A tragic incident at the Calgary Zoo has led to the death of a young western lowland gorilla, prompting the zoo to introduce new preventive measures. Eyare, a 2-year-old gorilla, was fatally injured when a staff member accidentally activated a hydraulic door, striking the animal in the head. The incident occurred last week while the worker was attempting to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla troop for a solo training session.
Eyare suffered traumatic head injuries and died shortly after the accident. The Calgary Zoo’s director of animal care, Colleen Baird, expressed the zoo’s grief, stating that Eyare’s short life had brought immense joy to the community. “This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Baird said at a press conference. The zoo has vowed to strengthen its protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
In response to the accident, the zoo has reassigned the staff member involved and will implement a series of safety measures, including specialized training for staff and better animal behavior management. While this is not the first time a death occurred due to human error at the Calgary Zoo, the facility has previously experienced rare incidents, such as the 2016 drowning of an otter and the accidental crushing of a capybara in 2009.
Despite these incidents, the Calgary Zoo insists that animal deaths caused by human error are exceedingly rare. Over the past decade, only two deaths—Eyare and the otter—have occurred due to staff mistakes. The zoo’s spokesperson emphasized that it adheres to high operational standards and has maintained its accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1978. The zoo cares for over 4,000 animals from more than 100 species, including six other western lowland gorillas.
Animal Justice, a Canadian nonprofit advocating for animal welfare, has called for an independent review of the zoo’s safety practices. Camille Labchuk, executive director of Animal Justice, noted that the zoo appears to have a higher-than-average rate of animal deaths compared to other institutions. The organization is calling for a systematic review of the zoo’s operations, conducted transparently by external parties, to ensure that animal safety is maintained.
In response, the Calgary Zoo has committed to reviewing its practices and exploring alternatives to hydraulic doors to improve safety. The zoo’s leadership also emphasized that the tragic loss of Eyare serves as a critical learning opportunity to further enhance the welfare of the animals under its care.
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