THIS is the terrifying moment a massive gorilla hurled itself at the glass wall of its zoo enclosure — shattering it in front of panicked visitors who screamed and ran for safety.
Denny, a 10-year-old western lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo, was seen catapulting toward the glass barrier of his habitat on Saturday afternoon and slamming into it with brute force.
Denny, a ten-year-old gorilla, shattered a glass panel at San Diego ZooYouTube/CBS8/Emily Holguin
The three-layered safety glass barrier only had one layer compromisedYouTube/CBS8/Emily Holguin
The impact shattered one layer of the three-layered tempered glass panel, sending gasps rippling through the crowd as families bolted from the Gorilla Forest enclosure.
Others, stunned, edged closer to inspect the cracked panel.
Visitor Jackie Doubler told 10News: “It literally felt like an earthquake before we realised that that was just him hitting the glass.
“It was pretty scary. There definitely were people there quick though — security guards. The zoo handled the situation well.”
“If he would hit that glass again, I definitely feel like it would have been a whole different story though,” she added.
The San Diego Zoo confirmed to the New York Post that Denny was not injured in the incident.
And the barrier — made of three layers of safety glass — only had one layer compromised.
Denny and the other gorilla sharing the habitat have been moved behind the scenes while repairs are carried out.
A zoo spokesperson said: “It is common for male gorillas, especially in adolescence, to express these types of behaviours.
“Bursts of energy, charging, dragging items, or running sideways are all natural for a young male.”
The dramatic display came just weeks after the sudden death of Denny’s older brother, Maka, a 30-year-old gorilla who died from a cardiac event in August.
Experts say the loss could be influencing the young primate’s behaviour.
Dr. Erin Riley, a primatologist and anthropology professor at San Diego State University, told CBS8 that “charging displays” are typical for male gorillas.
“Gorillas, particularly males, will often do what we call ‘charging displays,’ as a kind of an act of like showing off,” Riley said.
“One of the things that gorillas actually don’t like is to be stared at directly in the eyes, and that’s not something that zoo visitors always understand.”
Riley added that the outburst could have been triggered by something in the crowd.
“Given that it was directed towards the window, which is where the visitors are, I don’t know if they were feeling threatened, if there were a lot of people there that made Denny feel a little bit threatened,” she explained.
Dr. Annie Petersen, an animal behaviour and bonding expert, said the charge may not have been aggressive at all.
“It may not necessarily have been an aggressive reaction; it may have been one of excitement, it may have been one of exploration,” she said.
Visitors urged others to be more considerate around the gorillas after the frightening moment.
Zoo guest Andrea Corry said: “They’re super strong. We need to be respectful of them, and also respectful of their space.
“A lot of people hit the glass, tap it, try to provoke them, and we need to just observe — watch them, not aggravate them.”
Western lowland gorillas are the world’s largest primates, growing up to six feet tall and weighing as much as 500 pounds.
The species is critically endangered due to deforestation and poaching across central Africa.
Despite the scare, zoo officials reassured the public that the reinforced enclosure held firm and visitors were never in danger.
Zoo officials stated that visitors were never in any danger from the incidentInstagram/fox5sandiego/Emily Holguin Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
