Has tiger escaped from Oakland Zoo in California? Fact Check

ByCraig Haley

Rumours on social media claim a tiger has escaped from Oakland Zoo in California amid the coronavirus pandemic and demonstrations in the area.

Rumours about an escaped tiger gained traction on social media when the Alameda County Sheriff’s department tweeted about reports of a tiger seen near Oakland Zoo.

However, only an hour later, the same police department tweeted that the tigers at the zoo were all accounts for.

Oakland Zoo also tweeted at the same time to say that reports of an escape animal were false.

Claims on social media that purport to show photos of said tiger have – in the instances that we’ve seen – actually show photos that date back a number of years and were taken in countries outside of the United States.

As such, the claim is ranked false.

Continued below...


Thanks for reading, we hope this article helped, but before you leave us for greener pastures, please help us out.

We're hoping to be totally ad-free by 2025 - after all, no one likes online adverts, and all they do is get in the way and slow everything down. But of course we still have fees and costs to pay, so please, please consider becoming a Facebook supporter! It costs only 0.99p (~$1.30) a month (you can stop at any time) and ensures we can still keep posting Cybersecurity themed content to help keep our communities safe and scam-free. You can subscribe here

Remember, we're active on social media - so follow us on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram and X