Gorilla warfare! Shocking moment massive ape punches the glass wall of his enclosure and startles visitors at Madrid Zoo
- Visitors at the Madrid Zoo were shocked when a gorilla punched the glass wall of its enclosure
- Gorilla sat calmly before scampering out of the camera’s view following the jab
- The western lowland gorilla is the largest primate on earth and is critically endangered
Startled visitors at a zoo were thankful to be on the other side of an enclosure when massive gorilla suddenly punched at the glass.
Footage from visitors at the Madrid Zoo in Spain show them marveling at a western lowland gorilla calmly sitting inside his enclosure.
The group watches with rapt attention as the gorilla slowly gets on all fours and begins walking across a log.
Visitors at the Madrid Zoo marveled at a western lowland gorilla while it sat inside an enclosure
Without warning, the seemingly gentle gorilla suddenly lunges at the glass wall and strikes it with a powerful thud.
The visitors let out squeals and gasps at the gorilla’s unexpected jab, before breaking down into disbelieving chuckles.
The gorilla escapes off into a another section of the enclosure before climbing up a series of stones out of the camera’s view.
The gorilla suddenly lunges off the log and strikes the glass wall as visitors let out startled yelps
The gorilla immediately ran off camera and climbed onto a series of nearby stones
The western lowland gorilla is the largest primate on earth and is considered critically endangered.
‘Because of poaching and disease, the gorilla’s numbers have declined by more than 60% over the last 20 to 25 years. Even if all of the threats to western lowland gorillas were removed, scientists calculate that the population would require some 75 years to recover,’ according to World Wide Fund for Nature.
National Geographic reports that western lowland gorillas are facing habitat destruction and assaults by people hunting gorilla for bushmeat.
Farming, grazing and an expansion of human settlements are also shrinking the gorilla’s space.
The sizable creatures can weigh as much as 440 pounds and can reach heights of over five feet when standing on two feet.
Scientists do not have an accurate estimate of the species population, as they span several countries like Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.