The day the “big one with spots on it” escaped
January 2007

The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) has called for a public inquiry into the running of the controversial Dartmoor Wildlife Park after obtaining documents revealing ongoing safety problems long before a jaguar escaped in October 2006.

The escape happened just four days after new owners, the Mee family, moved in. The jaguar jumped into a tiger enclosure and began to fight with one of the animals.

"I was asking which cat and where was it? . He [the new owner] replied 'the
big one with spots on it'"

Comment by zoo staff member on the escape of the jaguar

Documents obtained by CAPS from South Hams District Council, under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal that the jaguar was out of his enclosure for more than 17 hours as the zoo did not have a tranquilliser gun with which to sedate him. It was only when someone arrived from West Midlands Safari Park the following day that the jaguar was tranquillised and moved back to his enclosure.

The escape has been blamed on an individual staff member not following instructions, but escapes and problems with emergency procedures have been an ongoing concern at the zoo for years, as highlighted in other documents obtained by CAPS.

In October 2006, CAPS finally received copies of zoo inspection reports since 2000 from South Hams District Council, almost two years after initially requesting them. The council had repeatedly refused access to the documents until the intervention of the Information Commissioner’s Office. They reveal ongoing serious concerns about firearms, darting equipment, staff communication, emergency procedures, etc.

A government zoo inspectors visit in 2004 reported: “Concern about firearms matters has been given in reports following inspections [between 2001 and 2004]. The Park has had ample time to remedy this disturbing deficiency.”

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