Ben was born at and is on loan from the WCS’s Queens Zoo.Įven though the Andean bear habitat at the Saint Louis Zoo met all standards for this species set forth by the AZA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prior to the habitat’s opening in 2014, and has housed several bears successfully during that time, the SSP, the TAG, the WCS’s Queens Zoo, and the Saint Louis Zoo team focused on Ben’s specific and unique personality to help determine the best home for the young bear. The AZA Bear TAG consists of bear expert advisors who help to identify, manage and support AZA’s cooperative animal care programs to support zoos that work with bears. The Saint Louis Zoo is partners with the AZA Andean Bear SSP, which is a conservation breeding program that manages a genetically healthy population of this endangered species in North American zoos. Louis, Mo (March 21, 2023) Saint Louis Zoo staff experts have consulted with members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Andean Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), the AZA Bear Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Queens Zoo in New York to determine next steps with Andean bear Ben. The zoo prides itself for its work in protecting endangered species, and has been part of successful captive breeding efforts in recent years in the effort to save the endangered Sumatran rhino.St. The zoo will be open on Sunday but officials said the gorilla exhibit has been closed until further notice. Maynard said the zoo believes the exhibit remains safe. The area around the gorilla exhibit was closed off Saturday afternoon as zoo visitors reported hearing screaming. He called it "a very sad day" at the zoo. It was the first time that the team had killed a zoo animal in such an emergency situation, Maynard said. He said tranquilizing the gorilla wouldn't have knocked it out immediately, leaving the boy in danger. Maynard said the gorilla didn't appear to be attacking the child, but he said it was "an extremely strong" animal in an agitated situation. Two female gorillas also were in the enclosure when the boy fell in but zoo officials said only the male remained with the child. How some North Texans fared during Saturday's cold front "This is a huge loss for the zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide." "We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically-endangered gorilla," he said in a news release. "It could have been very bad."īut he mourned the loss of the gorilla, which came to Cincinnati in 2015 from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. "They made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved that little boy's life," Maynard said. Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the zoo's dangerous animal response team decided the boy was in "a life-threatening situation" and that they needed to put down the 400-pound-plus male gorilla named Harambe. Hospital officials said they couldn't release any information on him. He was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he is expected to recover. He was picked up out of the moat and dragged by the gorilla for about 10 minutes.Īuthorities said the child, who has not been identified, fell 10 to 12 feet. Zoo officials said the boy fell after he climbed through a public barrier at the Gorilla World exhibit Saturday afternoon. ![]() The Cincinnati Zoo has temporarily closed its gorilla exhibit after a special zoo response team shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla that grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into a moat.
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