History Main / EscapedAnimalRampage

* ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesShreddersRevenge'': In the Rumble In The Zoo level, there are multiple points where an AnimalStampede of rhinos and wild boars will come charging across the screen, trampling everyone who doesn't get out of the way. [[spoiler: It's because level bosses Dirtbag and Groundchuck have come to the zoo to break the animals out]].

--> ''In today’s news, a two-ton rhino escaped from the Springfield zoo. But zoo officials were quick to act, and Petunia, as she is known, is safely back in captivity. [A rhino starts attacking the crowd outside the window.] In other news, a three-ton rhino that escaped from the zoo last week is still at large.''

* On the third of the ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials'', ''Garfield on the Rough'', an escaped panther stalks the woods where Jon, Garfield and Odie are camping.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}'':
** In ''Hannibal'' a baby elephant escapes from the circus and is adopted by little Clo-Clo, who keeps him as a pet. The animal is stolen back to the circus and Clo-Clo is kept imprisoned there too. In the end Nero and his friends liberate Clo-Clo, but Hannibal suddenly disappears. This leaves Clo-Clo depressed and he waits and waits for his animal friend to come back. In the end Hannibal does come back, but he is an adult sized elephant now! The HappyEnding shows the others still welcoming him back in their midst.
** Subverted in ''Allemaal Beestjes'' where Nero is transformed into a lion and then caught by frightened people who bring him to the zoo, despite nothing having done anything. A similar storyline can be found in ''Zwoele Charlotte'', where he is dressed in a gorilla costume and again sedated and brought to the zoo, because people think he is a real ape.
* ''ComicBook/PrideOfBaghdad'' by Brian K. Vaughan, in which a pride of lions escape the Baghdad Zoo during the U.S. invasion.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' episode "Zoo", Bandit, pretending to be a monkey in Bluey's zoo, is sprayed with a hose by zookeeper Bluey so that he'll start moving. He ends up escaping from the enclosure he's in and kidnaps Snowdrop (a.k.a. Bingo), leading to the rest of the episode being Bluey trying to capture him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' episode "Zoo", Bandit, pretending to be a monkey in Bluey's zoo, is sprayed with a hose by zookeeper Bluey so that he'll start moving. He ends up escaping from the "enclosure he's in and kidnaps Snowdrop (a.k.a. Bingo), leading to the rest of the episode being Bluey trying to capture him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' episode "Zoo", Bandit, pretending to be a monkey in Bluey's zoo, is sprayed with a hose by zookeeper Bluey so that he'll start moving. He ends up escaping from the "cage" and kidnaps Snowdrop (a.k.a. Bingo), leading to the rest of the episode being Bluey trying to capture him.

* ''Animation/TobotGalaxyDetectives'': In Episode 3, a female gorilla escapes from the zoo and kidnaps one of [[TheProtagonist Tyler]]'s Jay. Tyler and the Tobots chase the gorilla across the city to the top of a tall structure, where they manage to put the gorilla to sleep and save Jay. The episode ends with the gorilla back in her exhibit, much happier than before.

* In ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'', the explorers take a ''[[PteroSoarer pteranodon]]'' egg home with them, to present it in London as proof of their journey. By this point, the egg has hatched, and the young pterosaur escapes out a window and flies away, presumably trying to migrate back to the LostWorld. One character cheerfully suggests that it will die on the journey because [[DumbDinos it's dumb and clumsy]], which was - at the time the book was published - the prevailing theory about why most prehistoric life had gone extinct in the first place. Note that just about every adaptation of the story does something else with this sequence: see above under Film for the 1925 and 1960 versions and below under Live-Action TV for the 2001 version.

* In ''Series/TheLostWorld2001'', the explorers bring a ''[[PteroSoarer pteranodon]]'' egg back to London as [[BringItBackAlive proof of what they found]], but in the uproar of the crowd, the creature escapes out a window. This trope is averted as the final montage of the series shows the ''pteranodon'' peacefully making its way back home, successfully.

* ''Film/ZebraInTheKitchen'': A 1964 movie in which somebody lets all the zoo animals go free.

* ''Series/AftermathPopulationZero'': In a scenario where all humans have mysteriously disappeared, All animals have to escape their confines or starve, as humans are no longer there to feed them. Zoo animals quickly test their fences, and break out into the unconventional habitats of cities and towns. This leads to such sights as bush elephants migrating through suburbs, feasting on the leaves of trees there, and lions desperately trying to catch monkeys hiding out in playgrounds. Ultimately this pays off for them; even though they're far removed from their normal homelands, the wild animals once viewed by humans make new lives for themselves amongst the landscape once occupied by their keepers.

A popular trope in comedies and a subtrope of HilarityInZoos. An animal escapes from a zoo, a circus, a pound, a laboratory or some other kind of area where it formerly lived in restricted conditions. The creature might be dangerous, like a KillerGorilla, a lion, a {{bear|sAreBadNews}}, a tiger, a [[SavageWolves wolf]], a [[RhinoRampage rhinoceros]] or an elephant, or just something that might provide zany antics, like [[MischiefMakingMonkey monkeys]], a kangaroo, a seal, etc. If there's more than one animal that escaped, they may go on an AnimalStampede.

* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/NatureStudies'' looks at various animal escapes in Ankh-Morpork. It starts in canon with the escalating problem with the Royal Mail and its mailboxes (as described in Pratchett's novel ''Literature/MakingMoney''). Snails were eating the mail. Frogs and toads were inserted to eat the snails. The frogs bred. Snakes were inserted to eat the frogs. Then mongeese needed to go into the boxes to deal with the snakes d-- one of whom turns out to be a Howondalandian Spitting Mamba and not a harmless Lancre Grass Snake. This difficulty is dealt with by experienced hands. And then CMOT Dibbler takes it on himself to bring the joys of exotic wildlife to the city in the form of a Safari Park. A Dibbler disaster ensues and Howondaland's native animals escape.
* Two particularly notable instances of this occur in ''Fanfic/PrehistoricEarth'', with the first being a mass breakout that occurs at the titular FantasticNatureReserve in the phase/season 2 finale amongst the various carnivorous dinosaurs rescued up to that point in the story and the second being in the two part season/phase 3 finale when the villains of the story send in a rogue female t. rex brought to the future via their own jury rigged and inferior time portal to cause chaos while the park staff subsequently release several of the animals they themselves have already rescued from the past from their enclosures to put a stop to the villains.
* Several instances of this occur in ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'', with first a male torvosaurus managing to very nearly escape from the titular park's boundaries, then a male teratornis putting up quite a fight to attempt to avoid getting recaptured, and then multiple carnivores ending up infected by a HatePlague and acting more aggressive and violent than normal over the course of the story's BigStormEpisode.
* With the exception of a single instance, this is {{Averted|Trope}} whenever a mass breakout happens in ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReturnedFromExtinction'' - in fact, most of the escaped animals will [[EnemyMine put their normal grudges and conflicts aside to deal with more pressing ossues]]. [[spoiler:This is because [[GeniusLoci the park itself it getting them to act as one]].]]

** ''Film/JurassicPark'': John Hammond creates a zoo for dinosaurs. He plans it as a tourist attraction, but when a storm causes the electric power to fall out, the monstrous animals are able to come from behind the fences and have the humans run for their lives.

* ''VideoGame/ZooTycoon'': Animals can be released by deleting a section of fence or they can escape on their own if you don't maintain damaged sections of fencing. Releasing the Tyrannosaurus in Dinosaur Digs can provide a little fun via easter egg. If the T-Rex destroys a one-person restroom you can see a person crying on the toilet (a reference to the lawyer's fate in the Jurassic Park films.)

[[folder:Documentary]]
* ''Series/AftermathPopulationZero'': In a scenario where all humans have mysteriously disappeared, All animals have to escape their confines or starve, as humans are no longer there to feed them. Zoo animals quickly test their fences, and break out into the unconventional habitats of cities and towns. This leads to such sights as bush elephants migrating through suburbs, feasting on the leaves of trees there, and lions desperately trying to catch monkeys hiding out in playgrounds. Ultimately this pays off for them; even though they're far removed from their normal homelands, the wild animals once viewed by humans make new lives for themselves amongst the landscape once occupied by their keepers.
[[/folder]]

* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/NatureStudies'' looks at various animal escapes in Ankh-Morpork. It starts in canon with the escalating problem with the Royal Mail and its mailboxes (as described in Pratchett's novel ''Literature/MakingMoney''). Snails were eating the mail. Frogs and toads were inserted to eat the snails. The frogs bred. Snakes were inserted to eat the frogs. Then mongeese needed to go into the boxes to deal with the snakes d-- one of whom turns out to be a Howondalandian Spitting Mamba and not a harmless Lancre Grass Snake. This difficulty is dealt with by experienced hands. And then CMOT Dibbler takes it on himself to bring the joys of exotic wildlife to the city in the form of a Safari Park. A Dibbler disaster ensues and Howondaland's native animals escape...

* ''Film/{{Jumanji}}'': In this film a magical game board causes all kinds of animals to break loose from the game and rampage through town.

* In the original ''VideoGame/MOTHER1'', this happened early in the game due to an alien invasion. It's your job to investigate and stop the aliens causing the trouble, all the while battling angry elephants and tigers.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In the very first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow'', Huck (as a police officer) is tasked with tracking down an escaped gorilla named Wee Willie.
** The episode "Huck and Ladder" has Huck (this time as a fireman) dealing with another escaped gorilla at a circus. Just when things can't get any more crazy, a lion escapes.

* ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesShreddersRevenge'': In the Rumble In The Zoo level, there are multiple points where a ThunderingHerd of rhinos and wild boars will come charging across the screen, trampling everyone who doesn't get out of the way. [[spoiler: It's because level bosses Dirtbag and Groundchuck have come to the zoo to break the animals out]].

* The second ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode, "Stray Dog Strut", has the protagonists hired to hunt down a dog escaped from a lab, or more specifically, the criminal who tried to steal it. Meanwhile, the lab workers try to recapture the dog with a giant dog whistle, which results in a riot of stray dogs running through the streets. The protagonists end up with the dog, never knowing it's been genetically engineered to be fantastically intelligent and is worth a fortune.

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

* ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'': Newt Scamander carries a zoo full of the eponymous animals with him in his [[BagOfHolding magical suitcase]]. Unfortunately, the suitcase's security is quite lax, and following an involuntary SatchelSwitcheroo, some of the animals escape and cause trouble.

* ''Film/TheLostWorld'': A ''Brontosaurus'' is brought to the city, escapes from his cage and goes out on a rampage.
** In the 1960 remake (which is very bad), the heroes find a baby ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' (actually [[{{slurpasaur}} a monitor lizard with plastic flippers]]) and announce their intent to bring it back to London, joking that it will likely be fully grown by then and go on a terrible rampage and destroy the city. We don't get to see that part, though, because [[EverybodyLaughsEnding the movie ends]].
* In the second ''Film/TheNakedGun'' movie, Frank accidentally causes a break out at the zoo, and animals are seen running around in the background of some scenes. In the end, the Big Bad is dispatched by an escaped lion. This also leads to the following exchange:
--> '''Commissioner Anabell Brumford:''' Do you realize that because of you this city is being overrun by baboons?
--> '''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Well, isn't that the fault of the voters?]]

* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/NatureStudies'' looks at various animal escapes in Ankh-Morpork. It starts in canon with the escalating problem with the Royal Mail and its mailboxes (as described in Pratchett's novel ''Literature/MakingMoney''). Snails were eating the mail. Frogs and toads were inserted to eat the snails. The frogs bred. Snakes were inserted to eat the frogs. Then mongeese needed to go into the boxes to deal with the snakes -- one of whom turns out to be a Howondalandian Spitting Mamba and not a harmless Lancre Grass Snake. This difficulty is dealt with by experienced hands. And then CMOT Dibbler takes it on himself to bring the joys of exotic wildlife to the city in the form of a Safari Park. A Dibbler disaster ensues and Howondaland's native animals escape...

* With the exception of a single instance, this is {{Averted|Trope}} whenever a mass breakout happens in ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReturnedFrom Extinction'' - in fact, most of the escaped animals will [[EnemyMine put their normal grudges and conflicts aside to deal with more pressing ossues]]. [[spoiler:This is because [[GeniusLoci the park itself it getting them to act as one]].]]

* ''Music/TroutMaskReplica'' by Music/CaptainBeefheart. The track "Moonlight On Vermont" has a line about a white elephant escaping from a zoo.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons'': The cartoon "Terror on the Midway" features Superman attempting to stop the chaos created when several circus animals escape their cages and restraints, including a gorilla named Gigantic.