Latest news with #BintiJua
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Little Boy, 3, Unconscious After Falling 24 Feet into Zoo Enclosure. Seconds Later, Female Gorilla Picked Him Up
Binti Jua became a hero when she rescued a 3-year-old boy who fell into her gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago She safely scooped the boy up and delivered him to zookeepers, who were waiting at the door to her habitat Binti Jua is still alive today, greeting visitors at the Brookfield ZooIt's been nearly three decades since the world's hairiest hero burst into public consciousness. In 1996, a 3-year-old boy tumbled 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure after sliding through a barrier at a Chicago-area zoo. What happened next was as surprising as it was endearing. Video from the Brookfield Zoo's Western Lowland Gorilla Pit showed a then-8-year-old gorilla named Binti Jua making her way to the unconscious tot. Onlookers feared the worst, wondering what the 160-lb. great ape would do to the tiny intruder. Binti Jua, who had her own 17-month-old baby clinging to her back, stunned everyone as she carefully picked the lifeless boy up around his waist, cradled him in her arms and carried him to a service door where zoo officials awaited. Upon gingerly putting the child down, she scurried away, Sondra Catzen, a zoo spokeswoman, told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay. The incident garnered international headlines and has been discussed ever since, particularly 20 years later at a Cincinnati Zoo, when another child fell into a gorilla enclosure — that time, though, things took a much darker turn, as zoo officials shot and killed the 450-lb. gorilla named Harambe, who was seen dragging the child. Whereas Harambe was male, Binti Jua was female, which could have factored into the differing results. In the year that followed, many attributed Binti Jua's actions to her 'motherly instinct.' "She was somewhat protective, too. Part of the video, she takes the child and sort of turns a shoulder to the other gorillas," zoo worker Jay Peterson told CBS News in 2011. In addition, zookeepers noted that Binti Jua, whose name means "daughter of sunshine' in Swahili, was born in captivity and raised by humans, so seeing the person in her midst wasn't completely foreign. The boy, who's never been publicly named, spent four days in the hospital, but only suffered a broken hand and facial cuts. In the wake of the five-minute incident, Binti Jua became an ever greater attraction at the zoo and was showered with gifts and letters from around the world. The Chicago Tribune reported that several people offered money to adopt Binti Jua, and an Illinois grocer gifted her 25 lbs. of bananas as a means of thanks. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Binti Jua, who arrived at the Brookfield Zoo in 1991 on a breeding loan from the San Francisco Zoo, still lives in Brookfield's gorilla exhibit. In March, she celebrated her 37th birthday. According to National Geographic, Western Lowland gorillas typically live to 35 years old in the wild, but usually live longer under human care. They are listed as a 'critically endangered species.' The World Wildlife Fund reports that the gorilla's numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years due to poaching and disease. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Little Boy, 3, Unconscious After Falling 24 Feet into Zoo Enclosure. Seconds Later, Female Gorilla Picked Him Up
Binti Jua became a hero when she rescued a 3-year-old boy who fell into her gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago She safely scooped the boy up and delivered him to zookeepers, who were waiting at the door to her habitat Binti Jua is still alive today, greeting visitors at the Brookfield ZooIt's been nearly three decades since the world's hairiest hero burst into public consciousness. In 1996, a 3-year-old boy tumbled 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure after sliding through a barrier at a Chicago-area zoo. What happened next was as surprising as it was endearing. Video from the Brookfield Zoo's Western Lowland Gorilla Pit showed a then-8-year-old gorilla named Binti Jua making her way to the unconscious tot. Onlookers feared the worst, wondering what the 160-lb. great ape would do to the tiny intruder. Binti Jua, who had her own 17-month-old baby clinging to her back, stunned everyone as she carefully picked the lifeless boy up around his waist, cradled him in her arms and carried him to a service door where zoo officials awaited. Upon gingerly putting the child down, she scurried away, Sondra Catzen, a zoo spokeswoman, told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay. The incident garnered international headlines and has been discussed ever since, particularly 20 years later at a Cincinnati Zoo, when another child fell into a gorilla enclosure — that time, though, things took a much darker turn, as zoo officials shot and killed the 450-lb. gorilla named Harambe, who was seen dragging the child. Whereas Harambe was male, Binti Jua was female, which could have factored into the differing results. In the year that followed, many attributed Binti Jua's actions to her 'motherly instinct.' "She was somewhat protective, too. Part of the video, she takes the child and sort of turns a shoulder to the other gorillas," zoo worker Jay Peterson told CBS News in 2011. In addition, zookeepers noted that Binti Jua, whose name means "daughter of sunshine' in Swahili, was born in captivity and raised by humans, so seeing the person in her midst wasn't completely foreign. The boy, who's never been publicly named, spent four days in the hospital, but only suffered a broken hand and facial cuts. In the wake of the five-minute incident, Binti Jua became an ever greater attraction at the zoo and was showered with gifts and letters from around the world. The Chicago Tribune reported that several people offered money to adopt Binti Jua, and an Illinois grocer gifted her 25 lbs. of bananas as a means of thanks. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Binti Jua, who arrived at the Brookfield Zoo in 1991 on a breeding loan from the San Francisco Zoo, still lives in Brookfield's gorilla exhibit. In March, she celebrated her 37th birthday. According to National Geographic, Western Lowland gorillas typically live to 35 years old in the wild, but usually live longer under human care. They are listed as a 'critically endangered species.' The World Wildlife Fund reports that the gorilla's numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years due to poaching and disease. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Little Boy, 3, Unconscious After Falling 24 Feet into Zoo Enclosure. Seconds Later, Female Gorilla Picked Him Up
Binti Jua became a hero when she rescued a 3-year-old boy who fell into her gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago She safely scooped the boy up and delivered him to zookeepers, who were waiting at the door to her habitat Binti Jua is still alive today, greeting visitors at the Brookfield ZooIt's been nearly three decades since the world's hairiest hero burst into public consciousness. In 1996, a 3-year-old boy tumbled 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure after sliding through a barrier at a Chicago-area zoo. What happened next was as surprising as it was endearing. Video from the Brookfield Zoo's Western Lowland Gorilla Pit showed a then-8-year-old gorilla named Binti Jua making her way to the unconscious tot. Onlookers feared the worst, wondering what the 160-lb. great ape would do to the tiny intruder. Binti Jua, who had her own 17-month-old baby clinging to her back, stunned everyone as she carefully picked the lifeless boy up around his waist, cradled him in her arms and carried him to a service door where zoo officials awaited. Upon gingerly putting the child down, she scurried away, Sondra Catzen, a zoo spokeswoman, told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. At the time of the incident, six other gorillas were in the exhibit, and zookeepers used a hose to keep them at bay. The incident garnered international headlines and has been discussed ever since, particularly 20 years later at a Cincinnati Zoo, when another child fell into a gorilla enclosure — that time, though, things took a much darker turn, as zoo officials shot and killed the 450-lb. gorilla named Harambe, who was seen dragging the child. Whereas Harambe was male, Binti Jua was female, which could have factored into the differing results. In the year that followed, many attributed Binti Jua's actions to her 'motherly instinct.' "She was somewhat protective, too. Part of the video, she takes the child and sort of turns a shoulder to the other gorillas," zoo worker Jay Peterson told CBS News in 2011. In addition, zookeepers noted that Binti Jua, whose name means "daughter of sunshine' in Swahili, was born in captivity and raised by humans, so seeing the person in her midst wasn't completely foreign. The boy, who's never been publicly named, spent four days in the hospital, but only suffered a broken hand and facial cuts. In the wake of the five-minute incident, Binti Jua became an ever greater attraction at the zoo and was showered with gifts and letters from around the world. The Chicago Tribune reported that several people offered money to adopt Binti Jua, and an Illinois grocer gifted her 25 lbs. of bananas as a means of thanks. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Binti Jua, who arrived at the Brookfield Zoo in 1991 on a breeding loan from the San Francisco Zoo, still lives in Brookfield's gorilla exhibit. In March, she celebrated her 37th birthday. According to National Geographic, Western Lowland gorillas typically live to 35 years old in the wild, but usually live longer under human care. They are listed as a 'critically endangered species.' The World Wildlife Fund reports that the gorilla's numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years due to poaching and disease. Read the original article on People
Axios
31-03-2025
- General
- Axios
Exclusive: Brookfield Zoo prepares gorillas for new $66M habitat
Brookfield Zoo has relocated its gorillas to prepare them for their new $66 million habitat opening this summer. The big picture: At nearly three acres, the forthcoming James and Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests will be one of the largest homes for primates among U.S. zoos. It's part of the zoo's Next Century Plan. The latest: While the zoo finishes the new tropical forests, the gorillas, including six critically endangered western lowland gorillas, have been moved into a new indoor habitat. Zoom in: The indoor facility is meant to prepare the gorillas for their future home by giving them access to new structures and face-to-face interactions with the animal care teams. Zoom out: The Bramsen Tropical Forests will have four expansive outdoor habitats for western lowland gorillas, Bornean orangutans and several species of monkeys, and two indoor facilities, one of which the public can view. The current troop includes the leader, Jontu (28), a silverback, adult male gorilla; Binti Jua (37, female) and four gorillas born at Brookfield Zoo Chicago: Koola (30, female), Kamba (20, female), Nora (11, female) and Ali (6, female). A group of "bachelor" gorillas, which typically includes two to four male gorillas, will join the troop when the Bramsen Tropical Forests opens.
