Zoo Workers Go Ape as Gorillas Take Walk

As escapes go, Monday’s gorilla breakout at the San Diego Zoo turned out to be not so great.

Memba, a 400-pound silverback male, traipsed out of the zoo’s gorilla enclosure by way of a solid steel door and steel mesh gate left unlocked by two employees who had entered the exhibit to remove a beehive.

The horticulturists entered the enclosure about 5:30 a.m., not knowing that Memba and the three members of his troop had been left in the exhibit overnight.

Normally, keepers lure the gorillas--the star attractions of the zoo’s Gorilla Tropics exhibit--to their sleeping quarters at the end of the day, zoo officials said.

“But last night (Sunday), the gorillas would not come in off exhibit, no matter how many bananas or treats keepers offered them,” said zoo spokesman Jeff Jouett. “At 6 p.m., the decision was made to leave them out for the night.”

He said it is not unusual for gorillas or orangutans to be left out on exhibit overnight. Jouett said it was the second time in a week that some of the zoo’s primates were allowed to wander in their enclosures overnight because keepers could not lure them into their sleeping quarters.

Monday’s incident became harrowing because the Sunday crew failed to alert other employees that the gorillas had been left on exhibit overnight, zoo officials said.

When the horticulturists walked into the enclosure Monday morning to remove the pesky beehive, they assumed that the gorillas were safely tucked inside their “bedroom quarters,” Jouett said.

But, 15 minutes later, the women were stunned to find gorillas in their midst: Memba, 22; Jessica, 15; Memba’s and Jessica’s son, Mike, who was born on Christmas Eve, and Kimba-Kumba, a 6-year-old female.

“The horticulturists saw Memba walking around loose and decided to high-tail it out. Memba took advantage of the open doors and ran out after them. However, he wasn’t chasing the employees. He just ran out of the enclosure,” said Jouett.

One of the women was so upset she asked for--and got--the rest of the day off.

Instead of rampaging through the zoo, the burly gorilla spent most of his 2 1/2 hours of freedom close to the perimeter of the gorilla exhibit. Memba briefly took in the sights from a balcony on the Treehouse, a new restaurant and gift shop complex scheduled to open next month, Jouett said.

An army of security officers, veterinarians and keepers was called in to capture the wayward primate, Jouett said. Other employees arriving for work were kept waiting in the parking lot while zoo officials tried to corral Memba.

At one point, Memba peered inside the glass enclosure but seemed unsure how to get back in, Jouett said. Employees reported that he stayed in visual contact with the other members of his troop throughout his brief adventure.

Finally, about 8 a.m., Memba was hit with the first of two tranquilizer darts.

“But the first dart either didn’t inject or he was so excited that his adrenaline was up and the dosage was not enough to take effect,” said Jouett.

He was shot with a second dart at about 8:18 a.m. Ten minutes later, Memba fell asleep on the sidewalk in front of the Gorilla Tropics viewing window, Jouett said.

For good measure, zoo veterinarians tranquilized him with a third syringe that was tied to a long pole. The sleeping primate was then rolled onto a canvas tarp, and 10 people carried him back inside the gorilla enclosure.

Jouett said that veterinarians reluctantly decided to tranquilize Memba.

“There’s always a risk when you tranquilize an animal. You’re never sure how much sedative to give it. If you give it too much when it’s in an excited stage, you could have an adverse reaction that could result in injury to the animal,” said Jouett.

On the other hand, gorillas are a danger to humans if they feel threatened or cornered.

“Gorillas normally are shy, retiring animals who would rather run than fight. . . . But they can also deliver a powerful bite and are extremely strong. This could have also been a deadly encounter for both the gorilla and the people involved in its capture,” Jouett said.

There were no injuries to Memba or zoo employees.

The zoo has seven gorillas on exhibit. Normally, a second group that includes an adult female and two younger gorillas is on exhibit in the morning. Memba’s group is brought out at noon and remains on exhibit until the zoo closes.

But, on Monday, Memba’s troop was kept in seclusion as he recovered from the effects of the sedative. Memba and his group will be put back on exhibit today.

Meanwhile, zoo officials are reviewing the incident and are considering disciplinary action against some employees, Jouett said.

“We had a very serious situation because of procedural and communication failures at the Gorilla Tropics,” said Jouett. “First of all, the Sunday night crew should have noted on the exhibit’s bulletin board that the gorillas were still on exhibit and were not brought in (Sunday) night.”

“Secondly, the horticulturists did not make a visual confirmation that the gorillas were in their bedroom. They should have looked in the bedroom areas and made sure the animals were in there. . . . Mistakes were made that put two people in a very dangerous situation.”