The escape of a gorilla from a zoo led to a change in the design of their cages in the US

Speed ​​bumps for gorillas

The news agencies, voila!

The gorilla in Dallas is perched over a wall that is 4.2 meters high

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Cheetahs can do this. Also a chimpanzee. But no one expected that a burly male gorilla, weighing more than 150 kilograms, would lean over a 3.6-foot-wide ditch and a 4.2-foot-high wall that separated him from visitors to the Dallas Zoo.

But according to researchers at the zoo, that's exactly what happened in March, the day 13-year-old gorilla Jabari escaped. Jabari went on a rampage, which lasted 40 minutes, during which he managed to kidnap a toddler whom he grabbed in his teeth and wound three more people until he was shot dead by the police.

The gorilla's pursuit of such a great distance amazed primate experts, and as a result they began to examine the design of gorilla habitats in zoos across the United States.

At the Dallas Zoo, the gorillas are in the enclosure at roughly eye level. The zoo managers, who held a three-month investigation following the affair, determined last week that Jabari had fallen over the ditch, over the high wall and over the electric fence, which was supposed to cause him a mild electric shock.

Some of the experts believe that Jabari may have been running a "show run" - a flamboyant attack performed by young male gorillas in front of females, or another audience. Others say that he may have been motivated by fear, anger or the desire to procreate.

The managers of the Dallas zoo believe that Jabari did escape with an extremely high jump, because they could not find evidence of human error such as a door that was left open, or an object that could have helped the gorilla to get out. However, the director of the zoo, Rich Boikrod, said that "so far no person has appeared before us who said that he was a witness to the incident". Because of this, some experts doubt the possibility that the gorilla actually made the jump.

Even without knowing what exactly happened, Jabari's escape prompted the zoo to redesign the habitat of young gorillas. The walls were raised to a height of at least 4.6 meters, "slowdown strips for gorillas" were added, which prevent running over long, flat surfaces, and "hot vines" - electric wires, which look like plants - were installed. "Everyone who understands gorillas is concerned about the affair, and everyone should now re-examine their security measures," said Dr. Terry Maple, who ran the Atlanta Zoo for about 17 years and now writes about gorilla behavior.

Before Jabari's escape, a 3.6-foot-wide trench was considered an effective barrier, said Dan Wharton, director of Manhattan's Central Park Zoo and chairman of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Gorilla Conservation Program.

Gorillas, despite being strong animals, agile and easy to move in the trees, and even though many experts believe that they are just as intelligent as the chimpanzees, have compressed bones, and until now the experts believed that they could not swim for long distances. "I think we underestimated the ability of these animals," said Dr. Maple. "I'm not saying for sure that Jabari did it, but if it was indeed so, it is a tremendous display of athleticism, the like of which has not been known in gorillas so far."

Dr. Wharton said that he has not yet seen the zoo's report on the affair, but he and other senior officials intend to study it to determine if the association should change its guidelines for building gorilla enclosures in zoos.

Karen Kilmer, one of the directors of the mammal department at the San Diego Zoo, said that the zoos will adapt to any changes that are decided upon.

According to the Houston Chronicle
They know evolution in action

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