It was a moment of heart-stopping drama: a 5-year-old boy falls into a gorilla enclosure at the Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands and lies unconscious on the ground as a huge silverback approaches. With his horrified parents watching helplessly and onlookers shouting for assistance, the silverback stretches out his gigantic arm and everyone holds their breath. Then, to the astonishment of everyone, the 250-pound gorilla named Jambo gently strokes the back of the motionless child, then sits to act as protective guard against the other gorillas. It's been almost four decades since video captured that moment, which changed our understanding of the giant primates and how they interact with humans. It’s also an incident that will forever color the life of the young victim, Levan Merritt. Now 44, Merritt hopes to return to Jersey Zoo next year to mark the 40th anniversary. “It will be with me forever,” said Merritt. “Although I can remember nothing of the actual incident, I can remember the aftermath and everything that followed in the months and years after.” Now a father of three, Merritt, who works in garden maintenance, says he loved animals back then and still does. As for how it all happened, Merritt said he had been pestering his dad for a better view, when he climbed onto his father’s shoulders and leaned over the wall. He leaned a bit too far, and over the wall he went. Landing on the cement floor, he was lucky to be alive, but had fractured his skull and broken his arm. As his family screamed at him to remain still, a brave zookeeper grabbed a stick and stood between the gorilla and Merritt. Rescuers hauled Merritt up on a stretcher and he was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. Following his recovery, his family was invited back to the zoo and he has maintained contact with them ever since. Jambo, the protective gorilla, died in 1992. Jersey Zoo has erected a bronze statue of Jambo inside the zoo grounds as a tribute to the gorilla who helped change public perception about the species.
