Series of Swatting Hoaxes Hits U.S. Zoos

A series of swatting incidents and hoax threats at U.S. zoos has led to evacuations, investigations, and frustration.

Since 1 May, zoos in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, and more have evacuated and temporarily closed in response to active threat reports, including active shooters and bomb threats. Security and law enforcement teams found no active threats in any of these cases—they were hoaxes.

The FBI has logged thousands of swatting incidents since 2023. This malicious tactic involves making hoax calls or reports to emergency services, usually feigning an immediate threat to life, to elicit a large response from SWAT teams or law enforcement to a victim’s location, sometimes with tragic results. Motivations vary, including harassment, retaliation, political targeting, or attention-seeking. The tactic has been used to target individuals, educational institutions, houses of worship, and now zoos.

Ohio has been hit particularly hard, with zoos in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo affected.

The Columbus Zoo responded to two hoaxes in the past week, with a swatting call on 2 May and a hoax active shooter threat on 5 May. In both cases, staff and guests were evacuated so authorities could search the campus. All guests, staff, and animals were safe, The Columbus Dispatch reported. But the zoo remained closed for the rest of the day after the threats, offering refunds or ticket transfers to guests.

Starting 6 May, “zoo visitors may notice an increased presence of law enforcement to reassure guests as they enter the zoo,” according to a Columbus Zoo community update. Existing security screening and monitoring systems remain in effect.

Tom Schmid, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium president and CEO, told NBC that employees at the zoo had a safety drill and an additional exercise earlier in the week in response to similar recent threats at U.S. zoos, such as a series of hoax threats at Zoo Miami in March. That exercise helped zoo personnel execute a smooth evacuation of approximately 5,000 people on 2 May, he said.

In Louisville, Kentucky, about 230 people were evacuated on 1 May, including 60 staff, after a bomb threat was called in. Police investigated and cleared the area in less than an hour, WDRB reported.

In Denver, Colorado, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance “paused operations after receiving a threatening phone call,” according to a statement from the zoo on 3 May. “Similar calls have been reported at zoos across the country in recent weeks, with no related incidents or harm reported. Per our security protocols, we worked in close coordination with the Denver Police Department, who conducted an investigation of our campus. The zoo was determined to be safe for continued operations.”

For more about zoo security, check out these articles from Security Management:

• “Helping the Herd: Denver Zoo Conducts First Full-Scale Active Shooter Drill”
  
  
• “Holding the Door: How the Columbus Zoo is Rekeying its Campus”
  
  
• “How Zoos Respond When a Dangerous Animal Escapes”
  
  
• “How to Debrief and De-Escalate Emotions After Traumatic Events”