Even though a 4-year-old boy’s life was saved on May 28, after he fell into a gorilla’s enclosure, many people are now questioning the decision the zoo made to shoot and kill the gorilla, instead of tranquilizing it. The child had fallen into the enclosure, and the gorilla, named Harambe, blocked him from view of his mother and then dragged him around the enclosure.
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Director Thane Maynard said the zoo’s unsafe animal response team that practices for such incidents decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation” and that they needed to put down the 400-pound-plus male gorilla named Harambe.
On Monday, the zoo’s director stood by the decision to kill the endangered animal, saying the ape was not simply endangering the child but hurting him.
The CEO for Zoo Knoxville said they take protecting their animals very seriously, but nothing trumps protecting human life.
As Internet commenters debate whether the Cincinnati Zoo made the right call when it shot and killed a 400-pound gorilla over the weekend, an unedited video was published online that gives a fuller picture of what happened in those fateful moments. Why or why not?
Kim O’Connor, who witnessed the boy’s fall, has said she heard the youngster say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas.
The Zoo Director said the loss of Harambe has touched the hearts of many people within the community and beyond. And now, thousands are calling for the boy’s parents to be held responsible.
Thayne Maynard, the zoo’s director, said on Monday: “Looking back, we would make the same decision”. “We sympathize with the Cincinnati Zoo and for the family of the boy alike, ” said Executive Vice President David Brady.
On Sunday, Cincinnati police said the parents had not been charged, but charges could eventually be sought by the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney.
“For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo”.
The boy who fell into the exhibit was taken to Cincinnati Children’s HospitalMedicalCenter for treatment and released hours after the incident.
“The child was being dragged around”, Mr Maynard said.
The gorilla was sent to the Cincinnati Zoo as part of western lowland gorilla species survival plan for breeding.
The mother of a child who fell into a gorilla pit in a USA zoo, which led to the animal being shot dead, has spoken out, saying “accidents happen”.
The issue surrounding the gorilla killed at a Cincinnati Zoo is far from over.
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“This is very emotional and people have expressed different feelings”, Maynard said by email.
