Baby Chimp Killed In-Front of Visitors at LA Zoo [VIDEO]

A baby chimpanzee was killed during a confrontation between an adult male chimpanzee and the mother of the chimp inside their exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo on Tuesday as visitors watched.

Zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said visitors reported seeing the adult attack the 3-month-old infant but zoo officials were helpless to stop the attack because of the danger involved in entering an exhibit during a confrontation.

The Huffington Post reports the zoo said in a statement...

The baby's mother, a chimp named Gracie who gave birth March 6, "had proved to be a caring mother," .

"Gracie is being allowed to keep the infant overnight to allow her the opportunity to grieve," Jacobs said.

"Chimpanzee behavior can sometimes be aggressive and violent, and the zoo is sorry that visitors had to be exposed to this," Jacobs said. "This is a heartbreaking and tragic loss for the zoo and especially for the Great Ape Team who have worked diligently to care for the infant and its mother since its birth.".

Experts noted that observations in recent years have shown that male chimpanzees often attack the small children of rivals both in the wild and in captivity, especially if a desired female is involved, though the relationship of the two chimps in Tuesday's attack was unclear.