Two zookeepers faced a terrifying encounter when they came across a silverback gorilla in the World of Primates exhibit at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.
In a now-viral TikTok video that has amassed 14 million views, the gorilla, named Elmo, was captured seemingly charging aggressively towards one of the zookeepers.
The footage shows the zookeeper running and reaching for a door, frantically using a two-way radio to call for help.
The gorilla then crashed into a bucket of food before pausing to observe the zookeeper standing in the doorway.
Ben, identified as the “responding security officer” at the time, shared the video today on his TikTok page, @ben306069.
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The video also features a second zookeeper who was initially unable to escape until Elmo the gorilla moved to a distance from the enclosure’s exit.
The employee kept a close eye on the gorilla’s movements and remained still after placing an object on the ground. When Elmo retreated to a corner of the enclosure, the second zookeeper made their escape.
In the background, a woman and a man can be heard praying for the safety of the zookeepers as they try to navigate out of the area.
“God help her. God help her. God help her,” a woman can be heard saying in the background of the TikTok video.
“Please protect her,” a man said.
As the second zookeeper escapes, one of the bystanders can be heard saying, “Thank you, Lord.”
The comments on the video are filled with TikTok users responding to the prayers being heard in the background.
The zookeepers reportedly were able to escape the situation safely.
Elmo, the silverback gorilla, celebrated his 34th birthday on March 5, as announced in a Facebook post by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), a nonprofit organization based in Ohio.
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Elmo was born at the Buffalo Zoo in Buffalo, New York.
A representative for the Fort Worth Zoo told PEOPLE in a statement: “On Oct. 20, 2023, an incident led to two of our zookeepers sharing space with our 34-year-old silverback gorilla.
“Thankfully, there was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla; and all staff and animals are safe.”
“Every day, the zookeepers shift the gorilla troop into their indoor habitat so that keepers can place the animals’ lunch in their outdoor habitat. Due to keeper error, staff entered the yard unaware that the silverback was still in its habitat,” the statement continued.
“The zookeepers work with and train these animals every day and thanks to their knowledge and expertise, they navigated the situation calmly and were able to exit the yard safely.”
