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Animals in Culture
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Bokito's Gaze: The Gorilla Attack That Inspired Bizarre Eye-Averting Glasses
In 2007, Bokito the gorilla escaped a Rotterdam zoo and attacked a woman who often made eye contact with him. This event, rooted in primate threat perception, inspired an insurance company to create the 'Bokito Kijker'—special glasses that made the wearer appear to be looking away.
A Day at the Zoo Turns Violent
On May 18, 2007, a routine visit to the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, Netherlands, took a terrifying turn. Bokito, an 11-year-old, 400-pound silverback gorilla, breached his enclosure. He scaled the walls, crossed a moat, and launched a violent attack on a specific visitor, Petronella Lameun. She suffered dozens of bites, broken bones, and a crushed hand. The incident shocked the nation and sparked a conversation that went far beyond zoo safety protocols.
Lameun was no stranger to Bokito. She was a regular visitor who believed she had a special connection with the gorilla, visiting him up to four times a week. She would often press her hand against the glass and make prolonged eye contact, smiling at him. To a human, these are gestures of affection. To a gorilla, they are anything but.
The Peril of a Primate's Gaze
In the world of gorillas, direct and sustained eye contact is not a friendly greeting; it is a direct challenge and a sign of aggression. Bokito interpreted Lameun's regular visits and smiling stares as a persistent threat. A zookeeper later explained the gorilla's behavior in simple terms:
He was showing his dominance, and she was answering back. When she would smile at him, she was, in effect, baring her teeth, which is another sign of aggression.
Bokito's escape and targeted attack were the culmination of this profound misunderstanding between species. He was acting on instinct, responding to what he perceived as a challenge to his authority from a persistent aggressor.
An Ingenious (and Absurd) Solution
In the aftermath, as the zoo reinforced its gorilla enclosure, a Dutch insurance company saw a unique marketing opportunity. The company, then known as FBTO, designed and distributed a peculiar solution to prevent future primate provocations: the Bokito Kijker, or “Bokito Viewer.”
These were simple, paper-frame glasses, but their lenses were printed with a pair of eyes looking casually to the side. The idea was that a person could look directly at the gorilla enclosure while the glasses created the illusion that their gaze was averted, thus preventing the wearer from appearing as a threat. While largely a clever publicity stunt, the Bokito Kijker perfectly captured the absurdity and seriousness of the situation. It was a tangible, if gimmicky, response to a very real communication breakdown.
The 'Bokitoproof' Legacy
The incident had a lasting impact on Dutch culture. The term “Bokitoproof” was voted the Dutch Word of the Year in 2007. It came to mean something that is durable and resistant to extreme forces or chaos. The story of Bokito and the glasses designed in his name serves as a powerful and slightly comical reminder that wild animals are not humans. Our gestures of friendship can be their calls to battle. While the Bokito Kijker may have been a novelty, the lesson it represented is timeless: when you’re staring into the eyes of a gorilla, it’s probably best to look away.