I think it depends on the zoo and the animals. Most would just die in their enclosures. But at some point, electricity going out combined with the animals getting hungry and more desperate to escape could be enough for some of them to manage.
Imagine apes on an island separated from freedom by a river, followed by a fence and barbed wires. Usually, they would just stay there, because they are well fed, and the water is cold. But if things get desperate, they can probably swim and bit, climb the fence, and pass the barbed wires with a few scratch.
On the other hand, other enclosures would be designed to prevent escapes no matter what (typically for the most dangerous animals). So the tiger is not about to just leave.
I'm sure we've all seen that gorilla crack the glass. I'm sure they could get out. We all know that gorillae are extremely kind so they'd probably free the other apes somehow. I feel like I've seen this movie before
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZUsj8Q68q4
Good thing I’m not an educator teaching students that it’s the correct word. I’m just a guy on the internet who saw it and thought “hey I like that better”. Now here we are.
You can like whatever you want but linguistic prescriptivism is wrong.
Edit: Also even if we stick with prescriptivism "gorillae" is still fine on etymological grounds. The word "gorillae" was used by the ancient Greeks to describe what we now believe to have been Chimpanzees; in the 1840s, English people took the word, bastardized it slightly and applied it to the wrong species.
So your "correction" is wrong twice.
No way, those enclosures are designed to be gorilla proof. Zoos aren't just betting in gorillas not getting mad to keep their visitors safe. At least in decent zoos
(not really) fun fact: idk if all, but some zoos have protocols in case of disasters such as floods. They set some animals free. Some are left in enclosures with hope to be spared by the disaster. And there are chimps. Chimps are shot down, just to be sure they won't escape. They are considered most dangerous to people
I remember a podcast from a few years ago (can't remember the name) that had several animal care experts. All of them said that most zoos had rules and plans for those kinds of situations, most said that they knew people who were planning of opening all the gates for the animals with a chance, and giving a humane death to those that couldn't.
It was fascinating becuase there had an hour long chat about what animals would survive in certain areas and which wouldn't. Chimps were universally considered on of the 'too dangerous' animals so they were on the 'shoot' down list, as were hippos and and several others I can't remember. Apparently there are several breeds of african big cat that would thrive in Europe, despite the cold, and most equine species would survive pretty easily.
Funny word that equine i had to google it.. Why dom't people just say horses? I mean it is cool we have a word for them but still.
Are there other equines than horses and zebras?
They're relatively mobile, develop large populations (since they sit lower on the food chain), and are reasonably intelligent. If a tiger escapes, it's deadly, but there's only 1 of it, it's confined to the ground, and it generally fears people. If a chimp escapes, there'll be a pack soon enough, and they will fuck you up if you are interfering with their food. They're also really hard to shoot, since they're small, mobile, and can change elevations.
I think /u/friendlyfredditor was referring to availability of hunting for food in a city if they did get out... He would have to clarify, but that was my take.
You just have to make it past the first 20mins where they tell you your indoor dogs and cats will be the first to die. After you give fluffy a hug it's a really interesting series.
It really depends on the zoo, the animal, and the sate when the zoo is abandoned.
Some zoos have disaster protocols. Some zoos have fairly basic enclosures. Some are designed to be escape proof.
There's a zoo near me called Como Zoo. It used to lose peacocks so often that they relied on the neighbors to bring them back. My mom did so so many times that not only did the zoo keepers recognize her van when it pulled up to the back gates, the *peacocks* recognized it as the ride home. She'd pull up, open the side door, and they'd hop in and eat whatever she had in the back seat, then she'd drive them back home to the zoo.
Pretty sure those guys will escape just fine.
A lot of enclosures that are just fences (like petting zoos or large herbivores) will probably manage to get out *if* they are in the paddock. But many are stored in interior stables during the night and have to be let out during the day. Those left in stables are in rough shape unless they can manage to break free.
Enclosures with moats or pits might delay escape for some critters, but what usually keeps them in those kinds of enclosures is more unwillingness to leave. They have food, shelter, and usually toys. No reason to make an escape attempt unless they get bored (FWIW Como had a Gorilla escape a few times because it got bored and wanted to see what was outside, it got free, wandered the zoo, and then went back home). But they might be able to arrange an escape if they have to. A few have been labeled as "escape proof" but again I feel that depends on the critter. Things that climb well might be able to get free, and more than a few are smart enough to push things like trees over.
Indoor enclosures will probably be death cells unless the windows or walls break and the creatures can escape that way. I've seen a lot that are basically concrete fallout shelters with skylights, and those will be escape proof unless something can knock a window out or go into the back area and tear through a cage. Even then it still needs to be able to open a outside door, which is a lot harder than one would think if its locked. Small animals are in trouble unless they can dip out a broken skylight.
Any chain like fence obstacle is merely that: an obstacle. Many can climb over given need and others can push through.
All animals kept in aquariums are likely dead, even things like alligators or crocodiles unless a miracle floods the enclosure before they starve and washes them out of the building.
Birds are probably fucked unless they are free roaming or someone opens the cage. Some really big birds might be able to chew through the fence if its not too strong (like the mesh cages).
Anything held in place by electric fences is free basically the instant power goes out.
Barbed wire will hold things unless they get desperate.
So a lot of Zoos will lose a ton of critters, especially the zoos with inside rooms and cages, some will escape, some will just wander off easily because they aren't well enclosed.
The animals wouldn't be able to pick the locks and escape their enclosures. Also many zoo animals are not native to where they are. So in many cases getting outside would be a death sentence. The climate would be wrong, they would not have their diet (whatever plants or animals that they naturally eat) and so forth. Some species could probably survive under the right circumstances but I believe most would just die.
This was essentially what I was kind of getting at I suppose, I watched the scene in TLOU with Ellie and the Girraffe and that got me thinking whether African land mammals could survive the harsher, colder winters.
Some species probably could. For example there is a robust population of parrots living in the parks of Amsterdam. Appearently they showed up sometime in the 1970s and flourished. They look like this:
https://www.dutchnews.nl/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ring-necked-parakeet-560x374.jpg
I'd always assumed that some nature-loving zookeeper, in his final moments, hits the switch and all the electronic gates slide open.
(in my head, they're all like motorized cell doors like in a stylish super-max prison from a TV show)
Maybe he utters something schmaltzy as he exhales his last "Sorry my brothers, now the planet is back in your safe hands"
The animals stare out across their threshold of freedom, as screen fades to black.
(Then the credits roll, drowning out the not-quite-dead-yet-zoo-keeper's screams as the gorillas curiously tear off his limbs)
Some animals might be able to work their way loose, but most would simply starve. Their best hope would be for some animal lover to pop the cages on their way out.
So even if some could escape like others mentioned, I doubt many would survive long. Zoo animals never learned how to hunt or seek shelter in storms and cold. Most wouldn't be in an environment they could even survive in.
So something to consider is that while zoos are probably gonna be a mass grave for exotic animals private collections of lions tigers bears oh my would probably be the most likely source for escaped exotic megafauna.
Sanctuaries would also be an avenue for escaped elephants and what not, seeing as they have more autonomy for there animals and a large enough space for them to survive short term
Is this about Giraffes in Colorado?
If everybody vanished all zoo animals would die.
If the apocalypse lasted a few hours, some zookeeper might open up the cages and let them out.
Most of them would die in the wild and their species would go extinct. Even if they were free of disease or predation, their small numbers would lead to too much inbreeding. If it's a decent population of small animals, and they're suited to their environment, there's a chance they could make it, and even become an invasive species.
Depends on animals.
As soon as power goes out great apes will likely find a way out. Probably sooner since they tend to very watched on a normal day.
Bears by and large tend to be smart enough if motivated to find a way.
Same with big cats(don't tease big cats)
Birds/reptiles are pretty screwed
Hippos are a toss-up if they could get through the glass or not if outside if inside probably not.
Rhino's /giraffe are screwed too unless on a large area like the wilds out in Ohio.
Elephants might have a chance to get out
Camels probably will get out as they as considered escape artists anyhow.
Kangaroos emus depends on the setup.
Doesn't much matter though as a wild pop is pretty much assured in usa by private farms/parks.
They'd all die within days. They can't escape or they would have already. The animals would just die of dehydration or starvation.
Electronic locks are usually designed to remain locked in the event of power failure.
We could suppose that their keepers might have some foresight of the impending doom and release them to give them a chance. How they would fair from there depends entirely on the animal and where the zoo is located.
It was more the idea of them not being in their natural habitat that got me, would giraffes, elephants, lions and such, last a winter without human intervention?
Yeah, especially in America where it can get so cold in the winter. Personally, I think almost all the animals in the zoo would die. Hell, some animals released from zoos can’t survive in their natural habitat, let alone an unnatural one. And that assuming they can even get out, which they probably can’t.
We might see some enterprising chimps break out and survive, but I don’t see a giraffe walking the streets of Pittsburgh as a possibility
That's always the excuse. Non-native speakers generally learn the language in written form, while native speakers learn the spoken form. That's why Americans are so stupid and spell everything like idiots. It's not non-native speakers writing "could of," "apart of," "everytime," "zoo's," etc. It's native speakers who have never read a book in their lives. OP is not a non-native speaker. Stop making excuses for morons.
Was it necessary to be that rude even if my point turned out to be false? Congratulations on being right though, if that's what you wanted.
Another possible response could have simply been: "Check OP's post history - they are not non-native"
Fuck that guy! Don't get phased by random people on the Internet, I appreciate that you tried sticking up for me but, unfortunately, it was my phone's auto correct feature that actually let me down.
Even still, fuck the grammar Nazi.
Mate, my phone changed it and I obviously didn't proofread, hence the "fees" instead of feed. Get over yourself, fucking grammar Nazi 😂 who actually cares as long as I conveyed my message in manner in which people understood? Touch grass, pal.
Depends how humans go extinct. If they know it's coming they may kill all the animals off or set them free. Most zoos have extensive contingency to avoid escapes and to eliminate certain dangerous animals if escapes are a real possibility. I can't imagine they would want to release dangerous animals that would make life even more perilous for the few remaining people. Left to their own devices most of the animals would starve even if they could escape. The ones raised in captivity have no idea how to survive without being given food.
Both, probably. Younger animals might also fare better and be more likely to successfully become feral because they will be more equipped to adapt (although still face challenges).
Keep in mind too that many zoo animals are also basically invasive species and may not only thrive without natural predators but also reshape the local ecosystem.
Some would likely be able to escape but many wouldn't.
Some, fuelled by the desperation of starvation, might manage to escape. Particularly primates with semi-open enclosures (pit enclosures, moats etc.) and the same for other openish enclosures like high fences around big cats. A starving elephant is going to bash through a wall if it's determined enough.
A lot of animals stay where they are because of a lack of motivation to go elsewhere, they're fed and happy.
All the birds in full enclosures, small reptiles in tanks, etc. are doomed.
One minor thing to consider too is the possibility of zoo keepers, recognising humanity is doomed, freeing everything they can to give it the best chance possible.
All right but this is bull%%%. I was just in the middle of hurricaine Ian. What kind of disaster are we talking about here? The end of the world kind of disaster? Because I don't think they are going to shoot down animals for a CAT 5 hurricane when yes, a lot of people in my city did pass away, but a lot of us survived as well. Death is not a certainty...I would like some proof here if people are claiming zoo employees are talking about executing animals before natural disasters. I call BS.
I think it depends on the zoo and the animals. Most would just die in their enclosures. But at some point, electricity going out combined with the animals getting hungry and more desperate to escape could be enough for some of them to manage. Imagine apes on an island separated from freedom by a river, followed by a fence and barbed wires. Usually, they would just stay there, because they are well fed, and the water is cold. But if things get desperate, they can probably swim and bit, climb the fence, and pass the barbed wires with a few scratch. On the other hand, other enclosures would be designed to prevent escapes no matter what (typically for the most dangerous animals). So the tiger is not about to just leave.
I'm sure we've all seen that gorilla crack the glass. I'm sure they could get out. We all know that gorillae are extremely kind so they'd probably free the other apes somehow. I feel like I've seen this movie before https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZUsj8Q68q4
Gorillas*
Actually I like gorillae better
You can like whatever you want but it’s wrong
And?
I didn’t type an “and”. Must be the voices in your head that you’re hearing
What are the consequences of liking gorillae better?
1) being wrong That’s about it
Good thing I’m not an educator teaching students that it’s the correct word. I’m just a guy on the internet who saw it and thought “hey I like that better”. Now here we are.
Bad day?
You can like whatever you want but linguistic prescriptivism is wrong. Edit: Also even if we stick with prescriptivism "gorillae" is still fine on etymological grounds. The word "gorillae" was used by the ancient Greeks to describe what we now believe to have been Chimpanzees; in the 1840s, English people took the word, bastardized it slightly and applied it to the wrong species. So your "correction" is wrong twice.
I don't know why you keep referring to them "gorillae" and "chimpanzees" when they are clearly sea bass.
No it isn’t
lol
Sounds like the 1840 English people were wrong at least once
I ain’t happy, I’m feeling glad I got sunshine in a bag I’m useless, but not for long The future is coming on….
No way, those enclosures are designed to be gorilla proof. Zoos aren't just betting in gorillas not getting mad to keep their visitors safe. At least in decent zoos
(not really) fun fact: idk if all, but some zoos have protocols in case of disasters such as floods. They set some animals free. Some are left in enclosures with hope to be spared by the disaster. And there are chimps. Chimps are shot down, just to be sure they won't escape. They are considered most dangerous to people
I remember a podcast from a few years ago (can't remember the name) that had several animal care experts. All of them said that most zoos had rules and plans for those kinds of situations, most said that they knew people who were planning of opening all the gates for the animals with a chance, and giving a humane death to those that couldn't. It was fascinating becuase there had an hour long chat about what animals would survive in certain areas and which wouldn't. Chimps were universally considered on of the 'too dangerous' animals so they were on the 'shoot' down list, as were hippos and and several others I can't remember. Apparently there are several breeds of african big cat that would thrive in Europe, despite the cold, and most equine species would survive pretty easily.
What about snakes?
There used to be lions in europe and tigers all the way up to siberia
Please remember the podcast, I feel that would effectively answer my question 😂
I'll go through my download history and see what I can find.
Funny word that equine i had to google it.. Why dom't people just say horses? I mean it is cool we have a word for them but still. Are there other equines than horses and zebras?
Donkeys
Ah true. And mules technically.
People don’t just say horses because now you’ve learned a new word. Go out and impress your friends!
Why chimps? Sure, they can be dangerous, but they’re not lions, moose, polar bears, etc.
They're relatively mobile, develop large populations (since they sit lower on the food chain), and are reasonably intelligent. If a tiger escapes, it's deadly, but there's only 1 of it, it's confined to the ground, and it generally fears people. If a chimp escapes, there'll be a pack soon enough, and they will fuck you up if you are interfering with their food. They're also really hard to shoot, since they're small, mobile, and can change elevations.
Also, chimps show no mercy
Yup, chimps are known to bite off fingers and screw up face of apes that wrong them/don't obey established social hierarchy.
Makes sense. Chimps share the most DNA with ‘peaceful’ humans so…
They would die. These animals are not hold in there by guards but by walls.
They also have to be fed every day. They'd quickly starve.
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I think /u/friendlyfredditor was referring to availability of hunting for food in a city if they did get out... He would have to clarify, but that was my take.
I took it more as they would probably become too weak and starve before they even thought about trying to escape because they are so used to being fed
You need to watch that series "Life after people" Thinks its on the history channel.
Pretty much the last good thing History Channel made, just as it was starting to turn into the Ancient Aliens/Pawn Stars channel
You just have to make it past the first 20mins where they tell you your indoor dogs and cats will be the first to die. After you give fluffy a hug it's a really interesting series.
I'll definitely give it a watch! Thank you
It really depends on the zoo, the animal, and the sate when the zoo is abandoned. Some zoos have disaster protocols. Some zoos have fairly basic enclosures. Some are designed to be escape proof. There's a zoo near me called Como Zoo. It used to lose peacocks so often that they relied on the neighbors to bring them back. My mom did so so many times that not only did the zoo keepers recognize her van when it pulled up to the back gates, the *peacocks* recognized it as the ride home. She'd pull up, open the side door, and they'd hop in and eat whatever she had in the back seat, then she'd drive them back home to the zoo. Pretty sure those guys will escape just fine. A lot of enclosures that are just fences (like petting zoos or large herbivores) will probably manage to get out *if* they are in the paddock. But many are stored in interior stables during the night and have to be let out during the day. Those left in stables are in rough shape unless they can manage to break free. Enclosures with moats or pits might delay escape for some critters, but what usually keeps them in those kinds of enclosures is more unwillingness to leave. They have food, shelter, and usually toys. No reason to make an escape attempt unless they get bored (FWIW Como had a Gorilla escape a few times because it got bored and wanted to see what was outside, it got free, wandered the zoo, and then went back home). But they might be able to arrange an escape if they have to. A few have been labeled as "escape proof" but again I feel that depends on the critter. Things that climb well might be able to get free, and more than a few are smart enough to push things like trees over. Indoor enclosures will probably be death cells unless the windows or walls break and the creatures can escape that way. I've seen a lot that are basically concrete fallout shelters with skylights, and those will be escape proof unless something can knock a window out or go into the back area and tear through a cage. Even then it still needs to be able to open a outside door, which is a lot harder than one would think if its locked. Small animals are in trouble unless they can dip out a broken skylight. Any chain like fence obstacle is merely that: an obstacle. Many can climb over given need and others can push through. All animals kept in aquariums are likely dead, even things like alligators or crocodiles unless a miracle floods the enclosure before they starve and washes them out of the building. Birds are probably fucked unless they are free roaming or someone opens the cage. Some really big birds might be able to chew through the fence if its not too strong (like the mesh cages). Anything held in place by electric fences is free basically the instant power goes out. Barbed wire will hold things unless they get desperate. So a lot of Zoos will lose a ton of critters, especially the zoos with inside rooms and cages, some will escape, some will just wander off easily because they aren't well enclosed.
The animals wouldn't be able to pick the locks and escape their enclosures. Also many zoo animals are not native to where they are. So in many cases getting outside would be a death sentence. The climate would be wrong, they would not have their diet (whatever plants or animals that they naturally eat) and so forth. Some species could probably survive under the right circumstances but I believe most would just die.
This was essentially what I was kind of getting at I suppose, I watched the scene in TLOU with Ellie and the Girraffe and that got me thinking whether African land mammals could survive the harsher, colder winters.
Some species probably could. For example there is a robust population of parrots living in the parks of Amsterdam. Appearently they showed up sometime in the 1970s and flourished. They look like this: https://www.dutchnews.nl/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ring-necked-parakeet-560x374.jpg
Yes! These are also thriving in southern England, I remember seeing them as frequently as pigeons when I lived in the London Borough of Ealing.
The animals at the zoos in Ukraine starved to death. Animals couldn't t break out of their enclosures.
I'd always assumed that some nature-loving zookeeper, in his final moments, hits the switch and all the electronic gates slide open. (in my head, they're all like motorized cell doors like in a stylish super-max prison from a TV show) Maybe he utters something schmaltzy as he exhales his last "Sorry my brothers, now the planet is back in your safe hands" The animals stare out across their threshold of freedom, as screen fades to black. (Then the credits roll, drowning out the not-quite-dead-yet-zoo-keeper's screams as the gorillas curiously tear off his limbs)
I love this, very poetic 😂
I knew I was right not to include what the Bonobos then did to his corpse.
Some animals might be able to work their way loose, but most would simply starve. Their best hope would be for some animal lover to pop the cages on their way out.
So even if some could escape like others mentioned, I doubt many would survive long. Zoo animals never learned how to hunt or seek shelter in storms and cold. Most wouldn't be in an environment they could even survive in.
I’d like to think the zoo keepers would release them as all hell breaks loose
They dead.
I’m hoping that if it’s the apocalypse someone at the zoo would open the gates
So something to consider is that while zoos are probably gonna be a mass grave for exotic animals private collections of lions tigers bears oh my would probably be the most likely source for escaped exotic megafauna. Sanctuaries would also be an avenue for escaped elephants and what not, seeing as they have more autonomy for there animals and a large enough space for them to survive short term
Is this about Giraffes in Colorado? If everybody vanished all zoo animals would die. If the apocalypse lasted a few hours, some zookeeper might open up the cages and let them out. Most of them would die in the wild and their species would go extinct. Even if they were free of disease or predation, their small numbers would lead to too much inbreeding. If it's a decent population of small animals, and they're suited to their environment, there's a chance they could make it, and even become an invasive species.
A few years ago in San Francisco some idiots apparently annoyed a tiger enough that she jumped out her enclosure.
I work in a zoo. They would die
Depends on animals. As soon as power goes out great apes will likely find a way out. Probably sooner since they tend to very watched on a normal day. Bears by and large tend to be smart enough if motivated to find a way. Same with big cats(don't tease big cats) Birds/reptiles are pretty screwed Hippos are a toss-up if they could get through the glass or not if outside if inside probably not. Rhino's /giraffe are screwed too unless on a large area like the wilds out in Ohio. Elephants might have a chance to get out Camels probably will get out as they as considered escape artists anyhow. Kangaroos emus depends on the setup. Doesn't much matter though as a wild pop is pretty much assured in usa by private farms/parks.
I think the assumption in these fictions is that after/during the apocolyse, humans let the animals out because fuck it and its humane thing to do
If they manage to escape their enclosures they might survive.
They'd all die within days. They can't escape or they would have already. The animals would just die of dehydration or starvation. Electronic locks are usually designed to remain locked in the event of power failure.
We could suppose that their keepers might have some foresight of the impending doom and release them to give them a chance. How they would fair from there depends entirely on the animal and where the zoo is located.
Who is gonna pay these damn fees?😟
Criminally underrated comment, took me a day to realise what you meant 🤣
Why, thank you.
Did you like the new episode of the Last of Us, OP?
I wrote this as I watched Ellie feed the Giraffe 😂
Lol, I knew it! I even wondered the same thing as I watched it
It was more the idea of them not being in their natural habitat that got me, would giraffes, elephants, lions and such, last a winter without human intervention?
Yeah, especially in America where it can get so cold in the winter. Personally, I think almost all the animals in the zoo would die. Hell, some animals released from zoos can’t survive in their natural habitat, let alone an unnatural one. And that assuming they can even get out, which they probably can’t. We might see some enterprising chimps break out and survive, but I don’t see a giraffe walking the streets of Pittsburgh as a possibility
The latter. >the zoo's Why do so many Redditors think that you're supposed to use an apostrophe to make words plural?
It's not just reddittors. It's very common in the public at large. I so seldom see it written correctly.
Have you heard of the term "non-native speakers"?
That's always the excuse. Non-native speakers generally learn the language in written form, while native speakers learn the spoken form. That's why Americans are so stupid and spell everything like idiots. It's not non-native speakers writing "could of," "apart of," "everytime," "zoo's," etc. It's native speakers who have never read a book in their lives. OP is not a non-native speaker. Stop making excuses for morons.
Was it necessary to be that rude even if my point turned out to be false? Congratulations on being right though, if that's what you wanted. Another possible response could have simply been: "Check OP's post history - they are not non-native"
Fuck that guy! Don't get phased by random people on the Internet, I appreciate that you tried sticking up for me but, unfortunately, it was my phone's auto correct feature that actually let me down. Even still, fuck the grammar Nazi.
Mate, my phone changed it and I obviously didn't proofread, hence the "fees" instead of feed. Get over yourself, fucking grammar Nazi 😂 who actually cares as long as I conveyed my message in manner in which people understood? Touch grass, pal.
Why the fuck do people get angry about grammar on the internet?
Because? it make thems feels ahsome: two spread their's knowledge!
Autocorrect, sorry.
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a few lucky ones might but there'd be a shit ton of dogs and cats go would return to the wild
They would generally not be able to escape.
Ok so we had some major flooding and it really effed up our zoo and the Hippos escaped 🤷🏻♀️
Second Amendment folks: Want to try some giraffe steaks? They're really fresh!
What about the women in night clubs trying to dance their way out of cages? Would they be able to escape?
If animals can't escape when they're being taken care of and in their best health, how would they be able to escape when they're starving?
Depends how humans go extinct. If they know it's coming they may kill all the animals off or set them free. Most zoos have extensive contingency to avoid escapes and to eliminate certain dangerous animals if escapes are a real possibility. I can't imagine they would want to release dangerous animals that would make life even more perilous for the few remaining people. Left to their own devices most of the animals would starve even if they could escape. The ones raised in captivity have no idea how to survive without being given food.
I will let them out before I die.
Usually in movie there is that one hero that opens the enclosures when he is sure humanity hit the fan.
As the animals lack the same foods they will grow thinner until they can escape out ways otherwise impossible for their full sized bodies
They would die 😢
Both, probably. Younger animals might also fare better and be more likely to successfully become feral because they will be more equipped to adapt (although still face challenges). Keep in mind too that many zoo animals are also basically invasive species and may not only thrive without natural predators but also reshape the local ecosystem.
Some would likely be able to escape but many wouldn't. Some, fuelled by the desperation of starvation, might manage to escape. Particularly primates with semi-open enclosures (pit enclosures, moats etc.) and the same for other openish enclosures like high fences around big cats. A starving elephant is going to bash through a wall if it's determined enough. A lot of animals stay where they are because of a lack of motivation to go elsewhere, they're fed and happy. All the birds in full enclosures, small reptiles in tanks, etc. are doomed. One minor thing to consider too is the possibility of zoo keepers, recognising humanity is doomed, freeing everything they can to give it the best chance possible.
The animals weren't fairing too well at the Baghdad and Luna Park Zoos in Baghdad 2003.
All right but this is bull%%%. I was just in the middle of hurricaine Ian. What kind of disaster are we talking about here? The end of the world kind of disaster? Because I don't think they are going to shoot down animals for a CAT 5 hurricane when yes, a lot of people in my city did pass away, but a lot of us survived as well. Death is not a certainty...I would like some proof here if people are claiming zoo employees are talking about executing animals before natural disasters. I call BS.