‘Harambe 2.0’ Situation Avoided After Zoo Keepers Got Stuck In Enclosure With A Silverback Gorilla

Footage from the Ft. Worth Zoo on Thursday has revealed how close the world was to a ‘Harambe 2.0’ situation after two zoo keepers found themselves trapped inside the gorilla enclosure with a large 34-year-old silverback gorilla named Elmo.

The Ft. Worth Zoo has not issued any updates on the incident but from the vidoe which has been seen nearly 15 million times in 12 hours, we are able to connect some dots. From the footage, we can tell the silverback gorilla Elmo rushed into his enclosure while two zoo keepers were still in there either cleaning or dropping food, or all of the above.

At that point, the zoo keepers’ only option was to remain motionless and signal to the silverback gorilla their submissiveness and hope that Elmo knew he was in charge. This was so dangerously close to a Harambe-esque situation where the gorilla would have had to been shot if it charged either of the zoo keepers.

Elmo the Silverback Gorilla appears to have been aware of the situation on some level. While maintaining his position as the alpha, he did provide the zoo keepers enough space to quickly sprint out of the Ft. Worth Zoo gorilla enclosure and back to safety. Here is the clip which has picked up 11.4+ million views in only 11 hours:

Someone can be heard saying in the video “she doesn’t know.” They are referring of course to the zoo keeper who was still in the enclosure when Elmo the Silverback Gorilla sprinted in.

At that point, she was somewhat concealed by the rock wall and was able to at least remain motionless throughout until it was safe to make a run for it. Then, the other zoo keeper had to remain motionless against the tree while Elmo was distracted for long enough that she could also make a run to safety:

Interestingly and possibly coincidentally, Elmo celebrated his 34th birthday this week on March 5th. He was originally born at the Buffalo Zoo but has been in Texas at the Ft. Worth Zoo for some time. It’s unclear if the reason the zoo keepers were in the enclosure was clear out birthday-related decorations and toys for enrichment, or the remnants of special treats, but that might be one possible explanation for why the keepers were in there.

Until the zoo comments on this near-Harambe 2.0 situation we have no way of knowing why the two keepers were left trapped in there with the silverback gorilla. But everyone can certainly breathe a sigh of relief that all parties made it out safely.

How do you act around silverback gorillas?

There is a lot of literature on the internet about how to maintain composure around silverback gorillas but the vast majority of that guidance is for people taking safari trips to Central and West Africa.

This is a gorilla that was born in captivity and only knows captivity. But, in this instance, that might have worked out in favor of the zoo keepers as Elmo the Silverback gorilla is more accustomed to seeing human beings on a regular basis.

Tips for surviving encounters with gorillas are pretty standard safety precautions. The Virunga Park Congo suggests (1) remain calm and do not react, (2) don’t make eye contact, (3) be submissive, (4) crouch down to make yourself as small as possible so not perceived as a threat, and more similar tips to that.

From that professional guidance, we can gather that the zoo keepers handled the situation appropriately by remaining as calm as possible and ensuring the silverback gorilla Elmo knew he was in charge the entire time.

Gorillas are among the strongest creatures on earth. A male silverback gorilla can lift nearly 1,800 pounds. They also have a bite force of 1300 PSI. Thankfully, everyrone made it out safely… All’s well that ends well, right?