed the lions.

When the president of the zoo was asked by a newspaper reporter what he thought of the incident, he said that his quote would be unprintable. He pointed out that the lions were exactly where they should have been.^[2]

8 Prakesh Tiwari

It was New Year’s Day, 1996, and Prakesh Tiwari and Suresh Rai, both in their 20s, had spent part of the day drinking in Calcutta, India. For some unknown reason, they thought that the celebration called for a visit to the tiger exhibit at the Calcutta Zoo.

With a gold garland in hand, they climbed into the tiger exhibit, and crossed the exhibit’s moat. That’s when they came face to face with a 13-year-old Bengal tiger named Shiva. Rai threw the garland around Shiva’s neck. Shiva did not take kindly to this, and she pounced on Rai. To save his friend, Tiwari kicked the tiger in the face, so Shiva turned her attention to him.

People at the zoo noticed the commotion and got help. Officials were able to rescue Rai, but Tiwari died as a result of the attack.^[3]

7Jayaprakash Bezbaruah

On December 19, 2007, 50-year-old Jayaprakash Bezbaruah was visiting the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati, India, with his wife and two children.

To get a picture of two Bengal tigers, Bezbaruah went against the warnings from guards and climbed over one of the barriers. Once he was close to the enclosure, he stuck his arm in between the bars. Suddenly, two tigers grabbed his arm, and then tore his arm off in front of his horrified family and dozens of other witnesses.

Bezbaruah was taken to the hospital, but he died from blood loss.^[4]

6 Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr.

It was shortly after closing time at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day, 2007. 17-year-old Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr. and his two friends who were brothers, 19-year-old Paul Dhaliwal and 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal, had spent the afternoon at the zoo.

As they were walking out, they passed by the tiger grotto.

It is believed that the three young men taunted a 4-year-old Siberian tiger named Tatiana. The 450-pound tiger jumped out of the grotto and caught the top of the 12-and-a-half-foot wall, which was below federal regulations. She was able to pull herself up and out of the enclosure. The tiger landed on the asphalt and attacked Paul. Carlos and Kulbir tried to get the animal’s attention, and when they did, the tiger pounced on Carlos. The Dhaliwal brothers ran to a nearby zoo café and started yelling for help.

After killing Carlos, the tiger followed the trail of blood left by Paul. She tracked him from about 300 yards. When Tatiana found Paul, he was with Kulbir, and Tatiana started mauling Kulbir. The police arrived on the scene shortly afterward, and they were forced to kill Tatiana.

Both Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal survived the attack.^[5]

5 David Mark Wasson

On September 3, 1977, 6-year-old David Mark Wasson and his father were visiting the Miami Serpentarium. David and his father stopped off at the crocodile pit. David was placed on top of the wall of the enclosure, so that he and his father could throw sea grapes to the crocodiles.

When his father turned around to get more sea grapes, David fell into the pit. A guard who witnessed the accident said that Cookie, a 12-foot African crocodile, reacted instantly. From 10 feet away, he lunged at David and clasped his jaws around the boy’s chest. Cookie started shaking David and banged his head against the wall.

Another man jumped into the pit to save David. The man managed to grab David, but Cookie still had a hold on David. The man was dragged towards the crocodile-filled water as Cookie carried David into the water, so he had to let go.

Once in the water, the crocodile held the boy’s body underwater for five or six minutes. He only let go of the body after he was poked in the eye.

David was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

The owner of the serpentarium was visibly shaken by the tragedy. He shot Cookie seven times, and it took an hour for the crocodile to die.^[6]

4 Juan Perez

On May 19, 1987, 11-year-old Juan Perez and two of his friends were visiting the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York, after the zoo had closed for the day.

At about 7:00 p.m., the friends started daring each other to go swimming in some of the animals’ enclosures.

First, they took a swim in the moat in the seal exhibit. But when that wasn’t daring enough, the three boys decided to take a swim in the polar bear cage.

The three boys disrobed, but two of them started to back out. Trying to force his friends into the cage, Juan threw their clothes into the moat. This noise roused the two polar bears, a male and a female, that were both over eight feet tall and weighed over 900 pounds.

When Juan slipped into the water, the polar bears approached him. But instead of climbing out, Perez provoked the female bear. This led to the male biting him on his shoulder and dragging him away. As Juan was being dragged away, he screamed to his friends, “Go get help! They’re biting me hard!” Juan’s two friends screamed for help and then hid.

The police arrived several minutes later, but it took 20 minutes for them to get the zoo unlocked. When they arrived at the polar bear enclosure, they saw the two bears fighting over Juan’s remains.

The police were told that there were more children in the enclosure with the bears, and they could see children’s clothes floating in the moat.

The police felt that they had no choice but to shoot the bears 20 times with a 12-gauge shotgun and six times with a revolver. Both bears died as a result of their wounds.

It was only after the bears were shot that the police found out that the other two boys did not go into the enclosure.^[7]

3 Ruth Ellen Freedman

On June 28, 1966, three-year-old Ruth Ellen Freedman and her parents were visiting the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. They stopped to see the zoo’s only elephant, a three-ton 23-year-old Asian elephant named Winkie. Winkie had been at the zoo for 20 years and was considered docile. He was a favorite amongst the children because they could feed him peanuts and popcorn.

Wanting to feed him on that fateful day, Ruth ducked under a guard rail and got close to the cage. Then Winkie did something unusual; he reached out and wrapped his trunk around Ruth. Ruth’s mother screamed, and Winkie smashed the little girl against the bars, knocking her unconscious. Winkie picked Ruth up again and dropped her. Then Winkie brought Ruth’s body into the cage and stomped on her repeatedly.

Both of Ruth’s parents tried to get into the cage to save her, but they were unable to. When the caretaker stepped into the cage, Winkie stopped his attack, and the caretaker pulled the three-year-old’s body out of the cage.

After the death, Winkie was sent to a breeding farm. One of his offspring, also named Winkie, has been labeled a dangerous animal because he killed a female handler, and injured several other handlers and zoo visitors.^[8]

2Julia Ann Vogt

In May 1958, the mother of 2½-year-old Julia Ann Vogt, brought her and her sister from their home in Chilliwack, British Columbia, to Washington D.C. to visit her parents.

May 16 was a beautiful day, so the family decided to visit the National Zoo. Grandfather Harry Jackson took Julia Ann to see the lions. Somehow, she got away from him and slipped past the guardrail. A full-grown male African lion named Passion approached her and grabbed her leg. Jackson jumped into action and tried to grab his granddaughter, but the lion was too strong. Passion pulled her body into the cage and walked around with her body in his mouth. When he dropped her, a lioness named Princess mauled the child, and she ended up decapitating her.

At the sight of his granddaughter being mauled, Jackson suffered a minor heart attack.

Julia Ann’s body was recovered after zookeepers chased the lions away with fire extinguishers. The tragic death sent ripples through the zoo industry, and new safety measures were enacted because of it.

Julia Ann’s grandfather, Harry Jackson, survived his heart attack.^[9]

1 Maddox Derkosh

On November 4, 2012, two-year-old Maddox Derkosh and his parents were visiting the painted dog exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Maddox was placed on the railing by his mother, and he accidentally fell in. There were safety nets in place, but witnesses said Maddox bounced twice and fell into the enclosure.

The eleven painted dogs, which are very territorial, immediately pounced on the young boy. Even though there were zookeepers in the immediate area, there was nothing they could do because, by the time they responded, it was evident that Maddox was dead.

One of the dogs had to be shot because he would not leave the body alone.

After the tragedy, the zoo gave the painted dogs away. The Derkoshs sued the Pittsburgh Zoo, and the zoo’s lawyers said that Maddox’s mother was at fault for her son’s death. Ultimately, the Derkoshs and the Pittsburgh Zoo settled in June 2014.^[10]

About The Author: Robert Grimminck is the creator of the true crime YouTube channel Criminally Listed.

Animals are known for getting in all kinds of scrapes. But when it comes to zoo animals, their adventures tend to be a little more outlandish than your average pet. Exhibit escapees are more common than you might imagine, and when these creatures get out of their cages, who knows what havoc they might wreak? Others have a reputation for messing with the visitors, like the frisky orangutan kissing young women or the chimp who flung his poop at a VIP. Here are ten stories of wild animal mischief from zoos around the world.

10 Chimpanzee’s Grand Day out in Ukraine

Ukraine has been in the news for a number of reasons of late, but perhaps the strangest is the story of an escaped chimpanzee out and about in the city of Kharkiv.

It all took place one drizzly Monday, September 5, 2022, when 13-year-old female Chichi made her way out of the zoo and started exploring the world at large. Zookeepers scoured the city for two hours, but luckily no harm had come to the runaway rascal. If anything, she ended up becoming a bit of a star on social media. After all, it’s not every day you see a chimpanzee sauntering around the city.

They finally found the cheeky primate mooching around Freedom Square. It took a long period of coaxing, but they eventually got her to put on a yellow waterproof jacket. Zookeeper Kozyreva—who has known Chichi since the chimp was a child—helped her into the coat and gave her a hearty hug. Handlers were then able to push her home as she sat on the seat of a bicycle.

No one knows for sure why Chichi decided to flee her enclosure, but some staff supposes it could be from boredom. The animals at Kharkiv Zoo are used to showing off to the visitors, but the country’s turbulent landscape means people aren’t flocking to the zoo like they used to.^[1]

9 Flirty Orangutan Gets a Little Frisky in Bangkok

An orangutan in Thailand has made something of a name for himself by getting a little too familiar with some of the female visitors. The frisky primate was caught on camera groping the breasts of Angel Orangelor, a whopping great grin on his face. In the video, the orangutan can be seen embracing the 27-year-old tourist. He then pulls her in and kisses her square on the cheek. He even stuck his tongue out for good measure.

The flirty animal is a current resident of Safari World in Bangkok—and he has previous escapades to his name as well. Only weeks earlier, he had done the same with another visitor while she posed for a photo. Again, the hairy scamp popped his arms around her, placed his hands on her chest, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Fortunately, neither of the young women seemed to mind the attention. “The orangutan was just trying to show me some love,” Orangelor explained. “My friends thought it was funny. We had a real bond.”^[2]

8 The Chinese White Lion with a Distinctive Hairdo

Bangs are a bold look. They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but they certainly make for a memorable appearance. Bruce Lee, Paul Weller, Joe Exotic—they’re all known for sporting the unique hairstyle. And now, as it turns out, a white lion in China.

In June 2022, photos began floating around the internet of A Hang, one of the stars of Guangzhou Zoo, and his rather spectacular bouffant. Some social media users wondered if it was the result of a botched haircut. But as an employee explained, the snazzy mullet was a response to humid weather conditions. “There is no hairdressing programme at the zoo, and we dare not cut a lion’s hair. You can say that he has ‘designed’ the hairstyle himself.”

Staff clarified that A Hang probably licked his paws and ran them through his fur to cool off. This, they reckon, coupled with the muggy weather, is what caused his mane to straighten and hang limp. After all, even the king of the jungle can suffer the occasional bad hair day.^[3]

7 Baby Hippo Escapes to Spend Time with Giraffes

In a zoo in Denmark, there lives a baby hippopotamus that has made a name for itself by wandering out of his enclosure to hang out with the giraffes. TikTok user Jasmin racked up millions of views after she recorded the adventurous tyke causing mischief at the Copenhagen Zoo.

In the clip, the hippo calf waddles bold as brass out of his area to slosh about in the giraffe’s pool and chew on some wires, even settling down for a snooze. Another video shows the miniature trespasser swiping hay from the zebras before heading back to see the giraffes again, looking for more hay to nibble on. In the wilds of sub-Saharan Africa, hippos travel miles from their waterholes in search of food. But this cheeky baby only has to pop over to the next enclosure for a snack.^[4]

6 Police Arrive at California Zoo after Monkey Dials 911

In August 2022, a tiny capuchin monkey somehow brought the police to a zoo in California after making a call to 911. One Saturday night, dispatchers received a strange call and were soon disconnected. Their attempts to get back in touch proved fruitless, so the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office sent two of its deputies to check how things were.

They traced the call to Zoo to You near Paso Robles. But when they arrived, they found that none of the staff knew anything about a 911 call. For a while, both officers and zookeepers were left scratching their heads. But it turned out that Route, a capuchin monkey, had stolen one of the zoo’s cellphones from a golf cart and inadvertently called the cops.^[5]

5 Panda Hops the Fence at Beijing Zoo

It’s back to China for this next story. Specifically, the Beijing Zoo, where a six-year-old panda hopped out of its enclosure to an audience of startled visitors. Meng Lan clambered over one of the six-foot walls to his enclosure and hopped down into the transition zone between his pen and onlooking tourists. Videos of Meng Lan’s bid for freedom show him poking his head out inquisitively for a look at the crowds.

Zookeepers used food to entice Meng Lan back into his enclosure. Shortly afterward, they announced plans to upgrade his security to stop the wayward bear from hopping the fence again.^[6]

4 Californian Aquarium Flooded by Brainy Octopus

In 2009, staff at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium received quite a shock when one of their exhibits decided to flood the place. A two-spotted octopus managed to dissemble a valve at the top of her tank. This sent over 200 gallons (757 liters) of water cascading into the surrounding building. The tentacled fiend didn’t use the chaos to break out. Instead, she remained in her tank as the sodden mayhem unfurled around her—laughing at the mess she caused, I’m sure.

Octopuses are clever creatures, but they also have a reputation for being regular practical jokers. And, unfortunately for aquarium staff, often their humor involves creating as much mess as possible. The brainy invertebrates have irritated employees at various exhibits by blowing the lights, pushing shrimp down the drain, and squirting them with water. There was even an octopus in New Zealand who had to be released back into the sea after his incessant attempts to escape. He once hid in a drain for five days after breaking out of his tank.

Experts have theorized that their unusually high aptitude could be the result of their constant struggle to survive under the sea. Amid the dangers of the coral reef, one foolish move could spell death. But the truth is no one knows for sure. “Octopuses have a wonderful combination of intelligence, tremendous manipulative ability, curiosity, and strength,” explained Jennifer Mather, a psychologist specializing in cephalopod behavior. “So the result is that everybody who has ever kept octopuses has a string of stories about how octopuses can go where they want in aquariums.”^[7]

3 The Chimpanzee who Lobbed His Poop at a Visiting Retiree

Let’s face it, all of us have bad days. Days when, for whatever reason, our patience with the world might run a little short. Days when our behavior might be a little less pleasant and a little more combative than usual. Yes, we all have days like that from time to time. Just like the chimpanzee who decided to throw his poop at someone’s granny.

The dirty protest was delivered by one of the captives at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Video footage shows the primate flinging its filth at the viewing station. The onlookers laugh and whoop, but one lone voice cries out amid the gigglers, “It got grandma.” The camera swivels around, and sure enough, there she is, an elderly woman sitting on an electric scooter, the center of her face covered in chimpanzee poop.

The fecal debacle was filmed by Erin Vargo, who also used to work at the zoo. According to Vargo, the poop-slinging primate who splattered grandma has previously committed the same crappy act. “He’s a serial poop thrower,” she told CBS. “It’s just never actually hit someone.”^[8]

2 Escaped Meerkat Needs Rescuing after Diving off Ship

Most of the entries on the list concern animals that caused chaos while they were in the zoo. But in the case of Boris the meerkat, he was wreaking havoc before he even arrived.

In 2022, the cheeky carnivore launched himself from Gry Maritha, a cargo ship docking in southwest Britain. Boris and his female shipmate, Doris, were being taken to Axe Valley Zoo in Devon, England, but the pair had other ideas about a life of captivity. They broke free from their cage and scurried around the deck while the crew tried to catch them. They got their hands on Doris before she could come to any harm, but Boris ended up plunging 30 feet (10 meters) into the sea around Penzance.

Skipper Tom Sexton hopped in after him. The escapee was soon captured and placed back in his cage, which had to be lowered over the side of the boat. After the ordeal, Boris’s owner described him as looking “very cold, but he survived and seemed quite happy.”^[9]

1 The 10-Year-Old Who Stole a Penguin

Imagine walking into your bathroom only to find a penguin lolloping around in the tub. Well, that’s what happened to one British couple after their son decided to help himself to a Gentoo penguin during a visit to the zoo.

The young lad was on holiday with his family in France, and on their final day, they decided to see some animals near Calais. Unnoticed by mom and dad, the ten-year-old snuck into the penguin enclosure and popped one in his backpack. Nobody noticed on the ferry back to England or the drive home. The bird was sound asleep, nestled in a beach towel.

It wasn’t until they were back in Suffolk that the parents discovered what their son had done. The couple phoned officials at the RSPCA, who found the penguin a home at nearby Colchester Zoo. Vets gave the escaped bird a checkup, but they determined she was still in good health. They even nicknamed her Pingu.

According to reports, it took a while for the parents to calm down, but in the end, they saw the funny side of what their son had done. It turns out the boy just wanted to “give it a new home” and that he thinks he’d like to become a zookeeper when he’s older.^[10]