A massive gorilla was seen charging at the wall of its enclosure at a California zoo, smashing a portion of a thick glass panel in front of horrified onlookers, shocking video captured.
Denny, a 10-year-old western lowland gorilla, shattered one layer of a three-layered tempered glass panel at the San Diego Zoo’s gorilla forest habitat on Saturday, zoo officials confirmed, according to CBS8.
Footage obtained by the outlet captured him catapulting toward the glass wall, causing several onlookers to gasp and scream as they walked away from the habitat.
Images also showed members of the crowd investigating the partially shattered panel, following the smashing session.
Denny was not injured in the incident. He and the other gorilla living in the enclosure will be cared for while the panel is replaced, the outlet reported.
Previously, Denny had lived with his other siblings, including his brother Maka, who suddenly died in August at the age of 30 from a cardiac event, the zoo announced.
Dr. Erin Riley, an anthropology professor at San Diego State University, said several factors could have provoked the behavior, including Denny’s grief for his late brother, CBS8 reported.
“Gorillas, particularly males, will often do what we call ‘charging displays,’ as a kind of an act of like showing off,” Riley told the outlet. “What I don’t know, of course, since I wasn’t there, is whether or not there was something that kind of provoked, that display behavior.
“One of the things that gorillas actually don’t like is to be stared at directly in the eyes, and that’s not something that zoo visitors always understand.”
It’s also possible that the large primate was simply having fun, but since his attention was directed at the glass, it could indicate something occurring amongst spectators that could have made him feel “a little bit threatened,” Riley theorized.
Western lowland gorillas are the largest primates in the world, with adult males weighing up to 500 pounds, according to the zoo’s website.
The species is endangered due to deforestation in its central African habitats.
The San Diego Zoo did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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