Back in the day it seems that animal escapees from the capital's zoological park were alarmingly common.
From sea lions living it up in the Water of Leith, to wander lusting wallabies fancying their chances in the Edinburgh 'outback', there have been numerous occasions when Edinburgh Zoo inhabitants made a break for freedom.
Of course, having wild animals on the loose was no laughing matter, with many being dangerous to humans and other local wildlife. Thankfully, such incidents are now rare.
Let's take a closer look at eight times Edinburgh Zoo animal escapees hit the headlines in days gone by.
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Vulture culture
In November 1936, three South American vultures embarked on a scavenge hunt that would take them many miles from Corstorphine.
Two of the three birds were eventually recaptured after having been missing for seven weeks. It emerged that a Bo'ness farm woman had been feeding the birds of prey along with her black hens. Sadly, the third vulture was reportedly shot down by an unknown person.
Philip goes ape
Six hours of freedom were enjoyed by Philip the chimpanzee in 1945. The Edinburgh Zoo ape, who was notoriously fond of smoking cigarettes and drinking booze (these were different times), was lured back to his cage with a bottle of stout. Philip is said to have lobbed the empty bottle at his keeper after returning to his confines.
Bad badger?
The first people, naturally, to encounter animal escapees from Edinburgh Zoo are the residents of Corstorphine, and that's precisely what happened in August 1913 shortly after the zoo opened.
A local woman was alarmed when she caught sight of a badger in her garden. It later transpired the badger had been reported missing from the zoo.
Don't mess with Molly
A big, albeit brief, scare occurred in April 1987 when Molly the brown bear managed to clamber over a 13-foot-high wall and out of her enclosure.
The 10-year-old bear, however, was only free for around 12 minutes before keepers managed to entice her back to her den.
Zoo director Roger Wheater told the press that it was possible the bear had made her escape after having been teased by a member of the public. Moral of the story? Don't mess with bears - even if they are in captivity.
Wolves shot dead
One of the more sad incidents involved three wolves that escaped their enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo in 1976. The wolves were shot by keepers who feared for the safety of zoo visitors and felt drastic action was required. Two staff members were disciplined following the incident for their negligence.
Sea lions in the Water of Leith
In the early hours of May 2, 1924 all three of Edinburgh Zoo’s Californian sea lions escaped their enclosure and made a dash for the exit. Incredibly, the canny creatures managed to navigate their way to the Water of Leith and were discovered by the banks of the river at Roseburn. Two months later, a sea lion again escaped the zoo, this time making it as far as Stockbridge.
Polar (bear) expedition
One of Edinburgh Zoo's most legendary characters was Starboard the polar bear, who was one of the first animals to arrive at Corstorphine Hill when the zoo opened in 1913.
In 1916, Starboard, who was described as 'The Father of the Zoo', escaped from the bears' pool and enjoyed freedom for a full two hours. It was said that the bear was spooked by an encounter with some buffalo elsewhere in the park and voluntarily returned to his confines.
Escape to the Edinburgh outback
Back in 1988, a two-year-old wallaby named Skippy kept the zoo authorities on the hop for several days.
Having only arrived in Edinburgh a few days earlier from Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, Skippy decided his new home was not to his liking and successfully scaled a five-foot wall in his bid for freedom.
The animal was spotted in several different locations in Edinburgh during his escape, with one sighting occurring on a local golf course. You'll have had your tee then, eh Skip?
