JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A gorilla at a Florida zoo drowned when it fell into a moat while trying to escape from another gorilla.
Ben, a 21-year-old male on loan from the Oklahoma City Zoo, was one of four gorillas in the exhibit at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. He was being chased by Quito when he slipped into the chest-high moat.
Zoo employees who observed the incident said it was not clear if Quito, who bit Ben in the leg last month, was being aggressive or playful. The zoo puts young males together in an attempt to duplicate the socializing they would get in the wild.
Ben made no attempt to climb out of the moat. A rescue attempt was delayed by about a minute because Quito would not leave the area, and employees had to approach Ben from the other side of the moat.
By the time he was pulled out, the gorilla was unconscious and attempts to revive him with oxygen did not succeed.
Zoo officials said they plan to look at their exhibits to see if redesign is needed. Moats have been used instead of bars and fences, for animals that dislike water.
