There are moments when wildlife forces us to reconsider what we believe about danger, compassion, and the line between us and the natural world. Nearly 40 years ago, five-year-old Levan Merritt experienced one of those moments — and the entire world watched in awe.
A Fall That Shook a Family and the World
It was meant to be a simple family outing to Jersey Zoo, a birthday celebration for Levan’s younger brother. Eager to see Jambo, the legendary 7-foot, 18-stone silverback, Levan climbed up on his father’s shoulders to get a better view. One slip, a dizzying 20-foot drop, and everything changed.
He landed hard on concrete, knocked unconscious, with a fractured skull and a broken arm. His horrified family and stunned onlookers watched as the zoo’s biggest gorilla, Jambo, approached the motionless child.
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What Happened Next Defied Every Expectation
The world held its breath as Jambo stretched out his enormous arm, looming over Levan. But instead of harm, the great ape gently stroked the boy’s back, then sat protectively between Levan and the rest of the gorillas.
For a minute or two that felt like forever, Jambo guarded the unconscious child. When Levan began to cry, Jambo calmly led the other gorillas away. Only when a young male, Hobbit, tried to rush toward the boy did a keeper intervene with a stick, fending off the charge long enough for an ambulance worker and another keeper to lift Levan to safety.
It was all caught on rare home video, beamed around the world, changing public perception of gorillas in an instant. The footage showed a side of animals — and of nature — that most people had never imagined.
Trauma, Recovery, and a Spotlight
Levan was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. He spent six weeks recovering, underwent surgery to insert a metal plate in his skull, and faced a long road back to normalcy. But the impact of that day extended far beyond the physical.
Overnight, Levan became a minor celebrity. The story traveled the globe, appearing on TV news, in newspapers, and in schoolyards. Some classmates teased him cruelly — “gorilla boy,” “monkey man,” “metal brain” — and the bullying stung. But his school stepped in, and the worst eventually passed.
His family felt the weight of the ordeal too. His sister Stephanie, just 10 at the time, struggled with guilt and still can’t watch the footage. Levan’s mother remembers the panic of that day and the surreal moment when a nurse showed them the TV clip from the hospital bed.
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An Unlikely Bond With the Animal World
If anything, the experience deepened Levan’s love for animals. “I loved animals back then, especially wild animals, and I still do,” he says. “I’m a big animal lover and so are my kids.” He and his children have visited zoos across the UK, and the story of Jambo is never far away, though his kids are a little bored by it now.
In the years that followed, Levan became an ambassador of sorts — not just for gorillas, but for empathy between humans and wildlife. He returned to Jersey Zoo more than ten times, including to cut the ribbon at the unveiling of a bronze statue of Jambo in 1992, following the gentle giant’s death at 31.
He marked the 20th anniversary by reuniting with the ambulance worker who helped save him, and he hopes to return for the 40th. “That would be brilliant,” he says, proud of how his story has helped shift perceptions of gorillas from “King Kong monsters” to gentle giants.
The Legacy of a Moment
Levan’s fall — and Jambo’s response — became a turning point for the way people see gorillas and the value of compassion in nature. What was once seen as a dangerous beast was suddenly revealed to be a protector, capable of empathy and restraint. The footage became famous in animal welfare circles, and is still used today to teach about gorilla behavior and human-wildlife understanding.
Even after bullying and trauma, Levan holds no bitterness. He’s worked hard to instill respect for wildlife in his children, and he remains an advocate for conservation, remembering the silverback who guarded his life when he needed it most.
What’s Changed Since That Day
Today, almost every visitor to a zoo carries a smartphone, ready to film. In 1986, it was rare luck that a bystander with a camcorder caught the entire drama on tape. That video is now part of history.
Zoo enclosures and safety standards have changed too, with higher barriers and increased precautions. Yet, the essential lesson remains: wildlife is unpredictable, but it isn’t always dangerous. Sometimes, it’s even capable of mercy.
The Takeaway
Levan’s story is more than a viral clip from the past. It’s a living example of how one terrifying encounter can inspire lifelong empathy, change attitudes, and reveal the best in both people and animals. What began as a near tragedy became a story of hope, proof that respect and kindness can cross even the widest divides.
He plans to bring his children back to Jersey Zoo for the 40th anniversary. “I’d really like to take my children to the zoo next year,” he says. “That would be brilliant.”
If you take anything from his journey, let it be this: when we open our hearts to nature, sometimes, nature opens its arms back.
