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Panicked diners dodge fleeing gorilla in their midst
The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, May 19, 2007

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A 180-kilogram gorilla escaped from his enclosure and ran amok in a Rotterdam zoo Friday, biting one woman, dragging her around, and causing panic among dozens of visitors before he was finally subdued.

The Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo was evacuated and the 11-year-old gorilla, named Bokito, was eventually contained in a restaurant within the park, police spokeswoman Yvette de Rave said. Four people were injured, including the woman who was bitten, zoo director Ton Dorrestijn said.

Bokito was shot with a sedative dart and recaptured, a zoo official said.

It was not immediately clear how he managed to climb the high stone walls surrounding his enclosure.

"He got over the moat, which in itself is remarkable, because gorillas can't swim," Dorrestijn said. "He got onto a path for visitors and started running and went at full speed through tables and diners at the Oranje restaurant."

The zoo was packed with visitors as it was a Dutch national holiday.

"Everyone was in panic, running away, screaming, wailing, screaming kids running around, I don't know what all, kids without parents -- it was a total drama," witness Robert De Jonge said.

© The Edmonton Journal 2007