WGN shares incredible video of gorilla rescuing three-year-old boy who fell into pit in 1996
CINCINNATI/CHICAGO -- The incident Saturday, May 28th at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio has reminded some of the incredible rescue of a boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago nearly 20 years ago.
WGN on Sunday, May 29th shared video of that rescue, which happened back on August 19th, 1996.
According to WGN, the boy, whose name was never released publicly, slipped away from his mother and climbed through a barrier at the Western Lowland Gorilla Pit at the Brookfield Zoo.
A female gorilla named Binti Jua made headlines around the world after she cradled the three-year-old boy who fell nearly 20 feet into her enclosure.
Stunned spectators and employees looked on as Binti Jua, who was eight years old at the time, picked up the boy's lifeless body and cradled him for several minutes and then carried him to safety.
Zoo workers who witnessed the rescue say they will never forget it.
Binti Jua carried her own baby, 17-month-old Koola, on her back during the entire ordeal.
The video of the rescue, recorded by an onlooker, went viral around the world.
Binti Jua, who still lives at the Brookfield Zoo, became an international sensation.
According to WGN, the boy who fell into Binti Jua's enclosure suffered a broken hand and cuts to his face.
He spent four days in the hospital and was able to make a full recovery.
Below, you can take a look at video from the incident at the zoo in Cincinnati: