Zoo worker falls into gorilla enclosure and breaks leg

A Los Angeles Zoo employee fell at least 20 feet into a gorilla enclosure yesterday.

According to the zoo, the animals were secured in their night time accommodation while the rescue took place.

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Firefighters had to use a rope system to lift the 61-year-old employee onto a ladder and get him out of the enclosure.

The fire department said that the man was in a fair condition after the accident although he may have been suffering from a fractured femur.

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According to Fox News the incident is still under investigation as zoo officials do not know how the man lost his footing and fell into the moat.

The site also reported that the zoo was closed while the man was rescued from the enclosure which houses western lowland gorillas.

According to National Geographic the western lowland gorilla can grow to anywhere between four and six feet in height and the animals can weigh as much as 400 pounds.