A video of a gorilla carrying a toddler has gone viral after its release 20 years after it was shot.
The video was taken in 1992 at the Howletts Wild Animal Park in Britain and is of a large 300 pound gorilla playing with and picking up an 18 month old girl.
British conservation activist, Damian Aspinall released the video that he shot of his daughter and the gorilla . Jack Hannah, Animal expert and American Zookepper, said in an interview with ABC News, "You've got to be really careful. These are wild animals." He added that Gorillas are "unpredictable."
John Aspinall released the video to raise awareness about gorillas. He has said about letting his young daughter play with the gorilla, "If you're brought up with the gorillas and you're part of the family group it's really, it's not risky at all. And I can understand how some people would find that hard to believe but it just isn't. These animals are very, very gentle animals and the hope is that, the whole point is so people will see that and want to help gorillas."
Aspinall had been raised with gorillas and accepted them as art of the family structure, which is very rare. He had worked with and studied gorillas for decades and was therefore confident that his daughter wouldn't be harmed.
Many viewers however are angered by the video and potential harm to his daughter. Gorillas do attack humans, but it is rare. In 2004 ABC News reported that a gorilla escaped from a Dallas Zoo and attacked a 4-year-old-boy causing his lung to collapse.
See more animal related stories:
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This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
