Did we almost have another Harambe situation?
Of course everybody remembers the tragic situation with the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo back in 2016, when a child ended up in the silverback gorilla’s enclosure and the zoo was forced to shoot Harambe after he started dragging the small child around.
And as terrible as the whole situation was (and despite the memes and public outrage), the zoo made the right call: Silverback gorillas are the largest species of primates, standing over 5.5 feet tall and weighing as much as 500 pounds. And much of their large weight comes from their massive muscles.
They are known for their strength, being able to lift up to 1,800 pounds and apply 4,000 pounds of force in a punch.
The social structure of gorillas revolves around dominant males, known as silverbacks. These leaders are responsible for protecting their family groups, or troops, and defending their territory against rival males…or any other perceived threats.
Unfortunately for some zookeepers at the Fort Worth Zoo, they found themselves in the terrifying position of being viewed as a threat when they accidentally got trapped in the gorilla enclosure with one of the zoo’s silverback Western Lowland Gorillas named Elmo.
It’s not clear whether this was a recent incident, but a new video posted to TikTok shows the moment that Elmo apparently made his way back into the enclosure while two female zookeepers were still inside leaving food for the primates.
The gorilla charges the box of food as the zookeeper makes a run for it, with Elmo staring her down as she’s standing in the doorway knowing that her colleague is still inside with the gorilla blocking her exit. The first zookeeper closes the door in case Elmo decides to charge at her, while terrified parents usher their kids out of the exhibit in case disaster strikes.
Elmo then moves to the other side of the exhibit, where the second zookeeper is standing with a bucket of food. She’s careful to not make any sudden moves to keep the gorilla from seeing her as a threat.
Finally, Elmo runs past her (in what must have been a heart-stopping moment for the zookeeper who wasn’t sure where the gorilla was going) and she sees an opportunity to make a run to safety.
It’s a terrifying scene, and one that had onlookers praying out loud for the zookeepers trapped in the harrowing position. But luckily, everybody made it out safely and we were spared yet another gorilla tragedy like Harambe.
@ben306069 Shocking moment two keepers where left in an enclosure with Elmo a male silverback at the fort worth zoo #shocking #fortworthzoo #silverback #scary #zoo #zookeeper #gorilla #fyp #fortworth #elmothegorilla #exposed #coverup ♬ original sound – Ben306069
