[banzai]

For me this quest worked in a slightly different order too:

1. Open the cages and tell the animals they´re free and should leave. The animals tell you you have to set up their *escape route* and return to the cages then.

2. Go out the back door and set up the portal.

3. Return to the cages and again urge them to leave. Now they leave for the portal.

4. Go out the back door a 2nd time and send all the animals through the portal.

5. Return to the druid in town and collect your reward.

This was the order I did last time and everything worked fine for me (game was patched to v1.66).