Gorilla at a Canadian zoo died after worker mistakenly activated wrong door

Gorilla at Calgary Zoo died after worker mistakenly activated wrong door, zoo officials say

Human error led to the death of a young gorilla in Alberta, Canada, according to officials at the Calgary Zoo. Eyare, a 2-year-old western lowland gorilla, died last week after being struck in the head by a hydraulic door a staff member accidentally activated, the zoo said in a statement Wednesday. The worker was trying to separate Eyare from other members of the gorilla troop for a solo training session. The gorilla died of traumatic head injuries, according to the statement. “This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, Calgary Zoo’s director of animal care, said at a news conference. “Eyare’s short but impactful life brought so much joy to our community, and she will be deeply missed by all. We will do everything we can to prevent future incidents.” The staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo, Baird said. The zoo said it will implement preventative measures – including specialized staff training and animal behavioral training – to avoid another incident like this in the future.