This is the terrifying moment a rampaging gorilla jumped at a glass window moments before it escaped from its enclosure at London Zoo .
Panicked members of the public were seen hyperventilating as the huge beast named Kumbuka roamed around while staff and firearms officers tried to track it down.
Police helicopters circled the sky above the Regent’s Park attraction using thermal imaging equipment to find the 7ft 29st ape.
One member of staff at the zoo described the western lowland silverback as “a f***ing psycho” adding: “He’s smashed the enclosure glass a couple of times.”
Read More
- Escaped London Zoo gorilla Kumbuka had 'difficult upbringing' and 'needs privacy'
Footage from filmed by witness Chloe Hughes shows Kumbuka lurking before running and smashing into the glass window.
Chloe, a 23-year-old student from Surrey, said: "I was standing near the front. We were in there for a long time. The silverback was distressed. He was looking at everyone.
"Staff asked everyone to be quiet. We were at the front and they asked us to get out. They came to the front with their arms out.
"He seemed to stare at one spot for a while. People were screaming and egging him on. Then he jumped onto the rope and smashed against the glass. It was very scary.
"After that happened, we all screamed."
Read More
- 'Angry' London Zoo gorilla was on the loose for 25 minutes as panicked visitors huddled indoors
The ape was eventually captured around 7pm on Thursday - two hours after it escaped - after it was shot with a tranquilizer dart by vets.
A zoo spokesman said: “A male gorilla got out of his den at ZSL London Zoo and into a non-public keeper area at 5:13pm on Thursday, 13 October 2016.
"The gorilla remained contained within the exhibit’s off show area.
“Staff responded immediately and the 18-year-old gorilla - named Kumbuka - was tranquilized by vets and returned to his den, where we can confirm he is awake and well.
Watch Next
It is not yet confirmed how the incident occurred and a full investigation will be carried out to determine what happened.
“The exhibit is secure and we are grateful to all of our staff and visitors for their cooperation, enabling us to resolve the situation quickly and efficiently.”
Visitors were evacuated or locked inside buildings while armed officers scoured the area with park wardens.
Read More
- Women trapped in London Zoo after gorilla 'smashed through window' and escaped say: "It was like Jurassic Park"
Rob Hogan, 37, from Halifax told the Mirror he saw the gorilla jump at the glass just minutes before.
Rob, who was at the zoo for a work conference, said: “A small group of us went to the gorilla enclosure and started to take pictures, no flash.
“I took a picture and then one second, two seconds later, he jumped at the window. It was a large thud but after that he sat there peaceful looking.
"We felt safe and stayed there for another two or three minutes looking, then we walked off towards the reptile enclosure and that’s when we heard the alarm.
“We were ushered into the reptile enclosure and staff said it was a drill and that they had to carry out realistic drills quite regularly but we knew something wasn’t right.
"People were on their phones and that’s when someone saw a tweet about a gorilla on the loose.”
Rob said the group of around 20 people stayed in the building until staff evacuated them into the street where he saw around “four of five armed officers” standing around.
He said they were kept there about 20 minutes before being allowed back in to the zoo to resume the conference.
Jonny Briers, 22, from Tooting said he also saw the gorilla charge at the glass adding: “It didn’t break it, we saw it do it earlier in the day as well.
“And then we started to leave and we heard the siren go off. Then we saw zookeepers running and they told us to go inside. We went into the aquarium and they locked the doors.
“We were in there for about half an hour to 45 minutes. We didn’t know what was happening. A zookeeper kept us calm and said it was an animal escape siren.
“People were let out at around quarter to six.
“Some people were pretty scared. We did see a woman on a bench hyperventilating as we were leaving.”
James Diggles, 36, from London, said “there was a lot of joking and speculation we were joking about Jurassic Park” adding: "I wasn’t nervous. I think the zoo acted very professionally at no stage was I in danger.
And Former England U21 and Leicester Tigers prop Matt Hampson whose foundation was set up to inspire and support young people seriously injured through sport tweeted: “Well that’s the first time that has happened, was doing a talk at London Zoo this evening but evacuated because of an escaped Gorilla! “
Well that's the first time that has happened, was doing a talk at London Zoo this evening but evacuated because of an escaped Gorilla!
— Matt Hampson (@Hambofoundation) October 13, 2016
It was followed by two bananas and a monkey emoji.
A spokesman from the Met Police conformed the incident had “concluded” after officers were called by security at Regent’s Park at 17:17hrs.
Kumbuka, a western lowland silverback, arrived at ZSL London Zoo in early 2013 from Paignton Zoo in Devon and is among at least seven gorillas living in Gorilla Kingdom, which was opened in 2007.
He is father of the two infants Alika, 3, and Jernot who was born last year.
Five animals have now escaped from their enclosures at the zoo since 1948 coming after a chimpanzee named Cholmondley in 1948, Goldie the eagle in 1965, a red panda in 2009 and a peahen in 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment