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In 1996, an unidentified 8-year-old boy slipped away from his mother, climbed over a barrier, and fell into the Gorilla Enclosure. Due to the 20 ft fall, the boy broke his hand and suffered a deep laceration to his face.
Seven gorillas inhabited the enclosure. Gorillas are known to be fiercely territorial animals. They will fight to the death to defend their families.
However, one of the gorillas, called Binti Jua, meaning "daughter of sunshine" went over to the boy and cradled him in her arms, all while her own young child was on her back.
She then went over to the edge of the enclosure and waited for the zookeepers to come and collect the child. Binti handed the child over peacefully before returning to the rest of the gorillas.
Binti received worldwide praise and received regular treats for the next few weeks. The boy and the mother have never been identified, but the boy did stay in a hospital for 4 days.
Animal behavioral experts claim that Binti used her maternal instincts to look after the child. This may have been influenced by the fact that she had her own baby Gorilla with her at the time, named Koola.
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