Animal rights activists have staged a vigil for the gorilla killed at Cincinnati Zoo after a four-year-old boy slipped into his enclosure.
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Zoo officials said the 4-year-old climbed through a barrier at the Gorilla World exhibit and dropped 15 feet into the moat Saturday afternoon. The station did not air portions of the video showing the gorilla dragging the boy.
The gorilla’s birthday was on May 27, the day before he was shot.
“Gorillas have shown that they can be protective of smaller living beings and react the same way any human would to a child in danger”, Gallucci said. Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the zoo’s unsafe animal response team decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation” and that they needed to put down the 400-pound-plus male gorilla named Harambe.
Meanwhile, the child has been released from the Children’s Hospital Medical Center after being treated for a concussion and other mild injuries on Saturday night.
“We are so thankful to the Lord that our child is safe”.
His family said in a statement Sunday that the boy was home and doing fine.
The woman who recorded video of a gorilla dragging a boy at the Cincinnati Zoo called it a horrific scene. “You have to be watching your children at all times”.
However, the boy’s brief encounter with the gorilla set off an uproar on the Internet.
The Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, where Harambe spent most of his life, said Monday that its staff was deeply saddened by the gorilla’s death.
A vigil was held for Harambe outside the zoo Monday, and nine people showed up.
Maynard says the western lowland gorilla was extreme strong and could crush a coconut in its hand. Some are blaming the boy’s mother for failing to look after her son.
A witness reports hearing the boy tell his mother he wanted to get in the water Saturday afternoon. The incident has since sparked public backlash and prompted a petition calling for the boy’s parents to be held responsible for the gorilla’s death. An online petition seeking “Justice for Harambe” has earned more than 100,000 signatures. This should have prompted the parents to immediately remove the child from the vicinity. A Cincinnati police spokesman said there were no charges being considered.
Others said the zoo was too quick to take the decision to shoot Harambe. Two female gorillas also were in the enclosure when the boy fell in but zoo officials said only the male remained with the child.
Maynard acknowledges the situation is “very emotional”. He was picked up out of the moat and dragged by the gorilla for about 10 minutes.
Many reiterated that a human life was at stake – especially that of a child – and that’s more important than that of a gorilla.
“He was suddenly down in the moat”, Perkins O’Connor told CNN. “You know, pulled his trousers up, stood him up”, Perkins O’Connor said. “He dragged the child a little further down into the moat”. This was the first breach of the exhibit, the zoo announced.
A family statement on Sunday expressed condolences to the zoo for the loss of 17-year-old Harambe. When Merritt comes to, wailing, Jambo, seemingly startled by the cries, sets off in a different direction. ABC News has obtained new video of the young boy who crawled into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.
“People can shout at the parents and people can shout at the zoo”, Seta said.
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The animal rights organization said on Twitter the tragic episode was the latest proof that “even under the “best” circumstances… captivity is never acceptable for gorillas or other primates”.
