Young gorilla Eyare dies in Calgary zoo after tragic accident

calgary, canada - Eyare, a young gorilla at the Calgary Zoo in Canada, passed away after a tragic accident caused by a caretaker activating a hydraulic door that hit the gorilla on the head.

In the Calgary Zoo in Canada, a young gorilla named Eyare died after a caretaker accidentally activated a hydraulic door that struck the gorilla's head. The caretaking team tried to save the 2-year-old Eyare, but to no avail.

The female gorilla Eyare, a western lowland gorilla, was roaming around different 'bedrooms' in the zoo's gorilla enclosure on 12th November, interacting with the other gorillas in the habitat. When one of her caretakers attempted to activate a hydraulic door to separate Eyare from her troop for an individual training session, she mistakenly triggered the wrong door. 'Eyare was hit and suffered a traumatic head injury,' said Colleen Baird from the Calgary Zoo. Eyare was immediately removed from her troop and veterinarians tried to resuscitate her, but the young gorilla succumbed to her injuries.

'This tragedy has deeply affected all of us,' said Baird. 'Eyare's short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community. She will be greatly missed by everyone. We will do everything possible to prevent future incidents.'

The zoo has immediately launched a formal investigation into Eyare's death, and the caretaker responsible for the mistake has been transferred to another part of the zoo. To prevent a similar incident from occurring again, the gorilla care team will receive additional training in operating the hydraulic doors in the future. The gorillas will also undergo training to teach them to stay at a safe distance from the doors. The zoo is also exploring the possibility of replacing the hydraulic doors with a different technology.

Following Eyare's death, there are still six western lowland gorillas residing at the Calgary Zoo, which is home to a total of 4,000 animals. This is not the first time an animal in the zoo has died an unnatural death. In 2016, an otter drowned after getting entangled in a pair of pants dropped by a caretaker in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died after swallowing a stick, and in 2009, a capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door.

The Canadian animal rights organization Animal Justice is calling for an independent investigation into the safety of animals at the Calgary Zoo. According to the organization, a relatively high number of animals die unnatural deaths in the zoo, a claim disputed by the zoo itself.