Charging gorilla breaks layer of protective glass in habitat, California zoo says

A charging 10-year-old western lowland gorilla broke one layer of protective glass around a habitat, the San Diego Zoo reported.

Denny, one of the zoo’s gorillas, broke one of the three layers of tempered glass panels in the gorilla forest habitat on Saturday, Oct. 11, zoo officials said in a statement to McClatchy News.

“It is common for male gorillas, especially in adolescence, to express these types of behaviors,” zoo officials said. “Bursts of energy, charging, dragging items, or running sideways are all natural for a young male.”

Denny was not injured in the incident.

Zoo visitor Katya Sutil, who was celebrating her birthday with her sister, told KUSI that Denny may have been playing with another young gorilla in the enclosure.

“We were looking down at our cell phones and didn’t notice that he had taken a running start, jumped and launched into the glass,” Sutil told the station. “He hit it with his elbow or forearm, like right in the glass directly in front of my face.”

“When it hit in front me, I was so jolted I fell back a few feet,” she said. “When I looked up to see what had happened, I saw the gorilla staring directly at me, making eye contact with me, and then a giant crack… 6 feet. It was pretty big.”

The two gorillas will be cared for behind the scenes while the panel is repaired, zoo officials told KGTV

“It literally felt like an earthquake... before we realized that that was just him hitting,” visitor Jackie Doubler told the station.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo houses more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals from more than 680 species and subspecies.

This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Charging gorilla breaks layer of protective glass in habitat, California zoo says."