Female Gorilla Saved a 3 Yr Old Boy who Fell into Zoo Enclosure: Facts

Story:

A female Gorilla once rescued a 3 year old boy who fell into Zoo enclosure.

Analysis:

The wonderful story in circulation in since many years states that a mother Gorilla once saved an injured baby boy who fell into the Zoo enclosure. Although the story does not convey complete information, yes, the incident is a fact.

Picture about Female Gorilla Saved a 3 Yr Old Boy who Fell into Zoo Enclosure — Female Gorilla Saved a 3 Yr Old Boy who Fell into Zoo Enclosure

The Incident

On 16 Aug. 1996, a three year old baby boy got away from his mother, climbed over a box on top of a 3.5ft railing and fell 18ft on to the concrete floor into the enclosure at Brookfield Zoo which housed seven gorillas. During this scariest thing any parent can experience, Binti Jua, an 8 years old female Gorilla, with her own baby on her back, gently picked up the unconscious boy, cradled him in her arms, and carried him to a door where zoo keepers and paramedics could attend to him. The zoo keepers sprayed water on the other gorillas to keep them away. The boy was rushed to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood and was initially considered critical, but his condition improved and he made a full recovery. Some versions of this story said it was a baby girl who was rescued by the gorilla, perhaps by mistake.

Kind Heart of Mother Gorilla

The workers at zoo who witnessed the amazing rescue of the injured boy by the maternal instinct of Gorilla said it’s an image they will never forget. “Another gorilla walked toward the boy, and she kind of turned around and walked away from the other gorillas and tried to be protective,” said Carrie Stewart, another witness who visited the zoo. Bill Lambert, a paramedic who was a visitor at the zoo during the incident recorded the drama that you can see in the video. Many people who heard the news of the gorilla saving a child could not believe it until they saw the video for themselves. After the amazing rescue, Binti Jua became an international sensation, and a hometown hero to many.

Raised by Humans

Binti Jua is a Western Lowland gorilla who was raised by humans, so she had to be taught nurturing skills, using ape-like stuffed toys. This could have made her more “people-oriented,” that played a role in her gentle handling of the injured child. Nonetheless, the boy (now grown up adult) now owes his life to the maternal instincts of that gorilla at Brookfield Zoo.

Binti might be a trained one, but another celebrated gorilla called Jambo (April 17, 1961 – September 16, 1992) housed at Jersey Zoo protected a young boy named Levan Merritt who fell into the gorilla enclosure in 1986. These incidents show that there’s empathy among animals, and be it human or other animal, mother’s heart will certainly care for a child.