37 years ago, Jambo the Gorilla made headlines all over the world

Exactly 37 years ago, in 1986, 5-year-old Levan Merritt visited to the zoo with his brothers and parents. But what was meant to be a nice day quickly turned into a nightmare that the family would recall for the rest of their lives...

The day started off nicely. They walked around and enjoyed seeing all the animals. It was now time to visit the large, imposing gorillas. Because little Levan was too small to peer over and see the gorillas properly, he decided to climb the fence to get a better view.

Just as he attempted to peek down at the powerful gorillas, he lost his footing and fell six meters into the animal enclosure. The Merritt family and other visitors who’d witnessed the fall screamed in panic and terror. Levan lay lifeless on the concrete ground, while large gorilla Jambo approached the unconscious boy…

That’s when the miracle occurred, which continues to fascinate people to this day.

Levan (in blue) found himself face to face with one of the most powerful animals in the jungle.

His 6-meter fall onto hard concrete rendered him unconscious in the gorilla enclosure.

The worst was feared as one of the gorillas, Jambo, walked up to the boy.

But instead of harming the boy, Jambo began patting him gently. It soon became clear that Jambo had every intention of protecting Levan – including against the other gorillas in his enclosure.

Fortunately, the boy was soon brought out of the enclosure. What could have ended in a tragedy gave the family much perspective.

Take a look at the video below to watch the dramatic incident from 1986 unfold: