Astonishing new footage how Harambe the gorilla was protecting a four-year-old boy who fell into his cage - minutes before he was shot dead.
Moments later, the 17-year-old gorilla was fatally shot by zoo staff in a bid to protect the boy who had fallen 12 feet into the enclosure.
However, eyewitnesses have claimed that the gorilla was showing no aggressive behaviour towards the boy.
It is claimed that screams from those watching the unfolding situation panicked the animal, causing him to drag the child at a quick speed across the water.
And in this latest video from the dramatic scene, the boy is seen sat calmly next to the massive animal.
In one moment, the gorilla even appears to wrap his arms around the boy.
At one point the boy and gorilla even appear to briefly hold hands.
The boy's mother Michelle Gregg has faced criticism for social media users and animal rights campaigners, who claim she should have been keeping a closer eye on her child.
Some animal lovers even suggested she and the boy's father Deonne Dickerson should have been shot and killed instead of the gorilla Harambe.
Picture shows Deonne Dickerson and Michelle Gregg smiling for the camera
Responding to the criticism on Facebook, she said: "I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today.
"What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one.
"For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo.
"God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him."
Brittany Nicely was at the zoo with her children when she witnessed the incident.
NATURE OF HUMAN NATURE
Gorillas are some of the most powerful and striking animals, not
only for their size and force, but also for their gentle human like behavior.
They play a crucial role in local biodiversity, roaming through large
territories and helping, for example, to spread the seeds of the fruit they
consume.
GORILLA
NEWS
World Ranger
Congress calls for better tools and training
©
naturepl.com/Andy Rouse / WWF
Key facts
·
Common
names
Gorilla; Gorille (Fr);
Gorila (Sp)
·
Species
Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla spp), eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei spp)
·
Location
Tropical and subtropical
forests in Central Africa
·
Status
Endangered to Critically
Endangered, depending on the subspecies
GORILLA
NEWS
World Ranger
Congress calls for better tools and training
Intelligent, charismatic, and endangered
Gorillas are our closest living relatives after chimpanzees and bonobos.
The two gorilla species live in equatorial Africa, separated by
about 900km of Congo Basin forest. Each has a lowland and upland subspecies.
Western gorilla:
Western gorilla:
·
Western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla),
·
Cross River gorilla (G.
g. diehli)
Eastern gorilla:
·
Mountain gorilla (G.
b. beringei)
·
Eastern lowland or Grauer’s gorilla (G. b. graueri)
All four subspecies are either Endangered or Critically Endangered, threatened by hunting for bushmeat, habitat loss, wildlife trade, and infectious diseases.
Physical description
The largest living primates, gorillas are stocky animals with
broad chests and shoulders, large hands, and forearms that are much shorter
than the upper arm. The face is black and hairless, with small eyes that
are close together and large, prominent nostrils.
Adult males are identified by a sagittal crest along the midline of the skull and an area of white hair on the back, which is why they are known as ‘silverbacks.’
Eastern gorillas are the larger species, and have darker and longer fur, particularly on their arms. In comparison, western lowland gorillas have shorter hair that is gray or brown with a tendency to red on their heads.
To add to these differences, lighter hair on western silverbacks stretches to their thighs, as opposed to the more defined patch in the otherwise dark backs of eastern gorillas.
Size: Adult males weigh up to 200kg, with females around half this size. Can reach a height of 1.2-1.7 meters when standing on 2 feet.
Adult males are identified by a sagittal crest along the midline of the skull and an area of white hair on the back, which is why they are known as ‘silverbacks.’
Eastern gorillas are the larger species, and have darker and longer fur, particularly on their arms. In comparison, western lowland gorillas have shorter hair that is gray or brown with a tendency to red on their heads.
To add to these differences, lighter hair on western silverbacks stretches to their thighs, as opposed to the more defined patch in the otherwise dark backs of eastern gorillas.
Size: Adult males weigh up to 200kg, with females around half this size. Can reach a height of 1.2-1.7 meters when standing on 2 feet.
Orphaned Western Lowland Gorilla reintroduced into the wild.
© ©
Martin HARVEY / WWF
Forest families
Gorillas typically live in the lowland tropical rainforests of
Central Africa, although some subspecies are found in montane rainforest
(between 1,500 and 3,500 meters) and in bamboo forest (between 2,500 to 3,000
meters).
Social structure
Gorillas have a well-developed social structure, forming stable family groups in which the dominant male keeps his position for years.
Group size is usually 5-10 individuals, but can vary from 2 to over 50 members. According to group size, habitat quality and food availability, a group's home range may vary from 5 to over 30km², with frequent overlap between group ranges.
If a male leaves a group, he wanders alone for a number of years, then sometimes establishes a range next to or overlapping that of his old group.
Adult males that stay in a group are generally the offspring of the dominant male and eventually will take over leadership.
As a general rule, female gorillas leave their group at maturity to join other groups or single males, although cases of females reproducing in their original groups are known.
Life cycle
Females become sexually mature at 7-8 years old, but do not start to breed until several years later. Males mature later than females, with few breeding before the age of 15 years.
High infant mortality, a long gestation (8.5 months), a tendency to single births, and a prolonged period of maternal care mean that, on average, only one baby is reared in a 4-6 year period. Females generally give birth to only three or four surviving young during their reproductive life.
The mortality rate for gorillas less than one year old is high, but for adults the rate is only 5%. In the wild, they might live to be 40 years old. In the United States, a captive gorilla was reported to have lived to the age of 54.
Diet
Gorillas are mainly herbivorous (vegetarian) and spend almost half of the day feeding on stems, bamboo shoots, and a variety of fruits, supplemented with bark and invertebrates.
At some sites, western lowland gorillas have been known to break open termite nests and feed on the larvae.
Social structure
Gorillas have a well-developed social structure, forming stable family groups in which the dominant male keeps his position for years.
Group size is usually 5-10 individuals, but can vary from 2 to over 50 members. According to group size, habitat quality and food availability, a group's home range may vary from 5 to over 30km², with frequent overlap between group ranges.
If a male leaves a group, he wanders alone for a number of years, then sometimes establishes a range next to or overlapping that of his old group.
Adult males that stay in a group are generally the offspring of the dominant male and eventually will take over leadership.
As a general rule, female gorillas leave their group at maturity to join other groups or single males, although cases of females reproducing in their original groups are known.
Life cycle
Females become sexually mature at 7-8 years old, but do not start to breed until several years later. Males mature later than females, with few breeding before the age of 15 years.
High infant mortality, a long gestation (8.5 months), a tendency to single births, and a prolonged period of maternal care mean that, on average, only one baby is reared in a 4-6 year period. Females generally give birth to only three or four surviving young during their reproductive life.
The mortality rate for gorillas less than one year old is high, but for adults the rate is only 5%. In the wild, they might live to be 40 years old. In the United States, a captive gorilla was reported to have lived to the age of 54.
Diet
Gorillas are mainly herbivorous (vegetarian) and spend almost half of the day feeding on stems, bamboo shoots, and a variety of fruits, supplemented with bark and invertebrates.
At some sites, western lowland gorillas have been known to break open termite nests and feed on the larvae.
© ©
Chloé Cippoletta
PRIORITY
PLACE
HABITAT
Major habitat type
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Biogeographic realm
Afrotropical
Range States
Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda
Ecological Region
Guinean Moist Forests, Congolian Coastal Forests, Cameroon Highlands Forests, Northeastern Congo Basin Moist Forests, Central Congo Basin Moist Forests, Western Congo Basin Moist Forests, Albertine Rift Montane Forests
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Biogeographic realm
Afrotropical
Range States
Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda
Ecological Region
Guinean Moist Forests, Congolian Coastal Forests, Cameroon Highlands Forests, Northeastern Congo Basin Moist Forests, Central Congo Basin Moist Forests, Western Congo Basin Moist Forests, Albertine Rift Montane Forests
Population & distribution
Many gorilla populations have declined or completely disappeared
over the past few decades.
The lowland subspecies are more numerous and widespread than the upland and mountain subspecies. Mountain gorillas are the only gorillas to show an increase in numbers, but the overall population size is still very low.
The lowland subspecies are more numerous and widespread than the upland and mountain subspecies. Mountain gorillas are the only gorillas to show an increase in numbers, but the overall population size is still very low.
·
The western lowland gorilla is
the most widespread, possibly numbering 100,000.
·
The Cross River gorilla is currently the world’s rarest great
ape, with a population of only around 250-300 restricted to a small area of
highland forest on the border of Cameroon and Nigeria.
·
The population of the eastern lowland gorilla has crashed in recent decades and is
now under 4,000.
·
The total population of mountain gorillas is around 880 individuals, split into
two separate groups.
PRIORITY SPECIES
As a great ape, gorillas are a WWF priority species.
WWF treats priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically
and/or culturally important species on our planet. As such, we are working to
ensure gorillas can live and thrive in their natural habitats.
VIRUNGA
UNDER THREAT
MEET THE GORILLAS
Get up and close to this highly threatened species with our special gorilla section
View Gorilla populations in a larger map
Red: Western gorilla populations (western lowland & Cross River
gorillas)
Orange: Eastern gorilla populations (eastern lowland and mountain gorillas)
Orange: Eastern gorilla populations (eastern lowland and mountain gorillas)
Gorillas have been a flagship species for WWF for 50 years. We
are actively working to protect all four gorilla subspecies through:
·
Improving the effectiveness of protected areas.
·
Stopping the illegal trade in gorilla products. For example, we are funding and equipping anti-poaching
patrols of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) in war-torn
DRC.
·
Increasing support for gorilla conservation among both local and international communities
Gorilla conservation programs not only work to protect the
gorillas themselves but also help to protect thousands of other species of
animals and plants that are found in gorilla habitat.
» WWF African Great Apes Programme
» More on our work in the Congo Basin
» WWF African Great Apes Programme
» More on our work in the Congo Basin
WWF IN THE FIELD
Angelique Todd, Gorilla Expert
How you can help
·
Visit the gorillas! Money earned through gorilla tourism contributes significantly
to the conservation of the species – providing funds
for conservation projects and creating jobs and bringing other
benefits to local communities living near gorillas. To visit the gorillas of Dzanga-Sangha in
Central African Republic, contact: info@dzanga-sangha.org.
·
Give a gift! Buy
a "Gorilla's Paradise"
WWF gift and help support the Gamba
Complex of
protected areas in Gabon – home to western lowland gorillas as well as
hippos, elephants and much more.
·
Buy sustainable wood. By
purchasing FSC-certified forest
products, consumers, retailers, traders, and manufacturers
help protect gorilla habitat by encouraging sustainable forestry and limiting illegal logging. Without the FSC label, your timber may
well stem from illegal or controversial sources in central Africa.
·
Donate to WWF to
help support our great ape conservation work.
See how your donation helps...
See how your donation helps...
·
Spread the word! Click on the button to
share this information with others via email or your favourite social
networking service.
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