A witness to the incident said the mother, who was also watching several other children, replied: “No, you’re not, no, you’re not”.
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The unnamed child was released from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center on Saturday night, hours after the 15ft fall.
Anthony Seta of Cincinnati called the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla’s death “a senseless tragedy”, but said the goal Monday wasn’t to point fingers but a tribute to the gorilla named Harambe.
In the days since, people have taken to social media to voice their outrage about the killing of a member of an endangered species.
A Fairborn woman said she tried to stop the boy who got inside the Cincinnati Zoo’s Gorilla World exhibit.
In a statement, the boy’s family thanked the zoo and acknowledged that that it must have been hard for the zoo to kill Harambe. “They made the right choice”.
“It’s a sad day all the way around”, Maynard said. The two appear in a corner of the exhibit while a voice yells “Somebody call the zoo!” and “Mommy’s right here”.
“If this law is enacted, it will not only protect the animals, but will hold individuals accountable for actions resulting in harm or death of an animal”, the petition says.
“With the child still in the exhibit, tranquilizing the 450-pound gorilla was not an option”, Maynard said. A Cincinnati Fire Department report stated the gorilla was “violently dragging and throwing the child” when they were called, and that the boy was between the gorilla’s legs when the endangered animal was shot, WLWT-TV reported. A family spokeswoman says they are from the Cincinnati area.
As for another trip to the zoo, she said one won’t be happening any time soon.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said on Twitter the tragic episode was the latest proof that “captivity is never acceptable for gorillas or other primates”.
Mr Le Lion, who said he happened to be in the right place at the right time to capture the encounter between the boy and the 7ft tall 18 stone silverback male, said he always believed the gorilla was not going to hurt him.
A child touches the head of a gorilla statue where flowers have been placed outside the Gorilla World exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Cincinnati. Even the most attentive parent could lose sight for a minute, especially at a crowded zoo, and knowing 4-year-olds, that little asshole would find a way in there.
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Harambe, 17, was one of nine Western Lowlands Gorillas at the zoo.
