Boy, evolution was sure on top of it's game when it settled on the male Asian elephant and the male Silverback Gorilla to represent grace, dignity, and take no shit power. This magnificent creature pictured is Bokito, chief sire at Rotterdam Zoo.
He appeared in the news after he escaped from his enclosure and seriously injured a female visitor on May 18, 2007. Born in the Berlin zoo Zoologischer Garten, Bokito was raised by his human attendants after having been rejected by his mother. To reduce the risk of inbreeding, he was transferred to the Rotterdam Zoo Diergaarde Blijdorp in August 2005.
On May 18, 2007, Bokito jumped over the ditch that separated his enclosure from the public and violently attacked a woman, dragging her around for tens of meters and inflicting bone fractures as well as more than a hundred bite wounds. He subsequently entered the nearby restaurant, causing panic among the visitors. During this encounter, three more people were injured as a result of the panic. Bokito was eventually sedated with the help of a tranquilizer gun and placed back in his cage.
The woman who was attacked had been a regular visitor to the
great apes' enclosure, visiting an average of 4 times per week. She had a habit of touching the glass that separated her from the gorillas, while making
eye contact with Bokito and smiling to him, a practice that is discouraged by
primatologists, as apes are likely to interpret human
smiling as a form of aggressive display. Zoo employees had previously warned her against doing this, but she continued, claiming a special bond with him: in an interview with "
De Telegraaf", she said "if I laugh at him, he laughs back". What the heck is the matter with these people who feel they have a "special bond" with something like Bokito? It reminds me of the "special bond" Eloise Berchold told me she had with her male elephants. Yeah, I got your "special bond" right here, "special bond" this. Why would an animal lower themselves to "special bond" with a human? They are so much more then that. They say man has superior intelligence, but you sure have to question the validity of that statement, when ever someone professes to a "special bond." Great, just what the animal world needed, a Gorilla Whisper!!!!!
The word "Bokitoproof", meaning "durable enough to resist the actions of an enraged gorilla", and by extension "durable enough to resist the actions of a non-specific extreme situation", was voted the
Dutch language "Woord van het jaar" (Word of the Year) for 2007. Although man may be inferior to an animal, he sure does have a great sense of humor. LOL
Boy, evolution was sure on top of it's game when it settled on the male Asian elephant and the male Silverback Gorilla to represent grace, dignity, and take no shit power. This magnificent creature pictured is Bokito, chief sire at Rotterdam Zoo. 
He appeared in the news after he escaped from his enclosure and seriously injured a female visitor on 
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4 comments:
I can spot Dutch guests at the Gorilla Observation Outpost at Disney because they'll often see our male and say "Bokito".
You are correct about people assuming gorillas like to be smiled and waved at. I try to explain those "words" don't mean the same thing in another language. The most challenging are those with that "special bond". They just don't stop irritating the animals, but with the best of intentions.
Jim,
As I have always advocated since the day I started working with animals, "we have to understand them, we can't expect them to understand us, regardless of what species we are dealing with. Accept them for what they are, not what you want them to be."
Wade
We have a lady that comes to the zoo 3 or 4 times a week and tells us that The tigers would like us to tell bring them some apples every now and then.
Joey,
That sound's like someone you may want to have security keep an eye on. LOL
I hope all is well, friend.
Wade
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