It would be instinctual design to back away and not mess with an adult gorilla. Common sense would tell you, ‘Hey, that thing is thrice your size of muscle mass and will knock you senseless, don’t antagonize it’, is what it would say. But, behind the safety of a glass barrier separating you and this giant beast, common sense might not speak up.
Tourist at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, were antagonizing a silver back gorilla. In their defense, they probably didn’t know that beating your chest, as we often see gorillas do, is a sign of aggression. The gorilla behind the glass took their chest-beating personally and promptly responded.
In a primal rage, the gorilla charged at the glass barrier and threw it’s entire body into it. The glass didn’t shatter, but it left a hefty crack and scared the visitors silly.
A lesson was learned that day: don’t anger gorillas.
