In August 1996, Binti Jua, an eight-year-old western lowland gorilla at Brookfield Zoo, became a global sensation after saving a three-year-old boy who fell seven meters into her enclosure, per The Chicago Tribune. The boy, unconscious with a broken arm and a deep facial cut, sparked panic among onlookers fearing the gorilla would harm him. Instead, Binti Jua cradled him gently, protected him from other gorillas, and delivered him to zookeepers, per The New York Times. This extraordinary act ignited a debate: was Binti Jua’s rescue a display of animal altruism or a result of her human-reared upbringing? An X post by @ZooTales (1.7 million views) asked, “Did Binti Jua show true compassion, or was it just training?” This analysis explores the incident, the science of animal behavior, and its cultural impact, captivating readers on July 20, 2025, at 4:38 PM +07.