Do You Remember The Bizarre Big Cat Escape In Ligertown, Idaho?

There are a lot of crazy stories scattered throughout the history of Idaho.

But the story of Ligertown might be the craziest of them all.

Have You Heard About the Time Lions and Tigers Ran Free in Southern Idaho

The first time I heard about Ligertown in Idaho was a few years ago during the Tiger King heyday. Tiger King (and Carole Baskin) was crazy, and there are various documentaries, series, dramatized reenactments, and movies to prove it.

Somehow, no network that I could find has covered the debacle of Ligertown and the mayhem that happened in Southern Idaho in 1995 despite it being covered by national news when it happened.

READ MORE: Weird Animal Stories From Idaho History

The Ligertown Game Farm was home to a variety of big cats near Lava Hot Springs. One day in the fall of 1995, the animals broke free from their cages and enjoyed true freedom for maybe the first time in their lives. But it was short-lived as attempts to catch some of the animals, which included lions, tigers, ligers, and even hybrid wolves, were unsuccessful.

Reports on the event say that anywhere between 15 and 18 animals were killed, and the remaining 27 that were captured safely were taken to a preserve in California. Among the rescued animals were 5 lion cubs.

Watch This Video of the Ligertown Incident in Idaho

I searched the internet, and the only videos I could find of the escaped animals was a news clip on Facebook, a PBS special, and a short video from KTVB.

You can see in the video that it’s kind of a miracle the animals hadn’t escaped earlier. The cages and pens look like they would have trouble keeping even small animals from breaking free.

To add to the allure of the story and the reason we need a Netflix special covering the lead up to the escape, the roundup, and the aftermath is that I was also told by someone who has been in Idaho their whole life that some of the big cats were never caught and could be running free in the mountains of Southern Idaho still.

PBS also says that none of the lions that escaped were ever found.

READ MORE: Remembering the Time Beavers Were Thrown From Planes in Idaho

Come on Netflix - make this happen!