He wasn’t hanging around.
A newly released video has captured the horrifying moment an adult gorilla charges at its two unsuspecting handlers in its enclosure, in front of grieving onlookers.
Elmo, a 34-year-old male silverback gorilla at the Fort Worth Zoo, jumped out of a cave-like cutout into public view as one of the staff members narrowly missed him and fled to a nearby door, according to video. Posted on TikTok.
Ben White, a former zoo guard who filmed the video, said: “In it you’ll see the first keeper throw the bucket and run inside.” he told WFAA. “She’ll leave the door open for a little bit, like a crack, so you’ll see her on our radio, us, the other keepers and the radio,” White said. Told.
The zookeeper is positioned in the doorway, watching as other employees stand just a few feet away from Elmo.
After a standoff, Mr. Elmo turned his attention to the second employee, but was distracted and charged at a man on the other side of a nearby window.
While Elmo curiously looked around the exhibit, the zookeeper shifted his position to create a barrier between himself and the gorilla, allowing him to drop the bucket he was holding.
“You can see Elmo running around, and you can see the second keeper. She’s trying to distract him, hiding behind a tree, playing hide-and-seek, which is really fun,” White said. said.
Elmo seemed distracted a second time and ran away from the camera, and the separated zookeeper fled to safety.
“At the end of the video, you see the gorilla actually holding a bucket. It’s like, ‘Hey, you forgot your bucket.'”
This shocking video, which has been viewed more than 42.5 million times, was filmed about five months ago.
“So it was taken on October 20th,” White told the outlet. “I was the first police officer to respond.”
White said the video of the horrifying incident recently resurfaced on his phone.
“I was actually just going through my camera roll and noticed it was there,” he said. “I had no ulterior motives, I just posted it because I thought it was cool.”
Throughout the two-minute video, bystanders can be heard pleading and praying for the safety of both terrified employees.
No one was injured in the incident.
“We made sure the animal was secured and the handler was safe,” White added.
According to the Fort Worth Zoo, zookeepers entered the zoo without realizing Elmo was still inside.
““On October 20, 2023, an incident resulted in two of our zookeepers sharing space with a 34-year-old silverback gorilla,” the Fort Worth Zoo confirmed to WFAA in a statement. “Thankfully, there was no physical contact between the keepers and the gorillas. And all staff and animals are safe.”
“Zoo keepers move the gorilla troupe to an indoor habitat every day so the keepers can put the animals’ lunch in the outdoor habitat. Due to a keeper’s error, the staff member entered the garden without knowing that the silverback was still in its habitat.”
“Zoo keepers work with and train these animals every day, and their knowledge and expertise allowed them to calmly navigate the situation and exit the zoo safely. Understandably, sharing this video was emotional for everyone involved.”
The Fort Worth Zoo is the same zoo where a baby gorilla was born via emergency C-section earlier this year.
Baby Jameela was born in the early morning hours of January 5th during an “emergency caesarean section”, the first in the zoo’s history, and was born between four and five weeks old, officials announced. In a Valentine’s Day statement.
Mama Sekani was due to give birth to her fourth baby in mid-February, but in the days leading up to the emergency operation she was seen sulking around her enclosure and holding her head in her hands. and plans quickly changed.
