Escaped gorilla victim was 'targetted'

Saturday 19 May 2007

The gorilla Bokito which escaped from Rotterdam's Blijdorp zoo on Friday afternoon went on view to the public again on Saturday. But the gorillas' outside enclosure remains closed while the investigation into how the silverback, who weighs 180 kilos, managed to cross a wide ditch full of water to get to the public areas.

Meanwhile, a zoo official said the woman who was attacked and dragged off by Bokito appeared to have been deliberately targeted.

She was a season ticket holder and visited the zoo on a daily basis, spending a lot of time at the gorilla enclosure. The gorilla made straight for her on his escape, ignoring several children, news agency ANP reported.

The woman is under sedation in hospital where she is undergoing several operations. She has a broken wrist and lower arm and was bitten a number of times.

© DutchNews.nl

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