I’ve been wondering how on earth it is possible for a child to get in there unaided.... surely that would be a dismally, horrendously bad design flaw.
There is the habitat and between it and the spectator side there is a huge moat. There is a very large, sheer drop on the spectator side. One report said it was 17 feet. I’m trying to imagine how the child fell that distance, landed in or near water, and survived the fall. Also, the drop from the gorilla side is pretty steep, too. I have never seen a gorilla attempt to go down that drop on its own side. Maybe they do, but never when I’ve been there. In any case, the male gorilla navigated that drop, retrieved the child, and either had it down near the moat or it climbed back up with it. (I could even envision it being a ‘rescue’ as crazy as that sounds...???) In my mind, I still can’t remember gaps in the barrier that would permit a 3 year old to slip through and then walk to and tumble down the sheer drop. Insurance seeker? Evil customer who put the child over the barrier when the parents weren’t watching? I hope they have video cameras.
And it’s entirely possible my memory of the exhibit is wrong.