A True Story about a Fake Story

On the morning of November 9, 1874, New Yorkers were plunged into panic by a stunning story that appeared in the New York Herald. The paper reported a catastrophic escape at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Wild animals were supposedly roaming the streets, having killed 49 people and injuring 200. Descriptions of carnage and mayhem were so convincing that schools closed, doors locked, and city streets emptied as terrified citizens frantically searched for safety.

The news spread like wildfire, with mothers rushing to bring children home and people hunkering down for safety. However, many readers, swept up in the drama of the full-page article, never made it to the final paragraph, which contained a startling admission: the entire report was an elaborate hoax. This infamous incident, intended by the paper to highlight safety concerns at the zoo, became known as the New York Zoo Hoax and severely impacted the Herald’s credibility for years.

The newspaper article was filled with sensational and gruesome claims, including:

• A zookeeper prodding a rhinoceros with his cane started the escapade when the angry rhino broke through his enclosure, killed the keeper, and then trampled other cages, eventually freeing all the animals.
• Children were trampled and killed.
• Bodies mauled beyond recognition.
• Police officers trying to shoot a lion further enraged it, resulting in fatalities.
• Blood covered the streets.
• Citizens fired on the wild animals from windows around the city, endangering the public.
• Wild beasts ran aboard a ferry, and people drowned while trying to escape.
• Hospitals were overflowing with the injured.
• The mayor called out the National Guard and issued an order for everyone to remain home.
• The Governor heroically gunned down a Bengal tiger in the streets.
• The paper contained a list of casualties (these were apparently real people, as there were reports of friends or family members fainting at the news).

Fallout/Repercussions:

The New York Herald Zoo Hoax edition sold out by 9:00 a.m., and a second edition was printed. The second edition also sold out, and anyone who could obtain an issue did so at an exorbitantly high price. Shock quickly turned to anger when people realized the story was false. The public’s reaction surprised both the New York Herald and the story’s author, Thomas Connery. After all, the concluding paragraph had informed them of the hoax. News of this media mayhem spread nationwide and even to Europe.

The New York Zoo Hoax was successful in bringing readers to the paper. Though some New Yorkers vowed they would never buy the paper again. It was also successful in its stated goal, the zoo actually addressed safety issues and fixed enclosures that were in disrepair.

One take away: read the whole article in a newspaper. Yeah, that’s not going to happen.