January 1, San Diego Zoo Gorilla Shatters Glass Barrier

Wyatt’s Take

• Gorilla cracks glass at busy zoo
• Experts say stress or play may be cause
• No injuries, zoo taking extra precautions

A western lowland gorilla named Denny cracked a pane of tempered glass at the San Diego Zoo with visitors nearby, sparking safety concerns and questions about animal behavior.

The ten-year-old gorilla shattered one layer of a three-layer glass wall in the zoo’s gorilla habitat. No one was harmed, but the commotion got people talking.

San Diego State anthropology professor Dr. Erin Riley explained that male gorillas sometimes do “charging displays” to show off or blow off steam.

“What I don’t know, of course, since I wasn’t there, is whether or not there was something that kind of provoked that display behavior. One of the things that gorillas actually don’t like is to be stared at directly in the eyes, and that’s not something that zoo visitors always understand.”

She also said Denny may have just been playing, but crowd behavior can make gorillas uneasy.

“Given that it was directed towards the window, which is where the visitors are, I don’t know if they were feeling threatened, if there were a lot of people there at the time that made Denny feel a little bit threatened,” she said.

The zoo reported Denny was unharmed, and the gorillas will stay behind the scenes while repairs are made. No official cause for the incident has been released yet.

Stay tuned for updates on this story and more that matter to everyday families.

Wyatt Matters

Events like this remind us of the respect wild animals deserve and the importance of safety for people and animals alike. Zoos play a part in teaching our kids about nature, but we shouldn’t forget that some boundaries exist for a reason.

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