Human interference has caused the death of a gorilla in Alberta, Canada, according to officials at the Calgary Zoo.
Eyare, a two-year-old western gorilla, died last week after being hit in the head by a hydraulic door a worker accidentally set up, the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday. The worker was trying to separate Eyare from the other members of the gorilla group so he could do a training session on his own.
The gorilla died of head injuries, reportedly.
“This tragedy has hit us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, the Calgary Zoo’s director of animal care, said at a news conference. “Eyare’s short but powerful life brought great joy to our community, and he will be greatly missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents. “
The employee was removed from the work site and will be transferred to another area of the zoo, Baird said.
The zoo said it will implement preventive measures – including staff training and animal behavior training – to prevent another incident like this in the future.
This is not the first time that an animal has died of other than natural causes at the zoo. In 2016, an otter drowned after becoming addicted to “unauthorized” pants a zookeeper dropped in its enclosure. A penguin died in a “freak accident” when he swallowed a stick in 2013. And in 2009, a capybara was also accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door.
Animal Justice, a Canadian non-profit that supports animal welfare, has called for an independent review of animal welfare and monitoring at the Alberta facility.
“Calgary Zoo appears to have a high mortality rate compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted publicly by the government or an outside party,” said Camille. Labchuk, director of a non-profit organization. CNN has arrived at another solution.
The Calgary Zoo has rebutted claims that they have a higher mortality rate than other zoos, saying they follow the same operating procedures and have been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.
“We love and care for the more than 4,000 animals that represent the more than 100 species that call our zoo home,” a Calgary Zoo spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “Animal deaths caused by human error are rare. In the last decade, we have seen two such losses—the North American river otter in 2016 and the ‘Eyare’ last week. Although uncommon, deaths caused by one person are too many. These tragic events were used as important learning opportunities, enabling us to review and strengthen protocols to promote a high level of care. “
The use of hydraulic doors “is common with zoos that are overloaded,” Baird said in a news conference, but the center will investigate changes to other doors to improve safety.
The Calgary Zoo, which launched the conservation organization Wilder Institute in 2021, cares for more than 4,000 animals, including six more western gorillas.
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