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Exotic Incident #615

Incident Date:
09/28/2003
Location:
Boston, MA - USA
Facility Name:
Franklin Park Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Escape of animal (EA)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Gorilla
Animal disposition:
Recaptured

Summary:

Little Joe, a 5-foot-tall, 300-pound gorilla, escaped from his cage at the Franklin Park Zoo by scaling a 10-foot-wide, 12-foot-deep moat, getting past electric wire, and leaving the zoo grounds just before closing. During the escape, Little Joe attacked an 18-year-old woman, throwing her several feet in air, stepping on her, dragging her, and biting her on her back. The woman was holding a 2-year-old girl who was snatched out of her arms and slammed to the ground. The child, whose front teeth were pushed back, was hospitalized after doctors stitched up her head. Little Joe was found two hours later, sitting at a bus stop, and was recaptured using tranquilizer darts as a crowd of more than 100 people watched. This was Little Joe’s second escape from the zoo this year.

Action take by Born Free USA:

Notes: