NEWS

RELEASE

October 30,
2017
Contact
Information
：Shiwei Zhou
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phone: 541-790-1001
Email: shiweiz@uoregon.edu

Baby Gorilla “Kabibe” Dies in an Accident

Oregon Zoo Will Take Strong Measures to Ensure the Safety of its Residents

Eugene, Oregon – On Oct. 29, 2017, baby gorilla Kabibe was accidentally crushed by a closing
hydraulic door when the zoo keepers were moving the gorillas to the night quarters. According to
Cindy Johnson, the executive director of the zoo, Kabibe unexpectedly darted toward the door
and was killed instantly. The zookeepers have expressed their sadness at this unfortunate
incident and repeatedly stated that they will take strong actions to ensure the safety of its current
residents in the future.

Kabibe was one of the most popular animals at the Oregon zoo. When Kabibe was born, she
weighed only around 8 pounds; to make things worse, her mother rejected her. She was raised by
the zoo staff until she was 6 months old, when she was gradually introduced to the gorilla family.

Kabibe’s unique situation immediately won sympathy from many of her fans, who had given her
her name. Each had to pay $1 to vote for his or her preferred name. Kabibe means “little lady” in
Swahili. The competitors included Kenura, which means “joy” in the Kikuyu language, and
Malaika, which means “heavenly messenger” in Swahili.

Kabibe belongs to the species of the Western lowland gorilla. According to the World Wildlife
Fund, this species is already endangered, with around 750 living in captivity and around 100, 000
living in the wild in Central Africa. In the past 20-25 years, the population of the Western lowland
gorilla has plunged due to disease and poaching.

Cindy Johnson has expressed her deep regrets for what had happened. “This is purely an
accident,” said Cindy, “we are devastated by this loss, as Kabibe has brought immense happiness
to our zoo. She is like our family.” Cindy also sympathized with Kabibe’s fans, who must be heart-
broken at this moment. She states that the zoo would take much stronger measures to ensure
the future safety of its residents. For example, more staff need to be hired when the animals are
moved from one place to the other. Better protection equipment also need to be purchased for
this purpose.

Founded in 1888, Oregon Zoo is situated in Portland, Oregon. Since 2011, its attendance has
exceeded 1.6 million. Oregon Zoon has been consistently renovating its facilities in order to
become a model of conserving natural resources.