A stray dog became trapped inside the gorilla enclosure Sunday at the San Diego Zoo, and narrowly escaped the ordeal.
The male shepherd was gifted the name “Mighty Joe Young” by his animal caregivers at the San Diego Humane Society after he managed to escape unscathed from an intense back-and-forth with a huge gorilla in the famous zoo and safari park, according to TMZ. It’s unknown how the dog wandered into the gorilla habitat, but officials say he sneaked into the zoo grounds, the outlet reported.
“It’s believed that the stray dog wandered into the park on his own and managed to get inside the habitat before being spotted,” the San Diego Humane Society shared on Facebook. (RELATED: Bad-A** Cat Gets Shot By Arrow, Believed To Have Taken Arrow Out By Himself)
Once inside the enclosure, the dog immediately drew the attention of the huge gorillas, who chased him through the habitat, all of which was captured on video by a zoo guest and shared by TMZ. Both the dog and the gorillas kept their distance, but one of the great apes threw a handful of dirt, warning the shepherd.
Guests and employees called the gorilla to distract it from the dog, according to CBS8. The employees were then able to get the gorillas into a separate area while members of the Humane society rescued the dog, according to the Facebook post.