Video: A Brookfield Zoo Gorilla Cradled An Injured Child In 1996

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Jun 1, 2016 4:31PM

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Twenty years ago, a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla pit at the Brookfield Zoo. The incident was reminiscent of what happened at the Cincinnati Zoo this Saturday, but it had a much happier ending.

On Aug. 16, 1996, a 3-year-old boy slipped away from his mom into the Western Lowland Gorilla Pit at the Brookfield Zoo, according to CBS Chicago. The fall knocked him out, but Binti Jua—8 years old at the time—picked him up, cradled him, and then handed him over to zookeepers. She did all of this while carrying her own baby, the 17-month-old Koola, on her back.

It was a tense few minutes, but zookeepers believe that Binti was shielding the child.

"She was somewhat protective, too. Part of the video, she takes the child and sort of turns a shoulder to the other gorillas," zoo worker Jay Peterson told CBS Chicago.

The incident was captured on video, and Binti became a hometown hero:

Binti had been bottle-fed and raised in captivity. Her handlers believed that her maternal training came in handy when the child fell into her enclosure. She carried and cradled the child just as she had been trained to do for her own.

However, zookeepers, including Jack Hanna, say that Saturday's incident at the Cincinnati could have gotten much uglier. They praised the quick thinking of officials who made a tough decision to kill Harambe, a 17-year-old, 450-pound silverback in order to save the life of a boy who slipped into the enclosure.

Witness video of Saturday's incident shows the gorilla dragging the child through water. Some believed that Harambe was trying to be protective, though Hanna says the gorilla looked alarmed. There was quite a bit of outrage against the family as well as the zoo.

Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard told CNN, "That child's life was in danger. People who question that don't understand you can't take a risk with a silverback gorilla—this is a dangerous animal. Looking back, we'd make the same decision. The child is safe."

The child in question at the Brookfield Zoo in 1996 was hospitalized for a few days with a broken hand and some cuts to his face, but he made a full recovery. And Binti? She's still at the Brookfield Zoo enjoying being a great-grandmother: