In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, there are moments that remind us of the profound bond we share with all living creatures.
One such moment happened over two decades ago at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois, when Binti Jua, a 160-pound female gorilla, displayed an incredible act that touched the hearts of millions.
The unlikely hero
On a warm summer afternoon in 1996, a 3-year-old boy’s day at the zoo took a terrifying turn. As the child climbed a barrier surrounding the gorilla enclosure, he fell 25 feet to the ground below, injuring himself severely.
The boy’s mother and visitors screamed in horror, unsure of what would happen next. Inside the enclosure, seven hulking primates were lounging.
One of the animals, a rare western lowland female gorilla name, was Binti Jua.
Kankakee Fire Department Catp. Jeff Bruno was there the summer day, and he still remembers it well.
”Aug. 16 — 2:10 p.m.,” he told CBS in 2016.
Jeff was visiting the zoo with two other families when they heard the boy’s mother scream and saw Binti Jua’s incredible response.
At the moment of the fall, the boy hit his head and fainted.
Bruno offered to help, while his brother-in-law grabbed his already running camera and captured the remarkable rescue. The footage would later spread around the world and continues to captivate audiences to this day.
Had the cameras not been there, it might have been hard to believe the story if someone had retold it, but midst the panic, the gorilla calmly approached the unconscious child.
Despite the danger, Binti Jua’s maternal instincts immediately kicked in. In the video, you can see her scanning the area, glancing left, right, and up, as if searching for someone to help. It’s incredible how she instinctively knew what to do.
Cradling the child gently in her arms, she shielded him from harm, her baby Koola still perched on her back.
Used a hose to drive away the other gorillas
Zoo employees used a hose to drive away the other gorillas, while Binti Jua gently laid the boy near the exhibit entrance before quickly retreating, allowing zookeepers and paramedics to safely retrieve him.
”We assessed (the boy) and we packaged him up. I think we used duct tape because that’s all that was there,” Bruno said.
Some believe this was a deliberate choice by the gorilla, as if she understood the importance of getting the boy to safety. The boy, though injured, survived the ordeal with a broken hand and a few bruises.
The story of Binti Jua’s heroic actions spread like wildfire, quickly becoming a symbol of empathy and compassion. People from all over the world marveled at the bond between a gorilla and a human child. The zoo emerged from the incident with little backlash.
For months, the media couldn’t stop talking about the gorilla who became an accidental hero, and visitors flocked to the zoo to witness her gentle and protective nature in person.
She was showered with special treats and attention from zoo staff, as people flocked to the zoo to get a glimpse of the compassionate gorilla who saved a child.