Canada

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Barika a female gorilla is seen in her enclosure at the Calgary Zoo on June 16, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heike Scheffler

A zookeeper has been shown the door after being found responsible for the escape of some gorillas at the Calgary Zoo.

Last Friday, several western lowland apes, which can weigh as much as 270 kilograms, got into what is known as the gorilla kitchen from their enclosure in the rainforest exhibit.

The zoo says a review of what happened determined a keeper, who received a minor injury during a confrontation with one of the gorillas, failed to properly latch a door.

"There could have been terribly tragic consequences," said curator Malu Celli. "The keeper responsible no longer works at the zoo.

"We are happy that our protocols were in place in terms of our emergency response team and the team acted very quickly so the keeper only received minor injuries."

She said the decision to dismiss the zookeeper was difficult.

"It's a very difficult decision for the team and we just have to put the safety of our animals, our staff and the public very seriously," she said.

"It hasn't been an easy day."

The zoo has eight of the gorillas, which are native to central Africa.

The kitchen is attached to the enclosure and is filled with food gorillas eat, including fruit, fresh vegetables and grain. The animals who made for the munchies were safely moved back to the exhibit.

Celli said the gorillas are incredibly strong, even those who are young, and can be dangerous if they feel threatened. She said the animals inside the kitchen were in unfamiliar territory and were somewhat agitated.

There is no room for error when it comes to dealing with dangerous animals, Celli continued.