The death of a 400-pound gorilla shot and killed after a 4-year-old boy fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo has sparked a nationwide conversation about animal rights.
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Legal experts have said that prosecution seems unlikely.
Cincinnati police investigated Saturday’s incident to determine if criminal charges are warranted against the boy’s mother for not preventing him from slipping through the barrier.
A statement on Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters’s website said the earliest he would conclude his review would be Friday.
A Cincinnati police report identifies the boy’s mother as 32-year-old Michelle Gregg.
Cincinnati Zoo has been heavily criticised across the globe after a four-year-old boy fell into one of its enclosures. From there, the boy dropped 15 feet to the moat, into a foot and a half of water.
The shooting of the 17-year-old gorilla Harambe has sparked a worldwide outrage with many people upset that the animal had to be killed.
What happened Saturday at the Cincinnati Zoo was a tragedy.
The woman’s frantic conversation with an emergency dispatcher brings to light the panic that gripped onlookers as Harambe hovered over the child, at times dragging him by the ankle, for about 10 minutes until zoo workers fatally shot the animal.
In wake of the recent incident, where a gorilla was shot dead by zoo authorities for saving a young child, there is a question in everyone’s mind about how unsafe gorillas really are.
A spokeswoman says the family requests privacy and has no comment on the investigation.
On Wednesday, the boy’s family said he had a checkup by his doctor and “is still doing well”. As she pleads for help, she shouts at her son repeatedly: “Be calm!”
“This review is only regarding the actions of the parents or family that led up to the incident and not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo”.
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The zoo’s unsafe animal response team shot and killed the gorilla within 10 minutes to protect the boy after he dropped some 15 feet into the exhibit.
