Zoo Stories: The Escape of Ebu the Gorilla

Of all the animals I worked with at the zoo, gorillas were my favorites. Their behaviors were so highly complicated and so reminiscent of human behavior that it was possible to gain deeper insight into humans by watching them. Ibu was a young female who had become the silverback’s favorite. She seemed aware of her status and carried herself with poise. She seemed to like me (yes, animals like and dislike people just like we do) and whenever I would spend time at the overlook, she would amble over to a nearby boulder and sit and steal glances at me. Eventually, she would find a small stick or stone, conceal it in her hand, and then suddenly flip it at me and run, obviously trying to get my attention. Ibu was also perhaps the smartest gorilla out of the dozen and, of course, that’s saying something.

One year, the keepers forgot to cut down the kudzu vines that grew up the inner wall of the moat and, lo and behold, in summer Ibu climbed them, jumped the wall, and calmly walked upright to the concession area and began downing hot dogs and cups of coke right from the tables where people were eating. The customers were confused, some thinking this was part of the entertainment. I heard the code red on my radio and my boss, Hank, called and directed me to get his car keys from the office and drive his car up to the concession stand as part of the recapture team.

By the time I got there, of course, the public had been herded into buildings. About twenty keepers had gathered there as well, conferring by radio. Ibu was nonchalantly enjoying her unexpected freedom, ambling around the tables, eating, and otherwise having fun. Though we never had complete direct contact with them, her main keeper, Jane, decided to try to approach her, take her hand, and simply walk her through the front doors of the building, hoping to get her downstairs into the holding areas. Gorillas are incredibly strong and capable of inflicting serious injury, but they can also have a very gentle side to them. So, Jane took her hand and they walked past like two friends to the front doors, but the moment Jane swung the door open, Ibu understood what was happening, pulled away and came ambling back past the car.

That was when she spied me inside. She stopped and stared. Everyone waited to see what she would do. Hank radioed, “Hey, what is she doing?” “She’s just looking at me. She likes me.” Hank laughed. “You say that about all the gorillas.” That was when Ibu began touching the car door. It was then she discovered the door handle and intuitively grasped the handle with her thumb on the button and it was then that I realized, oh yes, gorillas have opposable thumbs like we do. I quickly smacked down the lock nib. Immediately she knew I had locked her out. In anger, she grabbed Hank’s sideview mirror and twisted it off with one hand and walked away. After several more unsuccessful attempts, we captured her that day and got her back where she was safe, but it was a few days before her troop forgave her for leaving and having all that fun.