In August 1996, a three-year-old boy fell 24 feet into the gorilla enclosure at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. Visitors froze in horror as he lay unconscious on the concrete floor of the Western Lowland Gorilla Pit. But what happened next was recorded on camera and stunned the world. An 8-year-old female gorilla named Binti Jua approached him—not with aggression, but with care.
A Gorilla with a Baby on Her Back
Binti Jua, weighing around 160 pounds, walked toward the child with her 17-month-old baby clinging to her back. Witnesses and zoo staff feared for the worst.
Yet Binti gently lifted the boy by his waist, cradled him in her arms, and carried him to a service door where zookeepers were waiting. She placed him down carefully and moved away. Zoo staff used a hose to keep six other gorillas in the exhibit at a distance during the event.
Raised by Humans, Calm in Crisis
Binti Jua, whose name means “daughter of sunshine” in Swahili, had been born at the San Francisco Zoo in 1988 and raised in part by humans before arriving at Brookfield in 1991.
Zoo personnel later suggested that her upbringing and familiarity with humans may have influenced her behavior during the incident. One zoo worker observed that Binti seemed protective, turning her shoulder to shield the boy from the other gorillas.
Worldwide Attention and a Shower of Gifts
The child, whose name was never publicly released, was hospitalized for four days with a broken hand and facial injuries. He made a full recovery. The footage of Binti’s actions circulated globally, and she quickly became a celebrated figure.
The zoo received letters and gifts from around the world. An Illinois grocer sent her 25 pounds of bananas, and several people offered to adopt her. The event brought a surge of visitors to Brookfield Zoo.
Still at Brookfield, Years Later
Binti Jua still lives at Brookfield Zoo, where she has remained a well-known resident. In March 2025, she turned 38. Western Lowland gorillas, classified as critically endangered, typically live around 35 years in the wild but often live longer under human care.
Binti’s calm, deliberate behavior in 1996 has continued to be remembered, especially in comparison to another incident 20 years later, when a child fell into a gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo. That time, the gorilla, Harambe, was shot and killed by zoo staff.
The boy rescued by Binti Jua has never spoken publicly about the event. The video of that moment, however, remains a widely referenced recording of a rare and unexpected encounter at a U.S. zoo.
In 1996, a 3-year-old boy fell 24 feet into a gorilla enclosure at Brookfield Zoo.
As visitors watched in fear, an 8-year-old gorilla named Binti Jua approached the unconscious child.
What she did next—while carrying her own baby—shocked and amazed the world…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/8VSTKOaq30
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) July 24, 2025