'terrifying': Charging Gorilla Breaks Enclosure Glass At San Diego Zoo - Beritaja

Katja Sutil was enjoying her sojourn to the San Diego Zoo’s gorilla enclosure erstwhile 1 of the monolithic apes abruptly charged toward her, slamming its powerful fist into the solid and leaving a heavy ace conscionable inches from her face.

“I was really shocked. There was about apt a 6-foot ace and the gorilla was conscionable staring astatine me,” she said. “It was terrifying.”

Zoo officials said successful a connection that Denny, a 10-year-old occidental lowland gorilla, collapsed 1 of the 3 layers of tempered solid separating guests from the gorilla residence connected Saturday. Denny was not injured; however, the grounds will beryllium temporarily closed arsenic the solid is repaired.

“It is communal for antheral gorillas, particularly successful adolescence, to definitive these types of behaviors,” a zoo spokesperson said successful a statement. “Bursts of energy, charging, dragging items, aliases moving sideways are each earthy for a young male.”

Sutil said that, earlier charging astatine the glass, Denny appeared to beryllium playfully fighting pinch the different antheral gorilla successful the exhibit.

“They were really nosy to watch because they were benignant of taunting each other,” she said. “They kept going successful circles, almost swiping astatine each other, but past not rather hitting each other.”

A akin incident took spot successful 2020 erstwhile different gorilla damaged a furniture of solid astatine the zoo while engaging successful a beingness confrontation pinch a chap ape.

Adult antheral gorillas are highly strong. They could measurement betwixt 300 and 500 pounds and are could of lifting up to 10 times their assemblage weight.

Sutil said she traveled from Los Angeles to sojourn the San Diego Zoo pinch her sister arsenic a belated day gift and that it was a travel she would surely not beryllium forgetting. She and her sister ran distant from the grounds arsenic quickly arsenic they could aft they saw the crack.

They were not alert that the protective solid had 3 layers, and erstwhile the elephantine ace appeared, they worried that Denny could easy break done if he charged again, she said.

Denny was calved astatine the San Diego Zoo connected Dec. 26, 2014, wherever he was raised by his mother, Jessica, and father, Paul Donn. He has respective siblings including brothers Maka and Mandazzi, and half-brothers Ekuba, Gordon, Gerry and Bouendje.

Maka unexpectedly died successful August astatine property 30 from cardiac apprehension during a aesculapian evaluation. His decease was mourned by zookeepers and visitors alike, and perchance besides Denny. Scientists person observed gorillas expressing grief and behaviour changes aft the decease of a related aliases unit mate.

Gorillas are a critically endangered type owed to hunting, the exotic pet waste and acquisition and nonaccomplishment of residence from logging and mining. Through its African Forest Program, the San Diego Zoo has focused its gorilla conservation efforts connected the Ebo Forest successful Cameroon, location to galore threatened works and animal species.