A western lowland gorilla at the San Diego Zoo damaged a tempered glass window pane in its enclosure on Saturday, shattering one of three layers of the panel, a zoo spokesperson said.
A video shared on social media showed the gorilla charging at the glass as guests stood watching along the glass walls. CBS8.com posted the clip on its story.
Related Articles
Birders beware: Avian flu still a threat in the Bay Area
California bans cat declawing under new state law
Newsom signs laws to stop flow from out-of-state puppy mills into California
Here’s a look at American bison one of the greatest conservation stories
Rabid bat found in Monterey County
Zoo officials identified the animal involved in the incident as Denny, a 10-year-old gorilla. A second ape was also in the zoo’s gorilla forest habitat at the time.
Zoo officials say the animals will be taken off exhibit so the panel can be replaced. They did not answer questions about when the repair would be finished or whether a different glass product would be used.
“Denny was not injured, and both gorillas will be cared for behind the scenes until the panel has been replaced,” the zoo said in a statement.
This isn’t the first time a gorilla living in a zoo has tested the strength of its glass enclosure.
In 2015, a gorilla named Kijito, a 24-year-old, 375-pound western lowland gorilla, broke through one layer of the three-layered glass at his enclosure at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Neb.
According to news reports at the time, Kijito broke the glass when he charged at a young zoo visitor a short time after she pounded her chest. That interaction was captured on video.
“The glass on the exhibit is engineered to account for the size, strength and speed of a large male gorilla,” Omaha zoo officials said in a 2015 statement, according to ABC News. “While one layer of glass on the exhibit did crack, leaving two layers untouched, the public was never in danger and the exhibit remains open.”
Omaha zoo officials also said the gorilla’s actions may have had nothing to do with the young zoo visitor.
“Although the gorilla may have been engaging with the public to receive a reaction, the gorilla was most likely exhibiting typical gorilla behavior and likely posturing toward another male gorilla,” Dan Cassidy, the zoo’s general curator, said in a statement. “It is common for male gorillas to display to each other and occasionally they use the glass because of the noise it makes on their side.”
