A young gorilla at a Canadian zoo died after a staff member accidentally crushed its head with a hydraulic door. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on November 12 at the Calgary Zoo in Alberta. Eyare, a 2-year-old western lowland gorilla, was “roaming bedroom to bedroom” with its gorilla mates when a staffer was trying to separate it from the troop for a solo training session, the zoo said in a statement. However, the carer “mistakenly activated the wrong door, resulting in Eyare being struck by the door and sustaining traumatic head injuries,” it added.
“The gorilla team retrieved Eyare from the troop and the veterinary team immediately commenced lifesaving measures, including CPR. Sadly, Eyare succumbed to her injuries,” said Colleen Baird, the zoo’s director of animal care, per the Post.
“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable. Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents,” Mr Baird added.
Separately, the zoo said that the death “was determined to be an accident caused by human error”. The staff member involved in the incident was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo, they continued.
According to authorities, other staff will also face fresh training. The zoo will implement preventive measures – including animal behavioural training – to avoid another incident like this in the future. Moreover, the zoo is also looking at safer alternatives to hydraulic doors “to enhance overall safety and improve staff confidence while reducing safety risks”.
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Following the incident, Animal Justice, a Canadian nonprofit that advocates for the humane treatment of animals, called for an independent investigation into animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility. “The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths 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 transparently by the government or another outside party,” said Camille Labchuk, the nonprofit’s executive director, per CNN.
However, the Calgary zoo refuted the claim, saying that they adhere to operational standards and have upheld accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.
“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home. Animal deaths caused by human error are extraordinarily rare. In the past 10 years, we have experienced two such losses-a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ last week,” a spokesperson for the Calgary Zoo said in a statement to CNN.
“While uncommon, even one human-caused mortality is one too many. These tragic incidents have been used as critical learning opportunities, driving us to review and to strengthen protocols to uphold the highest standards of care,” they added.