Ape escapes from zoo, knocks down man, then goes back
An ape escaped from his enclosure at a South Carolina zoo, knocked over an employee, before going back into his exhibit.
Friday at the Riverbanks Zoo’s Gorilla Base Camp exhibit saw the 16-year-old Western Lowlands gorilla, identified as ‘Mike’, escape from his enclosure, chasing and batting down an unidentified employee, before jumping back into his exhibit.
The employee only suffered from minor bruises and scrapes, and the zoo was locked down for 45 minutes until all the gorillas were back in their barns.
It is believed the gorilla escaped by climbing the exhibit walls with the aid of several bamboo stalks which had blown in during a heavy storm.
“He was being a gorilla,” zoo director Satch Krant told local paper The State. “He found something he found curious.”
Riverbanks Zoo had previously seen another gorilla escape several years ago, but the apes were lured back into their barn without further incident.
Of course, animal escapees are not always so friendly. In 2004 two Dallas families were attacked by a 300 pound gorilla that had escaped from Dallas Zoo before the animal was shot and killed.
You can read more about the great ape escape at The State, or take a look at the Riverbanks Zoo press release. Or return to the front page for more odd news.
In other news, the Weather Station 1 blog reports that a US Republican activist has reportedly made a controversial comment in relation to the gorilla escape, comparing the gorilla to Michelle Obama’s ancestors. You can see the news clip at WIS TV.
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