Fw: Great Ape Escapes

[Guest guest]

This was sent to me and might be of interest to these groups ... I understand a

former photo-chimp at the Singapore Zoo recently died during an escape, when he

drowned, after being darted ... Sigh. Jane

 

 

Jane T. R. Dewar

Wednesday, April 07, 2004 9:06 AM

Re: Great Ape Escapes

http://www.wildlifepimps.com/GreatApeEscapes.html

 

Great Ape Escapes

The following is a partial listing of dangerous incidents involving great

apes held captive at zoos accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium

Association that have occurred since 1990.

 

Gorillas

March 18, 2004/Dallas, Texas: A 300-pound gorilla named Jabari escaped from

an enclosure surrounded by a 16-foot concave wall at the Dallas Zoo and

attacked four people. A 3-year-old boy was critically injured as a result of

multiple bites to his head and chest. The gorilla bit the boy's mother on

her legs and threw her and the toddler against the wall. Another woman

suffered injuries to her arms when she shielded several children from the

gorilla. The fourth injured person was a child who was treated at the scene.

Police evacuated 300 people and fatally shot the gorilla after he charged at

officers. Some children had reportedly been teasing Jabari before the

incident.

 

January 8, 2004/Denver, Colorado: A gorilla named Evelyn escaped from an

enclosure and entered the keepers' area, where she spent 45 minutes before

being tranquilized. Evelyn was originally from the Los Angeles Zoo and had

escaped several times while at that facility.

 

September 28, 2003/Boston, Massachusetts: A gorilla named Little Joe escaped

from an enclosure in Boston's Franklin Park Zoo, grabbed a toddler from a

young woman's arms, then threw the child to the ground and jumped on her.

Little Joe led more than 50 police officers and zoo staff members on a

massive two-hour chase through darkened woods and along a nearby street

outside the zoo. He finally collapsed after being shot repeatedly with

tranquilizer darts and was returned to the zoo. The toddler required several

stitches for a gash in her head. The gorilla also bit a zoo visitor on the

back and attempted to attack other zoo staff members who were huddled in

fear inside the ticket booth. Little Joe had also escaped a month earlier.

 

August 13, 2003/Boston, Massachusetts: Little Joe, a gorilla at Boston's

Franklin Park Zoo, scaled a 20-foot rock wall and escaped from the ape

enclosure. He was recaptured 10 minutes later.

 

February 4, 2001/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A crowd of 250 people cowered for

45 minutes inside a building at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium after a

150-pound female gorilla crossed a moat, scaled a 14-foot wall, and began to

wander around the zoo. Zookeepers lured the gorilla into a restroom and

tranquilized her.

 

July 2000/Los Angeles, California: Jim, a 350-pound 12-year-old gorilla,

jumped across the 12-foot moat in an exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. He

started to walk toward a group of schoolchildren and was squirted with water

to steer him into another enclosure.

 

November 28, 1998/Dallas, Texas: A 340-pound gorilla named Hercules escaped

from an open cage at the Dallas Zoo and attacked a zookeeper, dragging her

down a hallway and biting her on her arm and side. Hercules was shot with a

tranquilizer dart, and the zookeeper was hospitalized. The USDA fined the

zoo $25,000 for alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

 

May 27, 1997/Little Rock, Arkansas: A 375-pound gorilla named Rocky and a

180-pound gorilla named Tammy escaped from a cage and entered a work area at

the Little Rock Zoo.

 

May 13, 1994/St. Paul, Minnesota: Casey, a 400-pound gorilla, scaled a

15-foot concrete wall and wandered around the Como Zoo for 45 minutes while

a group of kindergarten students were ushered to safety. Casey was shot with

a tranquilizer and returned to the enclosure.

 

September 28, 1992/Bronx, New York: Kongo, a 500-pound gorilla at the Bronx

Zoo, escaped while he was being transferred from one cage to another. He bit

one keeper on the thigh and a second on the shoulder. Both keepers required

hospitalization treatment. The gorilla was tranquilized and dragged back

into the cage.

 

September 28, 1992/Miami, Florida: A 400-pound gorilla named Jimmy unlatched

a lock on a cage, entered a holding area, and harassed and bit a keeper, who

required hospital treatment, at the Miami Metrozoo.

 

June 22, 1992/San Diego, California: Mema, a 400-pound gorilla, escaped from

an enclosure through a door that had been left open at the San Diego Zoo and

roamed free for two and a half hours before he was tranquilized.

 

 

Orangutans

August 26, 2003/Rochester, New York: Lowell, a 300-pound orangutan at the

Seneca Park Zoo, escaped from a cage, then grabbed a volunteer and carried

him down a passageway. Lowell climbed back into his cage 15 minutes later.

 

August 29, 2000/Washington, D.C.: A 260-pound orangutan named Junior climbed

down a tower at the National Zoo and wandered the zoo grounds for 45 minutes

while nearly 100 zoo visitors were herded into buildings. He was shot with a

tranquilizer dart and recaptured.

 

May 30, 2000/Gulf Breeze, Florida: A 125-pound orangutan named Sara escaped

from a cage through an open door at The Zoo Gulf Breeze in Florida. She

attacked a keeper, who was treated for bruises and five bite wounds on her

knee, some of which cut to the bone. Sara roamed the zoo for 45 minutes

before returning to her cage, where food had been left out.

 

June 20, 1999/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: An orangutan at the Philadelphia

Zoo escaped from an exhibit and ran loose in the zoo for 25 minutes before

being tranquilized by a veterinarian.

 

December 7, 1998/Kansas City, Missouri: A male orangutan named Joe used a

tire to climb over the wall of an outdoor pen and escape from an exhibit at

the Kansas City Zoo. Zoo visitors noticed him after he made his way to the

sheep barn. He was tranquilized and recaptured.

 

June 18, 1993/San Diego, California: An orangutan named Indah climbed a wall

in an enclosure and entered a viewing deck containing about 30 zoo visitors

at the San Diego Zoo. Indah was tranquilized and recaptured 30 minutes

later.

 

May 17, 1993/Seattle, Washington: A 300-pound orangutan named Towan escaped

from an enclosure at the Woodland Park Zoo and remained in a holding area.

He was recaptured nearly two hours later, after being shot with a

tranquilizer dart.

 

October 24, 1991/Seattle, Washington: Three frightened Woodland Park Zoo

volunteers were trapped for 40 minutes in an exhibit with a 300-pound male

orangutan named Towan after he, three female orangutans, and a baby escaped

from a pen. The volunteers escaped, and the five orangutans climbed onto the

roof of the exhibit, where they stayed for two hours before being

tranquilized and recaptured. Zoo visitors, including 55 children from a

local elementary school, were evacuated.

 

June 26, 1991/Tampa, Florida: Nearly 100 spectators were evacuated from the

Lowry Park Zoo after Rudy, an 80-pound orangutan, scaled the wall of an

exhibit, bounded over a ledge, crossed a sidewalk, and climbed to a nearby

rooftop during an escape that lasted 10 minutes. Zookeepers coaxed her from

the roof.

 

June 6, 1990/Kansas City, Missouri: A 127-pound orangutan named Cheyenne

unscrewed four bolts to escape from a cage at the Kansas City Zoo. Visitors

screamed as mothers pushed their children in strollers to safety. Cheyenne

was tranquilized and taken back to the cage 20 minutes later.

Chimpanzees

January 19, 2004/Los Angeles, California: A chimpanzee named Gracie escaped

from her enclosure and entered the public area of the zoo. The zoo's 9,000

visitors were evacuated, and after 45 minutes, Gracie was tranquilized. This

was Gracie's fifth escape since she arrived at the zoo in 1998.

 

July 24, 2000/Dallas, Texas: A chimpanzee was electrocuted after escaping

from her habitat at the Dallas Zoo. She scratched a zookeeper, who required

hospital treatment, and climbed a telephone pole. The zookeeper fired at the

chimpanzee with a shotgun, and a veterinarian fired a tranquilizer at the

animal, causing her to fall. She was electrocuted as she grabbed for a power

line.

 

February 27, 1999/Salt Lake City, Utah: Chip, Happy, and Tammy, chimpanzees

at Hogle Zoo, escaped from a cage and attacked two zoo staff members. One

employee, who was in serious condition, was hospitalized for nearly four

weeks after one finger, part of a second finger, and part of his nose were

bitten off. His left ear was also partially severed, and he suffered severe

lacerations on his face, head, arms, and chest. A second employee was

treated for cuts and scrapes. Chip and Happy were shot with shotguns by zoo

employees and later euthanized. The USDA issued an official warning against

the zoo for failure to securely contain primates. The zoo later settled a

lawsuit brought by the seriously injured employee.

 

February 12, 1996/Tulsa, Oklahoma: Six chimpanzees at the Tulsa Zoo escaped

by scaling a wall, forcing an evacuation of the zoo that lasted five hours.

 

April 10, 1995/Asheboro, North Carolina: Tammy, a chimpanzee at the North

Carolina Zoological Park, escaped from an enclosure that was surrounded by

moats and a 12-foot concrete wall. The zoo was evacuated as Tammy walked

around for 20 minutes before being coaxed back to the enclosure.

 

January 7, 1995/Baton Rouge, Louisiana: A chimpanzee named Reggie escaped by

pulling a wire on a cage at the Baton Rouge Zoo. Reggie was being

transferred to another exhibit after he had been attacked and injured by

another chimp. He was tranquilized and recaptured.

 

January 21, 1993/Los Angeles, California: Three chimpanzees named Toto,

Bonnie, and Gracie escaped from an enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo by

scaling a moat using a rope that had been tossed into the enclosure by a

visitor. Frightened zoo visitors fled to safety. Two of the chimpanzees were

coaxed back into their cage within 45 minutes, and the third was

tranquilized and recaptured.

 

March 23, 1992/Los Angeles, California: For the second time in three days,

chimpanzees Pandora, Tota, Judeo, Gerrard, and Bonnie used a tree limb to

escape from an enclosure at the Los Angeles Zoo. The chimps were recaptured

within an hour.

 

March 21, 1992/Los Angeles, California: Chimpanzees Pandora, Tota, Judeo,

and Gerrard used a tree limb to escape from an enclosure at the Los Angeles

Zoo. The zoo was closed for an hour while the chimps were recaptured.

 

June 10, 1991/Little Rock, Arkansas: At the Little Rock Zoo, two chimpanzees

named Kim and Jodie escaped from a cage through an unlocked door. About 800

zoo visitors were evacuated for an hour.

 

June 1990/Detroit, Michigan: A chimpanzee escaped from an exhibit at the

Detroit Zoo, causing zoo visitors to be evacuated for an hour while staff

members attempted to recapture her.