GORILLA CRADLES CRITICALLY HURT BOY AFTER FALL INTO PIT.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency.Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. A 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla gorilla, an ape, Gorilla gorilla, native to the lowland and mountain forests of western and central equatorial Africa. It is the largest of the apes, the males reaching a height of 5 to 6 ft (150–190 cm) with a 9-ft (144–cm) arm spread. exhibit at the Brookfield Zoo The Brookfield Zoo is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of 216 acres (874,124 m²) and houses around 450 species of animals. on Friday afternoon, and was rescued by a female gorilla who cradled the child and brought him to zoo keepers. The child injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. his head falling 18 feet onto concrete in an area with seven gorillas. He was still alert when taken to a hospital, but was listed in critical condition later. Binti, a 7-year-old female with a baby gorilla on her back, picked up the boy, cradled him in her arms, and placed him near a door where zoo keepers could retrieve the boy, said zoo spokeswoman Sondra Katzen. ``Another gorilla walked toward the boy and she kind of turned around and walked away from the other gorillas and tried to be protective,'' said zoogoer Carrie Stewart. Zoo keepers also sprayed water on the exhibit to keep the other gorillas away from the boy as Binti, who was raised by humans, took control of the situation, said another zoo spokeswoman Melinda Pruett-Jones. ``They controlled the animals beautifully and had an emergency medical crew working on the little boy as soon as they possibly could,'' said Pruett-Jones. Gorillas do not seek out confrontation but will defend their families if approached, said Kelly McGrath, spokeswoman for the Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo is a free zoo located in Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, when the Lincoln Park Commissioners were given a gift of a pair of swans. In 1874, the swans were joined by a bear cub, the first animal purchased for the zoo. in Chicago. Katzen said she did not know how the child got over a three- or four-foot railing. She said she believes the boy had run ahead of his mother. The child was in critical condition late Friday night at Loyola University Medical Center Loyola University Medical Center, founded in 1969 by Loyola University as its teaching hospital, is a Level I Trauma Center located in Maywood, Illinois, west of Chicago. The hospital complex includes the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital and the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. . Spokesman Michael Maggio said he did not know what injuries the child sustained and that the boy's parents were not available to comment. Katzen said it was the first time anyone had fallen into the gorilla pit in its 14 years at the zoo, located about 10 miles west of downtown Chicago. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Binti, a 7-year-old gorilla with her baby, Koola, re scued a boy who fell 18 feet into a zoo enclosure enclosure (inclosure) n. land bounded by a fence, wall, hedge, ditch or other physical evidence of boundary. Unfortunately, too often these creations are not included among the actual legally-described boundaries and cause legal problems. ENCLOSURE. in Chicago on Friday. Associated Press |
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