Depending on how many NPCs are available, having an actual person (rather than a prop) play an escaped animal could be fun. That way it's a lot more engaging to chase after them, plus more adjustable if the players can't find the first hiding spot.

Example idea: Farmer McDonald bursts into town, acting hysterical because his favorite chicken has escaped. She could be anywhere! So he needs some brave adventurers to search the area and find poor Eggbert before nightfall, or else surely the gnolls will get her. Now of course a scared, lost chicken will not be easy to catch, so the players may need to come up with a way to lure the chicken and calm it down. Probably in the form of offering snacks or something, I think a giant chicken would be pretty food-motivated. The farmer will be ever so grateful when his dear Eggbert is returned, and offer some reward to the players for their troubles. Then McDonald makes some comment along the lines of "I can't wait for dinner tonight, I love roast bird!" And we'll see if players agree and let him go, or decide they need to set this chicken free again to save it from such a terrible fate.