Last May, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot dead by staff at Ohio Zoo to protect a three-year-old boy who had fallen into the animal’s pen.
The boy was eventually rescued and the standard of fencing around the enclosure was improved.
In a similar and famous incident at Durrell – then called Jersey Zoo – in 1986, five-year-old Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla enclosure but was protected by the 18-stone silverback Jambo, who watched over him as he lay unconscious.
Now fencing has been put on top of the walls around the enclosure at Durrell in three places as park officials aim to prevent similar accidents happening again.
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