Expert says human error lead to gorilla's death

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A gorilla expert's initial findings on the accident that killed a 16-month-old gorilla at the San Francisco Zoo show it was human error, and he says a more modern enclosure could prevent it from happening again.

Florida Atlantic University research professor Dr. Terry Maple, Ph.D., told ABC7 News much like a cockpit is designed so that it's almost impossible for a pilot to pull the wrong lever, the gorilla enclosure needs to be made more user friendly for zookeepers.

Maple has worked his entire career to protect gorillas and says the death of 16-month-old Kabibe breaks his heart, but he's a realist.

"The technology is definitely outdated. It's 30 years old," Maple said. "The animals are always trying to defeat the system. That's what they do. They're smart. They're strong. They're playful."

He says the zoo's current technology did not fail, rather protocol was not followed, namely there was only one person operating the system when there should have been two.

In a handwritten report to zoo officials, that sole zoo keeper says she started closing the automatic door after Kabibe's grandmother carried her into the enclosure. She says when she looked back, the young gorilla was trapped under the door.

A sign next to the control panel lays out the rules, including keeping one hand on the stop button. That didn't happen. Maple says it's not just about the door, there are visibility and lighting problems as well.

"We want to design it so it's absolutely, well, nearly impossible for someone to make that kind of a mistake and I think we can do it," Maple said.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports there have been two other incidents with doors at the gorilla enclosure in the past two years. In one of them, an adult gorilla's fingers were injured.