MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – The bonobo exhibit at the Memphis Zoo is closed for repairs after a male bonobo shattered a layer of safety glass during an interaction with a group of teenage visitors.
The incident, which was captured on video, occurred on Thursday afternoon in the Primate Canyon exhibit. The zoo shared a statement saying the bonobos were not harmed and only one layer of the safety glass was broken. The pane has since been boarded up.
Memphis Zoo’s associate primates curator, Melissa Peterson, said the group of young men appeared to be trying to get a reaction from the bonobos.
“I think it’s really exciting to get a reaction out of them, so they were seeing what kind of response they would get from the bonobos, and it caused our male bonobo Mobali to slam the glass, and unfortunately, it did break,” Peterson said.
Josiah Long, one of the guests present during the incident, said he and his friends had traveled from Missouri for a day trip to Memphis. Long said the group was not trying to be disrespectful…