For most people, the zoo is a place to see animals that they would never get to see otherwise. It's a way for people to catch a glimpse of the world outside our own country, to see what lives on far-off continents and islands.
It's also one of the only ways to get close to some of these animals without ending up dead - many of the species are either kept at a distance or behind protective glass, and for good reason.
Of course, when it comes to the animals' cages, most would assume that they're nigh-indestructible. They're designed to keep gigantic, possibly viscous animals away from all of the squishy people on the other side - they have to be able to withstand whatever the animals can throw at them, or what's the point of having them?
Well, as it turns out, one zoo may have underestimated the strength of its silverback gorillas - and one family got to find this out firsthand at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb., as this video that's going viral shows.
That is horrifying enough to almost ruin zoos forever.
Granted, it's easy to see why it happened: gorillas beat their chests when they're trying to intimidate other gorillas - it's basically a show of strength. When the little girl did that in front of a silverback gorilla (otherwise known as the oldest, strongest one of the group), the animal probably took it as a challenge, which led to that huge, horrifying crack in the glass.
And, from the looks of things, that glass probably wouldn't have survived another impact like that. It's startling to see, simply because everyone assumes that the glass will never break, no matter what the animals on the other side do to it. Clearly, that's not the case in this instance - and it makes you wonder if there are any other facilities with similar issues.
No one is saying that you should avoid going to the zoo - the zoo is awesome ... but, maybe just don't stand so close to the glass.
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Photo: Matthew Hoelscher | Flickr
