http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2004-04-01/fullfrontal.html/1/index.html
Jabari Sought Own Death
In an exclusive report, the Dallas Observer has learned that an internal investigation will show that Jabari, the gorilla gunned down at the Dallas Zoo by police officers, intended to die when he escaped from his two-acre enclosure on March 18.
| Hidden camera video of the attack |
"We think we have what amounts to a suicide note," assistant zookeeper Eddy Foster says in one of the documents. Foster, known to most zoo personnel as "Bananas," worked closely with Jabari during his 13-year stay at the zoo. "I mean, it was written in feces, so it's a bit hard to read. But I can tell you that he had indicated he wanted to kill himself a number of times."
When asked by investigators what kind of gestures would lead Foster to believe Jabari was thinking about suicide, Foster allowed that the gorilla may have just been manually stimulating himself. But, he added, "there was definitely a look in his eyes."
While "suicide by cop"--as the practice is known by law enforcement officials--is somewhat common among humans, Jabari is believed to be the first gorilla to use it. Most troublesome to Dallas Zoo administrators is that more animals at the facility may follow Jabari's tragic lead.
"I'm not going to lie to you--they're not very happy being here," head zookeeper Parker Nix says, when reached by phone early Tuesday morning. "Lions, tigers, bears--none of 'em. But we've never had one try something like this. Now that they know it's possible, who knows what could happen? I've got a giraffe over there that would do it just to see the look on my goddamned face, you know what I mean?"
Immediately following Jabari's death, the zoo flew in special animal grief counselors, including Jack Hannah, to work with the remaining animals. The Saturday session turned into a wake of sorts for Jabari, extending well into the night and resulting in at least one 911 call, records show.
The results of the investigation are expected to be released in full to the public on April 1.
--Zac Crain