The man often spent time at the zoo. Long before the accident, when he could still walk, he had worked there as a caretaker and loved the animals — and the animals loved him in return.

Even after retiring, he continued to visit almost every Saturday: he would stand for a long time by the enclosures, watching the animals eat, play, and quarrel — and he felt like a part of that place once again.

That day, everything seemed normal until something happened that no one could have predicted. The man in the wheelchair was standing near the monkeys’ and gorillas’ enclosure, watching them. Suddenly, one of the females approached the wall where the elderly man was, looked at him, and unexpectedly grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. The gorilla pulled the chair toward herself.

Staff and visitors ran over in panic, trying to pull the chair back, shouting, calling for security — but they weren’t strong enough. The gorilla was far too powerful.