Calgary gorilla died after being hit by a door: officials

The Calgary Zoo says its two-year-old western lowland gorilla named Eyare died after being hit by a hydraulic door at the rear of the exhibit.

Officials told the media Wednesday that the accident was a direct result of "human error."

"Eyare's death was determined to be a tragic accident," said Colleen Baird, the zoo's director of animal care, health and welfare on Wednesday.

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Baird said at about 9 a.m. on Nov. 12, Eyare was in the back-of-house, moving among the others in the troop when a gorilla team member activated a door.

The barrier was meant to separate her from the rest of the group for "an individual training session," but the wrong door was activated.

"Eyare was struck by the door and sustained traumatic head injuries," Baird said.

Officials said keepers immediately began life-saving procedures, but Eyare died of her injuries.

Zoo worker 'devastated'

The employee responsible for the error was immediately removed from the zoo premises after the incident and Baird said they are receiving the support they need.

"The animal care team member directly involved is devastated and is mourning this loss alongside all of us," she said.

The employee is expected to be reassigned to a different area of the zoo upon return and will be properly trained on the protocol for that area before commencing any work.

Baird said the remaining gorilla team members will have to undergo training on the hydraulic doors used for animal care.

Enhanced safeguards will also be put in place when animals are being trained to make sure the animals themselves know to keep clear of them when they are opening or closing.

Other changes include the adjustment of the placement of control levers and better labelling for each one.

Baird said the purpose of the review was to improve the animal-handling processes at the zoo, reinforce their commitment to animal well-being and "prevent future incidents."

All the hydraulic doors at the building were tested and were working properly, Baird said, adding they are common practice at many other zoos.

However, Baird said the zoo is always looking for safer, alternative options.

"We are still grieving the loss of this young gorilla," she said

"We are also committed to learning from this experience."

The Calgary zoo is home to six western lowland gorillas: Jasiri, Zuri, Yewande, Kioja, Dossi and Okabe.

The facility has had several tragic animal deaths in the past 15 years: a corn snake died in 2011 when it was left unattended near a heat source, a great grey owl died in 2012 after it flew into a gate, a technical fault in the hippotamus pool was blamed for the death of 85 tilapia in 2014, a North American river otter drowned after becoming entangled in a pair of pants in 2016 and in December of that year seven Humboldt penguins drowned in a holding pool.

Human error played no role in two other accidental deaths of animals at the zoo, including the death of a Masai giraffe that was caught in a cable inside its enclosure and this summer's death of Baffin, a polar bear, who died after engaging in "rough play" with the zoo's other polar bear, Siku.