Aug 28 2011
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DC Zoo animals’ behavior indicates they knew earthquake was coming.
- About five to ten seconds before the quake, many of the apes, including Kyle (an orangutan) and Kojo (a Western lowland gorilla), abandoned their food and climbed to the top of the tree-like structure in the exhibit.
- About three seconds before the quake, Mandara (a gorilla) let out a shriek and collected her baby, Kibibi (pictured above!) and moved to the top of the tree structure as well.
- Iris (an orangutan) began “belch vocalizing”—an unhappy/upset noise normally reserved for extreme irritation—before the quake and continued this vocalization following the quake.
