Gorilla runs and breaks the glass barrier in his cage at San Diego Zoo

We felt like it was an earthquake before we realized it was just the one breaking the” window, said visitor Jackie Daubler for 10News.

It was pretty scary. But surely there were people there who responded quickly, security guards. Zoo handled the situation well.” On video, glass breaks around the crash site, and some visitors to the zoo are seen running away, while others approach to see the damage.

The San Diego Zoo confirmed shortly later that Dean was not injured and that the glass, which is made up of three layers of solid security material, was damaged only in one layer.

Gorila and his cage friend have temporarily moved backstage as repairs are completed.

Dean's behaviour comes only weeks after the death of his older brother Maca, a 30-year-old Western gorilla who died unexpectedly in August from a heart attack.

Zoo officials said in a statement that behavior, while shocking to witnesses, was not unusual, Periscope.

Dr. Erin Riley, an expert on primats behavior and anthropology professor at the University of San Diego, told CBS8 that” aggressive behavior” is a normal part of the gorilla's behavior. She said that it is possible that Dean must have felt threatened or overloaded by the crowd at that time.

West Plain Gorillas
The western lowland gorillas are the largest primats in the world, measuring up to 6m and weighing up to 237kg, according to the San Diego Zoo.

The species are at risk in the wild because of deforestation and illegal hunting throughout central Africa. /tch/