Visitors to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park got an unexpected mixed-species surprise when a German shepherd dog suddenly appeared in the middle of the gorilla exhibit. With the gorillas. No word yet on where the dog came from. It had no collar or microchip, nor did it appear to be a service animal that was brought into the Park. Instead, it seems to have been a stray or runaway who somehow wormed its way inside and then, for reasons best known to it, jumped into the gorilla habitat.
Of all of the exhibits at the Park, this is probably the best one for a dog to have wound up in, to be honest - not that any of them would have been ideal. It could have gotten in with the lions or tigers, which would have certainly killed it, or in with the kangaroos or birds, in which case it may have caused a panic that would have resulted in death or injury to the Park's animals. Or, it could have gotten loose in one of the sprawling, multi-acre savannah yards, where it could have been extremely difficult (and dangerous) to catch, causing stampedes among zebras, rhinos, buffalo, giraffe, and antelope.
Don't worry, this story has a happy ending, as neither dog nor gorilla was harmed. Keepers were able to coax the apes back into their holding area, then went in and retrieved the probably-confused pup. The dog has been turned over to the Humane Society, who will see if they can find the owners and get the dog home... where hopefully he will stay.
No comments:
Post a Comment