Kangaroos, monkeys, giant lizards, snakes and a 2,000-pound white rhinoceros are among more than 140 animals that escaped from captivity in Florida since 2022, state wildlife records obtained by News 6 reveal, including almost two dozen in Central Florida.
The escaped animals, which include some exotic and non-native species requiring state licenses to possess, slipped away from enclosures located in homes, businesses, wildlife sanctuaries and accredited zoos.
One notable case includes a white rhinoceros at Wild Florida in Osceola County in 2022. The rhino was supposed to be part of a new exhibit at the park, but it escaped its enclosure and, in the end, was killed.
[WATCH: Rhino shot and killed at Wild Florida Safari Park (from 2023)]
The USDA determined the park violated the federal Animal Welfare Act in that case.
Another case involved a kangaroo in Volusia County that escaped its enclosure after a bear damaged it in 2024. The kangaroo was eventually found and the owner was fined.
[WATCH: Kangaroo on the loose in Florida community of Pierson after bear scare (from 2024)]
Only certain species of captive animals must be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when they escape. The state agency believes those escapes are under-reported due to the owners’ apprehension and fear of enforcement action.
According to FWC records, escaped animals in the Central Florida area since 2022 include:
- Argentine black and white tegu — Titusville (Brevard County), Jan 2022; escaped from a screened patio enclosure during cage maintenance, traps were set and it was recaptured, then moved to locked indoor enclosures; sanctions: verbal warning.
- Asian water monitor — Orange City (Volusia County), Apr 2022; tried to get into a screened porch, then was captured by an invasive-wildlife volunteer who was allowed to keep it; no sanctions noted.
- Siamang — Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista (Orange County), July 2022; fell from a rope outside a moat but stayed inside the public barrier, staff secured it and sent it to the vet; no sanctions noted.
- Savannah monitor — Merritt Island (Brevard County), Sep 2022; slipped out through a doggy door and was later trapped nearby; sanctions: warning.
- White rhinoceros — Wild Florida, Kenansville (Osceola County), Sep 2022; escaped from primary and secondary enclosures, fatally shot by staff; paid $9,000 fine issued by USDA without admitting or denying any violation of Animal Welfare Act
- Giant river otter — Brevard Zoo, Melbourne (Brevard County), Oct 2022; likely tunneled under enclosure fencing at the zoo and got stuck under the boardwalk, then was anesthetized with a pole syringe and recaptured, and the enclosure perimeter was reinforced; no sanctions noted.
- Howler monkey — Brevard Zoo, Melbourne (Brevard County), Jan 2023; escaped through a door gap during a water-bowl change, was chemically sedated and returned to quarantine, and staff tightened safety-entrance procedures; no sanctions noted.
- Lanner falcon — Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Kissimmee (Osceola County), Jan 2023; flew off after being improperly leashed and spooked by a guest, disappeared with the leash still attached, and the facility handled it with internal discipline; no sanctions noted.
- Red-tailed boa constrictor — Ocoee (Orange County), Jun 2023; about 5 feet long, found behind a water heater in an unfinished new-construction home, no microchip, captured and rehomed; no sanctions noted.
- Burmese python — Oviedo (Seminole County), Jul 2023; about 8 feet long and found under a vehicle, owner unknown, the python was slated for hold/transfer then euthanasia per the report; no sanctions noted
- Argentine black-and-white tegu — Orlando (Orange County), Jul 2023; escaped from a wire dog-kennel on a pool lanai, neighbors reported traps/trail cams were set, but it was still missing at the time of the report; no sanctions noted.
- Kangaroo — Fort McCoy (Marion County), Sep 2023; got out when a bungee cord on a dog-kennel door failed during cleaning, was recaptured: citation for no license plus three written warnings
- Asian water monitor — Ocala (Marion County), May 2024; a roughly 3‑foot lizard found roaming in a yard, transferred to a licensed facility; no sanctions noted.
- Red tegu — Orlando (Orange County), May 2024; initially hid under a porch during a neighbor’s attempt to catch it, turned over for placement at a permitted facility; sanctions: owner fined $273 after pleading no contest to possessing non-native lizard without a permit
- American alligator — Sanford (Seminole County), Jun 2024; a 5–6‑foot female slipped out of an open-top zoo pen after a chain-link tie broke, was spotted behind exhibits and coaxed back with voice commands, and the pen was reinforced; no sanctions noted.
- Reticulated python — Casselberry (Seminole County), Aug 2024; about 7 feet long, found on a sidewalk at dusk, captured by a resident and turned over to FWC, owner unknown; no sanctions noted
- Lesser yellow-headed vulture — Universal Studios, Orlando (Orange County), Sep 2024; overshot a stage perch and flew out an open-backed theater during a show, captured about 2,100 feet away by volunteer with Audubon Center for Birds of Prey; sanctions: verbal warning.
- Asian water monitor — Lady Lake (Lake County), Oct 2024; 40-inch lizard was caught on a leash after a neighborhood sighting and returned the next day, and a follow-up found it got out through rusted/light-gauge wire in a homemade cage; sanctions: two written warnings for escape and improper cage materials.
- Kangaroo — Pierson (Volusia County), Oct 2024; a bear damaged the kangaroo’s paddock, witnesses recorded video of it hopping on rural roads, was later located in a pasture and chemically immobilized; sanctions: owner fined $400 after pleading no contest to possessing kangaroo with expired license
- Bennett’s Wallaby — Howey-in-the-Hills (Lake County), Dec 2024; jumped a 4′6″ stall gate, escaped once and was recovered, then escaped again and was still missing at report time; sanctions: owner fined $450 and sentenced to 6 months of probation
- Kangaroo — St. Cloud (Osceola County), May 2025; reported loose off Hickory Tree Road, held up in thick vegetation with a crowd nearby, darted and trailered to a permitted facility, then held pending enclosure fixes; sanctions: two citations and two warnings
- Albino African crested porcupines (2) — Citra (Marion County), Jul 2025; a storm dropped a tree that crushed their enclosure and the back of the house, neighbors were alerted, and both animals later returned on their own and were recaptured; no sanctions noted.
- Burmese python — Port Orange (Volusia County), Dec 2025; found by a landscaper near a retention pond and contained by deputies/FWC, owner unknown, placed in an FWC facility enclosure; no sanctions noted