Woman who believed she shared a special bond with a gorilla paid a horrifying price after making eye contact and smiling at the animal—something experts warn you should never do.
For years, she had been visiting Bokito, a massive silverback gorilla at the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, believing they had a unique connection. She claimed that every time she smiled at him, he smiled back. But in 2007, everything changed.
Bokito broke free from his enclosure, charging straight for the woman who had visited him regularly. Witnesses described the terrifying moment he dragged her across the ground, biting her repeatedly and leaving her with multiple fractures. His rampage didn’t stop there—he stormed into a zoo restaurant, injuring three more people before being subdued by zookeepers using a tranquilizer gun.
Experts later explained that what the woman thought was a friendly exchange was actually a sign of challenge and aggression in gorilla behavior. Gorillas interpret direct eye contact as a threat, and in the wild, a silverback would respond to such a gesture with dominance—sometimes through force.
The incident sparked widespread discussion about how humans interact with wild animals in captivity, with some arguing that zoos should do more to educate visitors on animal behavior. Others questioned whether gorillas should be kept in enclosures at all, given their natural instincts and power.
Would you dare make eye contact with a gorilla? Let us know what you think.
