• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Horrific story of woman who paid the price after smiling at gorilla in enclosure

Home> Community

Published 11:12 1 May 2024 GMT+1

Horrific story of woman who paid the price after smiling at gorilla in enclosure

Experts say you should never make eye contact with a gorilla

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

Note to self - never make eye contact with a gorilla.

Back in 2007, a gorilla named Bokito escaped from his enclosure and attacked a woman, causing her serious injuries.

The tale has served as a warning after the woman - who was a regular at the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam - was attacked after she had been regularly smiling and making eye contact towards the animal.

Advert

Bokito escaped from his enclosure in 2007 (JERRY LAMPEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Bokito escaped from his enclosure in 2007 (JERRY LAMPEN/AFP via Getty Images)

According to reports at the time, it all kicked off at the zoo when Bokito responded to children who had been throwing rocks at him.

He then jumped over his enclosure and attacked the woman, reportedly dragging her around before biting her and causing multiple fractures.

He then entered a restaurant, where three more people were injured.

Bokito was eventually sedated with a tranquilliser gun and taken back to his enclosure.

Advert

Meanwhile, the woman was taken to hospital.

In the aftermath, many wondered why Bokito had chosen to attack the woman specifically.

Four people were injured in the attack. (Rob Doolaard/AFP via Getty Images)
Four people were injured in the attack. (Rob Doolaard/AFP via Getty Images)

Apparently, she had been visiting the gorilla on an average of four times a week since he was four months old and had a habit of making eye contact with Bokito and smiling at him - which her husband said she had been advised not to do by a zookeeper.

In an interview with newspaper De Telegraaf, the woman later said: "If I laugh at him, he laughs back."

Advert

But according to the website, Gorilla Trek, making eye contact with a gorilla is a huge no-no.

"To mountain gorillas, any person who keeps direct eye contact with them is a challenger and an enemy who comes to destroy the family," they explain.

"Direct eye contact will therefore force the silverback to charge and fight you in order to defend his family. If you want to be peaceful with gorillas, you should avoid eye contact."

Eye contact with a gorilla is dangerous. (JERRY LAMPEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Eye contact with a gorilla is dangerous. (JERRY LAMPEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Discussing the incident, one person shared their own experience on Reddit: I once worked in a zoo on work experience at 15. I made the briefest of eye contact with a sliver back at the back feeding part of the enclosure, (not dissimilar to silence if the lambs prison, but with fencing) that was enough to of caused it to run at me and smash against the weak looking fencing with both fists and grunting heavily.

Advert

"He then grunt called to the others, who sloped off there platforms and started trying to get me with sticks and throw hay at me, I was quickly escorted out.

"It was prob because a cute baby gorilla was bashing its chest till it fell backwards and I was watching that, and the silver back was watching me in the background.

"They are very much not to be messed with and like pretty much all other animals, not to be imprisoned for our viewing curiosity."

Featured Image Credit: Ed Oudernaarden/Getty Images

Topics: Community, Animals

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • British man who fell into gorilla enclosure as a boy and was protected by silverback tells his story 40 years later
  • Tragic story of conjoined twins who were taken from parents at birth and subjected to horrific experiments
  • Chilling story behind photo of man smiling and sitting on a deck chair before disaster struck
  • Tourists who were pictured at Niagara Falls caught heartbreaking last moments before horrific incident

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
8 hours ago
13 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Every time Melania Trump has sparked 'body double' conspiracy as recent clip reignites theory

    Some people are convinced she's not the real Melania

    Community
  • 8 hours ago

    Melania and Donald Trump both responded to 'body double' conspiracy as recent clip reignites theory

    Will the real First Lady please stand up

    Community
  • 13 hours ago

    Melania Trump ‘body double’ conspiracy theory sparked after people spot what she did at parade

    The great Melania Trump conspiracy theory lives on

    Community
  • 13 hours ago

    Son of man who shot his brother’s karate instructor live on TV shares important detail 40 years later

    Gary Plauché waited in disguise before shooting Jeffrey Doucet

    Community