ShA video has gone viral of two Texas Zoo keepers who unexpectedly found themselves trapped with a gorilla.
The photos were posted on TikTok on Thursday, and show the silverback gorilla named Elmo entering his exhibition arena, at the Fort Worth Zoo, in Texas, USA, while two employees were still there. The animal was later seen following the shadow of a zoo ranger.
Zoo visitors can be heard panicking and one of them praying for the safety of the zoo staff. One of the women says: “Oh my God, God help her, God help her, God help her.”
Employees move slowly, remain calm, and wait for the right opportunity to exit safely.
USA TODAY explains that the video of the incident was actually filmed on October 20, 2023, and has received more than 106 million views.
“Fortunately, there was no physical contact between the keepers and the gorillas, and all staff and animals are safe,” Avery Elander, a zoo spokesman, said in a statement on Friday.
Elander added that zookeepers entered the yard without knowing that the gorillas were still in the habitat due to “a ranger error.”
“Every day, zookeepers move the gorillas to their indoor habitat so zookeepers can put the animals' lunch in their outdoor habitat,” Elander told USA TODAY.
Elmo is 34 years old and has lived at the zoo for several years. In 2021, he became a father after Gus was born.
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