gorilla trek dallas zoo

GORILLAS LAND

Location: Texas, United States Date opened: 1888 (1912 current location) Number of species:   ≈ 400

Arrival of first gorilla(s): May 8 th 1957 First gorilla birth: December 18 th 1965, Vicki

Gorilla exhibit ( Gorilla Trail ):

Total area: 3.140 m²

Mixed enclosure:   no

Number of outdoor yards: 2 (1.022 m² & 1.395 m² )

Number of indoor yards: 2 (?? m² [ off-exhibit])

Number of bedrooms: 4 (42 m² each)

Current gorilla population:

Family group:

Previous gorilla population:

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'God help her': Dramatic video shows zookeepers escape silverback gorilla in Fort Worth

A video of two texas zookeepers who unexpectedly found themselves enclosed in an exhibit with a gorilla at the fort worth zoo in texas has gone viral five months after the close call.

A video of two Texas zookeepers who unexpectedly found themselves enclosed in an exhibit with a gorilla has gone viral.

The video posted on TikTok Thursday shows the silverback gorilla named Elmo enter his display yard while two employees were still inside at the Fort Worth Zoo . The ape is seen following the shadow of one of the zookeepers.

Zoo visitors can be heard panicking and one of them prays for the employees' safety. "Oh my gosh, God help her, God help her, God help her," a woman says.

The employees move slowly, stay calm and wait for the right opportunity to safely exit.

The video of the incident, which happened on Oct. 20, 2023, had more than 25 million views by Friday evening.

"Thankfully, there was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla, and all staff and animals are safe," zoo spokesperson Avery Elander said in a statement Friday.

USA TODAY has reached out to the TikTok account owner. It's unclear why the video was only recently posted.

Strange behaviors: How do animals react during a total solar eclipse?

Zoo says incident was due to 'keeper error'

Elander said that zookeepers entered the yard unaware the gorilla was still in the habitat due to "keeper error."

Every day, the zookeepers shift the gorilla troop into their indoor habitat so that keepers can place the animals’ lunch in their outdoor habitat," Elander told USA TODAY. "The zookeepers work with and train these animals every day and thanks to their knowledge and expertise, they navigated the situation calmly and were able to exit the yard safely."

Elmo is a 34-year-old silverback who has lived in the zoo for several years. In 2021, he became a father after the birth of Gus, according to an Instagram post .

New Installation

Dallas zoo installs drop-in vr theater.

Dallas Zoo becomes the first site to feature Immotion’s modular solution for zoos. The outdoor VR theater showcases Immotion’s Gorilla Trek experience and will also show Immotion’s holiday content, Elf Power, during Dallas Zoo Lights.

The installation has 12 seats and is fully themed to fit seamlessly into the zoo’s newly-renovated Wilds of Africa Plaza.

This cargo container-based system represents the next step in Immotion’s development of location-based immersive edutainment experiences. Dropped in, installed and ready to go the next day, this enclosure gives zoos the flexibility to add the attraction easily to any open space.

Currently in over 30 aquariums around the world, Immotion expanded into the zoo market just this year with its brand-new Gorilla Trek adventure. Filmed in stereoscopic 360º VR in the mountains of Rwanda, this film takes guests on a magical journey into the heart of a mountain gorilla family. Created in partnership with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the piece not only gives guests a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into the world of mountain gorillas, but also educates them as to the conservation issues that face this endangered species.

The experience is open to the public from Thursday, November 17.

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Gorilla Trek VR Experience

Located in the VR Zone of the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, this virtual reality experience will literally change the way you view animal conservation.  Tickets will be available at the experience and are separate from Zoo admission tickets.

“Gorilla Trek” Experience

Travel to the extinct volcanoes of Rwanda in central Africa. Trek with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski, CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, up 10,000 feet to visit a remarkable family of mountain gorillas. Witness for the first time in 3D virtual reality the unique family dynamics that pit one silverback mountain gorilla against another for control of the gorilla family. There are just over one thousand mountain gorillas left in the world and it is vitally important to study the behavior of these amazing animals so that we can help save them from extinction.

“Gorilla Trek” Story Summary

Meet Charles, a silverback mountain gorilla who leads his family known as the Umubano family. This family is unique because there are five other silverbacks who would like to be the alpha, but only one silverback makes the decisions for the family. And for many years it has been Charles. One silverback, Zirikana challenges Charles for control of the family. At first, his challenges are subtle. As time goes on his threatening behavior leads to a physical confrontation with Charles. In the end, Charles remains the dominant silverback and Ziracana is left with a choice: stay with the group and continue to be submissive to Charles or leave the only family he has known to forge his own path in the Rwanda rainforest.

Gorilla Trek VR Theater Description

The Gorilla Trek Virtual Reality (VR) Theater is a ground-breaking, new interactive experience that transports guests from The San Francisco Zoo’s VR Zone to the high-elevation forests of Rwanda. This 360-degree VR documentary, combined with motion-platform seating, offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. During the experience, guests will join primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on a trip into the dense and unforgiving Volcanoes National Park. Dr. Stoinski leads the VR experience while documenting the family dynamics of a majestic and critically endangered group of mountain gorillas. The immersive film takes guests deep into the forest where they experience frolicking baby gorillas playing under their mother’s watchful eyes while the alpha silverback protects his family and subordinate males vie for leadership.

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The Zoo Review

The Source For All Your Zoo Information Needs! Let Your Zoo Adventure Begin Here!

The Dallas Zoo is located in Dallas, TX and was opened in 1888. This is one of several zoos located in Texas. The zoo is approx. 106 acres, home to approx. 2,200 animals, which make up approx. 430 different species. The Zoo participated in an AZA program called The Species Survival Plan. They are accredited members of the Association of Zoo and Aquariums. The Zoo is also involved with the Cheetah Conservation Fund. The Dallas Zoo has 66 species in the Species Survival Plan. Dallas Zoo Website: www.dallaszoo.com

Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Daily Closed Christmas Day Ticket Pricing: March-December: Adults (12-64)-$17.00 Seniors (65+)-$14.00 Kids (3-11)-$14.00 Kids 2 & under-Free January -February (Penguin Days) All Tickets All Ages-$8.00 Parking: $10.00 per car (free for members) Pet Daycare: None available Service Animals are Welcome With any extra service provided I would always call ahead for any information. Restaurants: There are 3 seasonally available restaurants/concessions located inside the zoo.

For more information on our ratings click here .

Our Zoo Experience

The Dallas zoo is one of my favorite zoos to visit. Steve and I have visited the Dallas zoo four times to date.

The zoos Wilds of Africa is in my opinion the best African area in the south.

To get to Africa first you pass the Lemur Island. This is what Steve calls a great first impression habitat. They have good space to play and explore. There are trees to climb and places to hide.

Their island is surrounded by crystal clear water. It is beautiful.

After you have a great encounter with Ringtail Lemurs and Black & White Ruffed Lemurs, head left towards the tunnel to the Wild of Africa.

Black & White Ruffed Lemurs are more arboreal than Ringtail Lemurs.

Once through the tunnel, you embark on a journey through Africa starting with the African Black-footed Penguins.

The Penguins have a deep pool of clear water they can swim in with a waterfall. Get your camera ready because these little girls and guys are quite the hams.

After the Penguins, you encounter the fastest land Mammal. That’s right, the Cheetah. The zoo has a brother and sister pair of Cheetah. 

According to the keepers at the zoo, the female Cheetah likes to catch her own snacks. Her brother tries to get her to share, but she won’t.

Her thinking, she caught it she eats it. Beware squirrels and birds stay out of the Cheetah habitat.

Keep walking up the trail, up a few stairs, and you have 3 options of where to go next. Take a left and that leads you to the Giants of the Savanna.

Go straight and you’ll find yourself trekking up and down Gorilla Trails. If you chose to go right, the path takes you toward the Adventure Safari Tram and the new (2017) Simmon’s Hippo Outpost.

So let me tell you how Steve and I navigate the Wild of Africa. We usually get to the Dallas Zoo when they open at 9:00am.

We like seeing the animals up and active. When are they most active? They are most active at feeding times. Early in the morning keepers put treats out in their habitats. Right before the zoo closes the animals get ready for supper.

We chose to go left to the Giants of the Savanna. Also, another great thing to do is go on a weekday. We went on a Friday, and for a while we were the only ones in Africa at the Giants of the Savanna.

I was able to take great pictures with no one in the frame. You are in Africa at the Giants of the Savanna, first thing you see are these huge majestic African Elephants on the Savanna.

There are multiple viewing areas to get the perfect picture.

The Serengeti Grill is to the left and this grill has a very unique feature. They have floor to ceiling windows connected to the African Lion habitat.

You can have your lunch right next to an African Lion. How cool is that?

Next to the Lion habitat is the African Painted Dogs. Did you know these pack hunters are some of the most successful hunters on the African Savanna? They work together to run an animal to exhaustion.

Today, these sleepy cuties were not interested in running at all. They would barely even look up from their nap for a picture!

Follow the path around you have a wide view of the savanna. The animals often seen are Giraffe, Kudu, Grant’s or Thompson’s Gazelle, and Guinea Fowl.

This is called interspecies co-habitation. No predators, so everyone can live peacefully.

The Elephants are separated from the plains animals but you really can’t tell with the natural barriers the zoo has in place.

After the path winds around to start you back to the entrance of the Giants of the Savanna that’s when you come across the Warthog habitat.

Leaving the Giants of the Savanna exhibit Steve and I take the Gorilla Trails.

On this trail you encounter Western Lowland Gorillas, Rock Hyrax, Klipspringer, various Birds, a couple of Nile Crocodile, and Steve’s favorite, Meerkats.

The Dallas Zoo has an amazing set of Gorilla habitats! As you walk along the trails you will feel as if you have been transported the forests in Africa these Animals call home.

There is a large round building where you can sit and rest, watch the Gorillas in their habitats, and learn all about Gorillas and the need to conserve these amazing Animals. The zoo has volunteers here (and several other places throughout the zoo) to answer your questions.

The whole Gorilla experience is quite immersive, and this is exactly the type of exhibit we like to see on our zoo travels!

After the Gorillas, one of the first things you find on the Gorilla Trails is an African Aviary. There was all kinds of beautiful Birds and Water Fowl in this walk through exhibit.

Aviaries will often have two sets of doors on both the entrance and exit. This allows visitors to walk among these birds, but they prevent the birds from getting out.

Please help the zoos out here! Anytime you enter an aviary, make sure you only open one door at a time.

Across from the entrance of the aviary is the Nile Crocodile habitat. These happy reptiles were enjoying the sun in their beautiful habitat.

As you continue on the Gorilla Trails, you will find the Chimpanzees. On our most recent visit, we got to see a baby Chimpanzee being ornery. Then getting into trouble by her Grandma. It was too cute.

Along the Gorilla Trails you are transported from the jungles to the deserts. There are huge rocks called Kopjes. Kopjes are what animals use to get a better view of their surroundings.

The Meerkats also have Termite mounds in their habitat so they too can keep an eye on things. Do you know what the lookout Meerkat is called? They are called a Sentinel. The Sentinel sounds the alarm to the Mob (group of Meerkats) that danger is near and to take cover.

On your way out of Gorilla Trails is the entrance to the new Simmons Hippo Outpost. Here you can see Vultures, Okapi, and Nile River Hippopotamus. The new Hippo outpost looks great.

The Hippo’s habitat is large enough for 2 Hippos to share. They have a waterfall that flows into a huge pool, where they can sink to the bottom.

Fun fact, Hippos don’t float or swim. They walk on the bottom. They will push off the bottom with their hind legs to get to the top for air. The zoo has a great education building for the Hippo Outpost. You can even see how you would measure up to a Hippo, with the life size model Hippo inside the building.

Before we headed back through the tunnel to visit Zoo North, we hopped a ride on the Adventured Safari Tram. There are certain animals that can only be seen by riding the tram. Plus you get to sit and relax for approx. thirty minutes.

On the tram you will learn where these animals are from in Africa, and the Rivers you have to cross to get there.

The animals you encounter only on the tram are Ibex, Eland, Bongo, Addax, Scimitar Horned Oryx (extinct in the wild), and Caracal to name a few.

You get to ride over the Nile Crocodile, The Chimpanzee, and Penguin habitat as you return to the station.

Now, let’s head to Zoo North (the original part of the zoo). After emerging out of the tunnel from Africa you can choose to walk up a staircase. Or you can go around Lemur Island to get to the bridge that takes you to Zoo North.

One of the highlights of Zoo North is the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo!

This area is packed FULL of all kinds of immersive, educational and interactive exhibits for the little ones and inner child alike.

There is even a really cool butterfly themed splash pad for hot summer days!

In the Underzone, you can learn about Naked Mole Rats and other underground creatures.

The Barn provides great information about domestic livestock. Be sure to check out the aquaculture pond. Also, you can hang out with the adorable goats and sheep in the petting zoo (don’t forget about selfie Sunday on our Instagram/Facebook page)!

The Children’s Zoo is a wonderful way you could spend most of the day, and that is only a small part of this amazing zoo!

I know we really haven’t talked food, even though there were food concessions in the Wilds of Africa. Steve and I really enjoy the food in Zoo North at the Prime Meridian Café.

We love that the café offers healthy options such as salads and deli sandwiches. Check out the Zoo Food page to see the pictures of our lunch from the Prime Meridian Café.

After Steve and I finish our lunch, we like to stroll over across the path and visit the Tamarins and Saki Monkeys.

They are very tiny little monkeys. We then stroll down to Primate Place where you can encounter White-cheeked Gibbons, Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys, Spectacled Monkeys, and Colobus Monkeys.

Across from Primate Place is the Asian exhibit. Here you are able to see (unless really hot outside) Tigers and Asian Small-clawed Otters.

The Tiger habitat is huge for one of my favorite species. The viewing area is also above the habitat. This allows the viewer to see the majority of the habitat.

Sometime you can see him from the viewing area, but as stated above, on hot days he will lay up in her bamboo forest.

The Otter habitat has two different viewing areas.

When they are swimming there is a view below the water so you can watch them swim.

The other viewing area is a view of the habitat with grass and a small river for them to enjoy. The goal is to make the habitat as natural to their native habitat as possible.

An awesome feature at their habitat is a window where you can see inside their den. If they decide they don’t want to be outside and would rather be snuggled up in their den, you are able to see them.

When we come to the end of the Asian Trail we enjoy walking through the zoos herpetarium.

Now if you are as afraid of snakes as my mother you might want to sit this one out. As for Steve and I (he humors me I think) we love it.

The herpetarium has the coolest habitat for a unique species called False Gharials. Unlike Alligators and Crocodiles, this species has a very long and slender snout. You walk in one door and you are on this wrap around balcony and below are the Gharials and a Turtle.

Oh, also while you are walking around the U shaped balcony, behind you along the wall are species of snakes found in Asia.

The rest of the Dallas zoo herpetarium has a very nice collection of venomous snakes.

They also have an impressive collection of Reptiles and Amphibians, everything from the smallest Poison Frog to Hellbenders and Axolotls.

They also have small to large lizards as well as some not so common snakes.

Steve’s favorite in the herpetarium is the Mata-Mata Turtle. Its head is shaped like a leaf.

If you are interested in learning about the reptiles and amphibians of the world, and don’t get the willies, I would definitely recommend walking through the herpetarium.

After walking through the herpetarium we like to catch the Cheetah Run, if the timing is right. I highly recommend catching this if you can. It is an educational demonstration of the Cheetah’s amazing speed.

So basically what happens is they bring out one of their Cheetah and his or her Canine companion.

Fun fact: research has found if a Cheetah is raised with a dog they become easier to train and handle stressful situations better. This allows Cheetah at different zoos to become Ambassadors for their endangered species.

The keepers put a lure (toy) on a line that runs along the ground. The Cheetah will chase the lure. The Cheetah can’t get to top speed, but the speed in which the Cheetah does accomplish is still incredible.

After the run, the keepers will demonstrate some of the training exercises they do with the Cheetah. They also talk about why the Cheetah has a dog for a best friend. Also discussed, conservation efforts being applied to help keep the Cheetah from going extinct.

The next animal we see is the Giant Anteater. We had a cool experience this visit with the Anteater. Anteaters have poor eyesight, but their sense of smell is amazing.

While we were standing at the Anteaters habitat (there is a deep trench and wooden fence that separates us) the Anteater was walking along the outer edge of his habitat with his nose in the air moving up and down.

He was smelling all the people visiting him. It was also really neat to see how they walk on their knuckles because their claws are long and curved for digging Termite mounds.

Instead we spent a little more time at the Wings of Wonders exhibits along with the Galapagos Tortoise.

In the Wings of Wonder exhibit we saw Birds of Prey or Raptors from around the world.

Some of the species were Vultures, Harpy Eagles, and Spectacled Owls.

After the Wings of Wonder exhibit in what appears to be a small cottage is actually an Insectarium. Another place that gives some people the willies.

Inside there is a huge display with all the insects found in Texas. There is also an exhibit of a Honeybee hive and an active Ant Colony.

They have a large amount of information about the insects of the world. We had not previously visited the Bug U! building until this visit, but I’m glad we did.

After we learned all we could learn about bugs that day we crossed the bridge again and visited the gift shop. We visit every zoos gift shop to purchase a magnet of the zoo, for our fridge.

To go through the Dallas zoo, looking, learning, and visiting every exhibit and habitat at an enjoyable pace took us a full day.

Getting there when they open at 9:00am and leaving around closing time. We truly enjoy visiting the Dallas zoo, and I know we won’t let too much time pass before we are strolling through Africa and Zoo North again.

Adorable video shows baby gorilla getting tickled by mom at Fort Worth Zoo

The fort worth zoo shared the video on social media, by nbcdfw staff • published april 26, 2024 • updated on april 26, 2024 at 11:13 pm.

An adorable moment was caught on camera at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas.

The zoo shared a video of a baby gorilla, Bruno, being tickled by his mom, Gracie.

Play time! 🥰 Gracie was “tickling” Bruno this morning, and Bruno, as always, seemed to enjoy the attention. 😊 pic.twitter.com/hGTKbWxrC7 — Fort Worth Zoo (@FortWorthZoo) April 24, 2024

Bruno was playing with his mom in one of the indoor living areas at the Fort Worth Zoo when this video was taken.

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Bruno was born in 2022 and was the second-ever western lowland gorilla born at the zoo. He is nearly 18 months old.

According to the zoo, he interacts with many members of the troop. Bruno plays with 8-year-old Gus and 5-year-old Bukavu, but the zoo said he "most often can be found by Mom’s side."

FORT WORTH ZOO

Fort Worth's beloved baby gorilla Jameela arrives at Cleveland Zoo

Families flock to Fort Worth Zoo for half price admission

Fort Worth Zoo welcomes the first baby mandrill in nearly three decades

The zoo welcomed another baby gorilla, Jameela, in February. She was born prematurely in an emergency C-section , which the zoo has never experienced before. Unfortunately, Jameela was rejected by her birth mother and surrogacy efforts failed at the zoo. She was recently transferred to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where she may have found a mother .

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GORILLA TREK VIRTUAL REALITY Theater

The Pittsburgh Zoo &  Aquarium embarks on an all-new interactive experience: the Gorilla Trek Virtual Reality (VR) Theater.

Let fully immersive technology transport you from the Islands section of the Zoo to the mists of Rwanda.  This 360 degree VR film, combined with motion platform seating, shares a once-in-a-lifetime experience of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.  Partnering with educational entertainment provider Immotion and the world-renowned primatologists from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Gorilla Trek VR Theater allows you to join the herd and witness the behaviors of these incredible animals up close.

Join primatologist Dr. Tara Stoinski on a trip ten thousand feet up into the dense and unforgiving Volcanoes National Park. She leads your VR experience while documenting the family dynamics of these majestic and critically endangered creatures who share 98% of our human DNA.

The immersive film will put you deep in the forest, watching frolicking baby gorillas play under their mother’s watchful eyes. You’ll see the alpha silverback protect and control the family as subordinate males vie for leadership. With only 1,000 mountain gorillas left in the world, you’ll be glad you made this remarkable trek – all from the comfort of Pittsburgh.

Schedule varies. Please contact the Zoo for days that VR will be running.

Daytime operation: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Animal Care Center located in The Islands

$7 per guest

$6 per Member guest