Video shows bonobo charge at zoo visitors, shattering exhibit’s safety glass
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) – An exhibit at a Tennessee zoo is closed for repairs after a male bonobo shattered a layer of safety glass during an interaction with a group of teenage visitors.
The incident, which was captured on video, happened Thursday afternoon in the Memphis Zoo’s Primate Canyon Exhibit. The video shows a male bonobo named Mobali charging into the viewing window and shattering the inner layer of safety glass.
Josiah Long, one of the teenage guests present during the incident, said he and his friends had traveled from Missouri for a day trip to Memphis. He says the group was not trying to be disrespectful.
“We banged on our chests a little bit, not really expecting anything,” Long said. “We see one of them start to approach us, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that thing is coming for us.’”
Long said the group alerted zoo staff immediately after the incident.
“We were in shock, so our first reaction was to laugh because that was a crazy experience,” he said.
Bonobos are endangered great apes found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Males of the species average 34 inches in height and weigh about 90 pounds, according to the zoo.
Memphis Zoo’s associate primates curator, Melissa Peterson, says she does not blame the teenagers for the broken glass but reminds guests that bonobos, like humans, can become stressed or upset when being taunted.
“It could be stress, frustration, anger, and it’s just not appropriate because this is their home. We absolutely want to make sure that we’re providing the most respect possible in their home,” Peterson said.
She said visitors are often drawn to primate exhibits because of the animals’ similarities to humans, but those interactions can go wrong.
“I think when people come to the zoo, they are drawn to the primate exhibits, especially the great ape exhibits, because they’re so much like us, and there’s so much opportunity for connection there. But oftentimes, we end up with the wrong kind of connection,” Peterson said.
