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© 2014 AFPTokyo zoo stages escape drill with keeper in gorilla costume
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© 2014 AFP
19 Comments
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wildwest
Its lucky it was not a real and angry gorilla, or there would have been body parts.
hereforever
Another day of living in LaLa land. Do they really expect that that will stop a real gorilla?
ebisen
Hereforewer,a real gorilla has an extremely high intelligence, and knows when it's pointless to run. That's what stops it, usually, and that's why stronger nets are not needed to catch it.
That being said, they should have chosen me for the role, with my nanbanjin beard. Renting fee for a gorilla suit would not have been necessary...
Knox Harrington
Good thing they have those mandatory j-helmets on...
paulinusa
Bet the real gorilla would be a lot faster and stronger than this guy in a costume.
Spanki
good to see the police were there just in case it got out of hand
smithinjapan
I suppose it's better than nothing, but if it were a real, and really angry gorilla bent on escape, the net would be gone and these guys probably dead.
Probie
Stupid and childish. What is the point of doing stuff like this? The speed and/or strength of whatever animal is going to be completely different to some idiot who pulled the short straw and has to lope about like a fool.
Shut up. No you couldn't.
Jason Stiles
Gone bananas with this training
Hide Suzuki
Too many negative nancies,
Your life must be miserable if you can't laugh at this LOL
LBW2010
There was a U.S. story just this week about the police busting an animal smuggling ring by using an agent in a gorilla costume. Two gorilla costume stories in one week...what are the odds?
nath
Why did the dude have to wear the costume? Was he fooling the keepers? Or just because everything in Japan is done better with some form of costume or mascot. Doesn't even look like a gorilla costume.
tinawatanabe
This is not something to laugh, I think they are serious.
Graham DeShazo
Only in Japan.... Welcome to the Nihon-zone.....
David Foley
They did this in Akita a couple years ago with a real Asiatic Black Bear. If I remember correctly it ate like five people. I can see why they are going with Furries this time.
Disillusioned
Are you sure about this? A real silverback gorilla weighs around 200 kilograms and is ten times stronger than a man. If any wild gorilla is cornered it is going to go into defense mode and start removing limbs! Perhaps you remember that woman in the states a few years ago that was attacked by an escaped 60 kilogram chimpanzee. It ripped her face off! Imagine what a full grown gorilla is gonna do. Personally, I think this drill is pointless for a gorilla. Would anybody really be stupid enough to put themselves between a 200 kilo gorilla and its exit? This is just setting people up to get killed!
Sparky Santos
I was at Los Angeles zoo when a juvenile mountain gorilla escaped its cage. It wasn't angry or mad. It was curious. The keepers got her back to her compound using food rather than nets. She looked like she had fun.
A young chimp is strong enough to shred an Olympic level athlete to paper if upset. Gorillas aren't as confrontational as chimps. But I recommend food on a long pole rather than nets. While trainers might know to act submissive to a gorilla or chimp, I doubt your average zoo visitor knows.
gelendestrasse
Then they accidentally put the keeper in the gorilla costume back in the gorilla enclosure and debauchery ensued....
Guiseppi
Any gorilla that makes it out of the cage should immediately earn the freedom of himself and his family. All the Japanese zoos I have see have been horrible, as if being caged for life is not horrible enough.