A stray dog nearly learned the hard way not to mess with a gorilla after getting in the San Diego zoo enclosure on Sunday only to be chased away by the fuming ape.
Video footage taken on 12 June 12 shows the moment that the dog stunned onlookers by heading into the enclosure. It was eventually removed by an officer but not before several near misses with an angry looking silverback gorilla keen to keep the bewildered canine away from its family.
You can watch it here:
The silverback, known as Frank, was called out to by stunned visitors, in an attempt to stop it from hurting the pooch, while others rushed to alert zoo keepers.
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In footage filmed by bystanders the shepherd dog can be seen panting and happily wagging his tail only to quickly change mood when he notices Frank charging after him.
One person watching the incident unfold exclaimed: "That thing is fast."
With zookeepers on hand, though, the gorilla was eventually called back inside the enclosure before the San Diego Humane Society then stepped in to safely rescue the dog.
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Officer Samantha Clark told KTLA 5: "When I turned up at the gorilla enclosure, he did look very nervous and afraid.
"The dog probably felt like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You can tell he really wanted help because he wandered over with his tail wagging."
Unbelievably, the lucky pooch was one of three stray dogs that ran freely into the park without an owner – although he was the only one who decided to take on a dice with death.
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The San Diego Humane Society have since named the dog Mighty Joe Young, in honour of the film about the giant gorilla.
The team have taken him under their wing while they attempt to locate his owner, and in a tweet they wrote: "The dog is a male shepherd, with no microchip.
"He has been placed on stray hold at our Escondido Campus, as we search for his owner. Animal Caregivers have given the dog a shelter name of 'Mighty Joe Young'.
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"We are so glad no one was hurt."
If only Frank had been as chill as this Dallas-based gorilla, who would've perhaps challenged the dog to a dance-off rather than trying to stove his skull in. In a clip posted to TikTok by Dallas Zoo last September, Zola the silverback gorilla can be seen showing off his impressive breakdancing skills as he plays in a pool of water. The gorilla executes a perfect quadruple spin that even the world’s greatest figure skater would be proud of.
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Simon Catling