Tulsa Zoo Confident Safety Measures In Place

The Tulsa Zoo says it is confident that safety measures are in place to protect the public after an incident at the Cincinnati Zoo where a 3-year-old ended up inside the gorilla exhibit.

The zoo shot and killed the gorilla to save the boy’s life.

The Tulsa Zoo says it has safety measures in place it says keep guests out of harms way.

Whether it's the tigers or lions, every kid has their favorite exhibit at the Tulsa Zoo

With excitement running high, mom Iris Fain made sure to talk to her 3 year old about safety before they arrived.

“She knows she needs to stick with us,” Fain said. “She doesn't always do that, but we just have to keep our eyes on her."

A video of a 17-year-old gorilla dragging a 3-year-old boy around its exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo has got many people talking about the safety of zoo exhibits.

Officials say the little boy in the video climbed under a rail, through protective wiring and over a moat wall dropping 15 feet into the water.

Reporter: “Did it scare you seeing that?”

Fain: “No not really, things like that happen unfortunately."

"There are a few different safety measures in place to keep visitors at our zoo safe,” Joe Barkowski said. “The first is this fence at the start of the exhibit and then you have about 8 to 10 feet of grassy area, then another fence before you even get close to the rhinos.

Vertical poles are harder to climb if you are a kid. We think about varying heights of the top, so you aren't going to set your drink up here and have it fall into the enclosure."

The outer fence of the gorilla exhibit at the Cinicinnati Zoo was 36 inches.

Barkowski says most outer barriers at the Tulsa Zoo are a minimum of 40 inches reaching up to 48 inches.

Although there isn't a gorilla exhibit at Tulsa Zoo yet, Barkowski hopes one will be added in the next few years, with safety at the forefront of the design.

Zoo officials say funding will have to be secured before a gorilla exhibit could be built in Tulsa.