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Old 03-19-2004, 03:12 AM  
Greg B
So Fucking Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: EARTH (for the time being)
Posts: 7,014
Dallas Cops Shoot Escaped Gorilla

Okay, as much as I love animals and fight for the rights of Gorillas as man has almost made them extinct. In this case, I gotta go with the cops.

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Gorilla Shot After Escaping at Dallas Zoo
Thu Mar 18,10:51 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!



DALLAS - Police shot and killed a gorilla that escaped from its enclosure at the Dallas Zoo on Thursday and injured three people.



One adult and two children, ages 10 and 2, suffered minor injuries from the gorilla and were taken to area hospitals, Deputy Police Chief Daniel Garcia said. He said the three were bitten and scratched.


The zoo was evacuated after the animal escaped and police were notified. When the gorilla charged two officers, getting within 15 feet of them, they opened fire, Garcia said.


"We were forced to put this animal down," he said.


Garcia said police officers' objective was protecting citizens until authorities could figure out what to do with the gorilla.


Diana Gonzalez, a zoo patron, said she saw the animal banging on the door of its enclosure, and then it broke. The gorilla then scampered out of the gorilla pit.


Dallas zoo director Rich Buickerood said the primate was an inquisitive 13-year-old Western Lowland gorilla. He said the animal was likely "extremely excited and extremely fearful while it was out."


He said zoo officials are trying to figure out how the escape happened.


Last year, a 300-pound gorilla escaped twice in two months from Boston's Franklin Park Zoo.


In the second escape, he strolled around the zoo and the surrounding streets for about two hours and attacked a 2-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman. Both suffered minor injuries. The animal was sedated with tranquilizer darts.


The zoo reopened its gorilla exhibit last month without the escapee, named Little Joe, who now spends his time in a holding area away from the public.
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