Gorilla ‘saved’ Levan Merritt when he was five — but he still thinks US zoo was right to kill Harambe

A BRITISH man fell into a gorilla pen 30 years ago in scenes that shocked the world. Now he has spoken out about what he thinks of the shooting of Harambe.

Levan Merritt was ‘saved’ by gorilla Jambo when he fell into his enclosure 30 years ago.

A BRITISH man saved by a gorilla after falling into its pen 30 years ago says a US zoo was right to kill silverback Harambe after a similar plunge on Saturday.

Levan Merritt was five when he tumbled into the gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo.

His fall sparked a rescue bid by keepers — but did not end with great ape Jambo being shot, The Sun reported.

Yet when Isaiah Gregg, 4, fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo at the weekend, 170kg Harambe was shot dead after grabbing him and pulling him through water.

In 1986, Levan was approached by Jambo, who stroked his back. He was plucked to safety by two keepers and an ambulance man who shimmied down into the pen, tied him to a harness and winched him out.

The only weapon they had between them was a small stick.

Mr Merritt, now 35, said: “I know what it’s like to come face to face with an enormous gorilla — absolutely terrifying.

“But my experience taught me they are also incredibly caring.”

He knocked himself unconscious briefly, breaking his arm and fracturing his skull. His horrified parents watched as 114kg silverback Jambo wandered over serenely to his motionless body before gently stroking the boy’s back with his immensely powerful arm.

Levan Merritt ... now married to 22-year-old Amanda, has children of his own — a three-month-old daughter, Hope, and two sons Riley, 2, and Leo, 3.

Levan Merritt.

The ape even stood guard over Levan, protecting him from other curious gorillas.

When the boy came to and began to scream, the gentle giant retreated as though disturbed by the noise, rather than aggravated.

As with Isaiah in Ohio, the tense operation was filmed by onlookers and went around the world — making Jambo a hero.

Horrified parents watched as silverback Jambo wandered over serenely to Levan Merrit’s motionless body.

Five-year-old Levan Merritt was hurt in the fall.

“Watching the American video brought it all back,” Mr Merrit told The Sun.

“I felt for the boy but also felt for the gorilla. Did they have to kill it? Well, he wouldn’t have known his own strength compared to a child, having lived in captivity and never touched a human infant.

“And he does grab the boy and drags him into the water at a terrifying speed. The four-year-old is tiny and could easily have been injured. So they made the correct decision to save the boy’s life.

“In my case, Jambo made sure nothing bad could happen.”

Levan, of Billingshurst, West Sussex, also noted the differing reactions from the crowds in 1986 and 2016. During his video clip they are largely calm, applauding when the boy is brought up. Fast forward 30 years and the scene at Cincinnati Zoo can be described as one of chaos and panic.

Seventeen-year-old gorilla Harambe was shot dead after a four-year-old boy fell into an enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo. Source: YouTube

Harambe grabs the four-year-old after he fell into the enclosure. Source: YouTube

Visitors watched screaming, running around and jostling to get a better view with their camera phones and shouting at the child in the enclosure.

And within minutes an armed zookeeper arrived to shoot 17-year-old Harambe in the head from the safety of the observation area.

Mr Merritt, who now works for a timber building company, admits his experience at Jersey Zoo changed his life.

“I went back to Jersey to see Jambo five or six times and I felt a bond with him. They even gave me a stuffed gorilla toy which I still have,” he said.

Jambo died in 1992, aged 32, after suffering a ruptured artery and Levan was invited back to the zoo to commemorate his life.

He never blamed his parents for his fall, saying: “They felt guilty but I always told them it was my fault. I was a young lad, always wandering off, exploring things.”

Mr Merritt, who is now married to 22-year-old Amanda, has children of his own — a three-month-old daughter, Hope, and two sons Riley, 2, and Leo, 3.

He takes the boys to Drusillas Zoo in Alfriston, East Sussex, but says: “I don’t let them go too close to the enclosure walls and fences.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun.

Originally published as Gorilla ‘saved’ Levan Merritt when he was five — but he still thinks US zoo was right to kill Harambe