ZOO GORILLA GOES BANANAS!
Traps 2 terrified keepers in his pen
A GARGANTUAN silverback gorilla went ape at the Fort Worth Zoo, charging at two staffers trapped in his enclosure as horrified visitors prayed aloud for the trapped women’s safety!
Hulking Elmo, 34, wasn’t tickled to discover humans in his lair. The burly beast stormed out of a cave-like cutout and barreled toward the startled gals, who didn’t realize the enormous animal was in the exhibit!
The first frightened zookeeper tossed a bucket and sprinted to safety, cowering behind a partial closed door and calling for help on a radio.
Meanwhile, the second gal stood dangerously close to the peeved primate!
However, easily distracted Elmo shifted his attention elsewhere, giving the employee the opportunity to hide behind a tree and ultimately scurry out of harm’s way.
Former security officer Ben White, who was the first to respond to the monkey business, captured the bananas two-and-a-half-minute incident in October — but didn’t publicly release the video until leaving his job in March.
Male silverbacks can weigh as much as 430 pounds and shockingly stand up to six feet tall!
Dr. Billy Gunnels, a professor of biology at Florida Gulf Coast University, says the harrowing situation could have easily turned tragic given the great ape’s enormous strength.
A spokesperson for the facility admits there was an “incident” in which the colossal critter was “sharing space” with his minders. But the rep insists, “There was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla, and all staff and animals are safe.”