Posted on 01/09/2004 2:38:30 PM PST by Holly_P
A runaway gorilla drove Denver Zoo officials bananas Thursday.
Evelyn the gorilla went ape, escaping briefly and generally monkeying around until zookeepers could tranquilize her.
"She was just being a curious gorilla," said zoo spokeswoman Ana Bowie.
The 27-year-old, 250-pound lowland gorilla escaped from her habitat at the Denver Zoo about 10:15 a.m. She wandered through an open gate into a kitchen area, where she played and explored and swiped some food.
Although Evelyn likely meant no harm, a "code red" was called immediately, and the zoo was closed for a short time. About 50 visitors were led into secure buildings until Evelyn was tranquilized about 45 minutes after her escape.
The gorilla never left the Great Apes building, and the public was never in danger, Bowie said. Evelyn was taken to the zoo's animal hospital, and the gorilla exhibit was closed for the day.
Evelyn is one of five gorillas on loan to Denver from the Los Angeles Zoo, which is building a new gorilla habitat.
Jennie McNary, curator of mammals at the L.A. Zoo, said she remembers Evelyn as a gentle gorilla who was always inquisitive about her surroundings.
"She's a really nice animal. She had a good rapport with her keepers. She was not aggressive," McNary said. "She's very curious though, and if it's possible to find a way to get out, she'll find it."
McNary said the Denver Zoo seems to have handled the incident well. "Sometimes those things happen," she said.
Female gorillas weigh 150 to 300 pounds, while males weigh 350 to 600 pounds. The gorillas, which can live into their 50s in captivity, number about 350 in U.S. zoos and about 100,000 in West Africa.
Evelyn wasn't the first animal to escape at the zoo. In June, a white-cheeked gibbon (a type of primate) named CJ briefly got out of her enclosure, prompting a "code red" situation.
And a more serious situation occurred in 2001 when Hope, a 6,700- pound elephant, escaped and ran through a crowd, knocking over a 3-year-old child.
Some of those might be Alaskans on vacation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.