Incidents
On March 18, 2004, a gorilla named Jabari scaled a retaining wall and injured three visitors. He was fatally shot by a police SWAT team after being pursued by zoo employees through the Wilds of Africa exhibit. This incident prompted several zoos to create or enhance Emergency Response Teams to deal with escaped animals. The Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Research Center was redesigned with new landscape, taller walls, and expanded viewing areas for visitors, including an air conditioned visitor center with floor-to-ceiling windows, videos, and on-site “gorilla guides” to answer questions and point out interesting facts. The exhibit is home to two gorilla troops.
On October 25, 2011, a chimpanzee named Koko escaped from her enclosure. Zookeepers were cleaning her area when they realized she got out of her bedroom and wandered out into a hallway. Although Koko never left the chimpanzee house, officials at the zoo evacuated the Wilds of Africa exhibit as a precaution. Koko was tranquilized and returned to her bedroom. There were no injuries to Koko or anyone else.
Read more about this topic: Dallas Zoo
Famous quotes containing the word incidents:
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)