Gorilla mom protects her baby in family drama at the zoo

In a heartwarming scene at the zoo, a gorilla mom protects her baby from her aggressive father.

The family drama unfolded when the baby gorilla wandered away from its mother and approached its father. The father gorilla began to act aggressively towards the baby, but the mother quickly came to its defense, standing between them and pounding her chest in a protective display.

The rest of the gorillas looked on as the standoff continued, but eventually the father backed off and the family went back to normal.

This is not the first time that a mother gorilla has protected her child from a hostile member of the family. In 2015, a gorilla mom in the UK intervened when her son was being bullied by his uncle.

So why do gorillas have such strong family bonds? One theory is that it helps them survive in the dangerous jungle environment. A group of gorillas is more likely to be able to defend itself against predators than a lone gorilla.

Whatever the reason, it is clear that these animals are capable of great love and loyalty to their families.

Gorilla escape at the zoo leaves community on edge

An escaped gorilla at the local zoo has the community on edge. The incident happened around 8am this morning when a 34-year-old female western lowland gorilla named Babs escaped from her enclosure.

Babs was last seen scaling a fence and running into a wooded area near the zoo. Police and zoo officials are currently searching for the animal, but have warned residents to stay away from the area as Babs is considered "dangerous."

This is not the first time an animal has escaped from the zoo. In fact, it's the third time this year that an animal has escaped. In January, a lemur named Niki got out of its enclosure and was later found in a city park. In March, a gibbon named Harry escaped from his enclosure and was found in a resident's backyard.

Officials say that they are reviewing their security measures and are considering adding additional fencing to enclosures. "We're doing everything we can to make sure this doesn't happen again," said Jane Smith, spokesperson for the zoo.

In the meantime, residents are on edge. Many are afraid to let their children play outdoors and are keeping a close eye on their pets. "I'm never going to let my kids go to that zoo again," said Melissa James, mother of two young children. "I don't know what's going on over there, but it's clearly not safe."

Gorilla killed after attacking caretaker at zoo

A caretaker at the Los Angeles Zoo was killed Wednesday after being attacked by a gorilla.

According to zoo officials, the caretaker was killed after entering the gorilla enclosure to clean it. One of the gorillas then attacked him, resulting in fatal injuries.

"This is a very tragic incident," said Travis Longcore, an urban ecologist at University of Southern California. "It's rare for gorillas to attack humans, but when they do, the results can be devastating."

The Los Angeles Zoo has closed its gorilla exhibit following the attack.

City agrees to $5 million payout to gorilla's estate

City officials voted Wednesday to pay $5 million to the estate of Harambe, the gorilla shot and killed last May at the Cincinnati Zoo, in what is being called a "historic" settlement.

"We believe this is a fair and appropriate resolution to this tragic incident," said City Solicitor Eva Taler-Meek.

The payment will be made in two installments: $2.5 million within 60 days of the agreement, and the remaining $2.5 million within 180 days.

The estate's lawyers had initially sought $10 million in damages, arguing that Harambe should have been tranquilized instead of killed. Zoo officials defended their decision to shoot Harambe, saying he posed a danger to the child who had fallen into his enclosure.

But Meek said that while the city does not agree with the claims made by the estate, it felt the payment was in "the best interest of all parties involved."

Frank Miller, one of the attorneys representing the estate, called the settlement "historic" and said it would help ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.

"This sends a clear message to zoos across America that they must take every precaution possible to safeguard against harm to humans and animals alike," he said.

Petition calling for gorilla's release gains traction

A petition to free a gorilla from captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo is gaining traction online.

The petition, started on change.org, has already amassed over 5,000 signatures and continues to grow.

The gorilla, named Harambe, was shot and killed over the weekend after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.

Zoo officials say they made the decision to put down Harambe to protect the boy from being harmed.

However, many people online are criticizing the zoo for its decision and calling for Harambe's release.

"This beautiful creature didn't deserve to die because some careless parent let their child fall into his enclosure," writes one signer of the petition. "Please sign this petition to demand that Cincinnati Zoo release Harambe into a wildlife sanctuary where he can live out the rest of his days in peace."