The boy apparently climbed over a 3ft barrier, made his way through bushes and fell 15ft into a shallow moat.
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Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, right, speaks to members of the media alongside images of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Gorilla World enclosure during a news conference regarding an incident involving a child who was hurt after circumventing a barrier at the exhibit, Monday, June 6, 2016, in Cincinnati.
The exhibit’s reopening Tuesday comes a day after a prosecutor said the boy’s mother would not be charged and that the 3-year-old had “scampered off” as children sometimes do.
The Cincinnati Police Department launched their investigation into the incident last Tuesday, May 31, to decide whether pressing criminal charges against the boy’s parents would be necessary.
“I kind of gave the general, ‘the little boy fell in and the gorilla was doing what gorillas do, he wasn’t trying to hurt him, but he was so they had to kill the gorilla to save the boy, ‘” Sparks told CNN.
The Cincinnati Zoo will reopen its gorilla exhibit on Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier installed.
Harambe’s story and legacy are of great interest now, but zoo officials said the zoo’s goal is to move forward and to reassure the public that the zoo and all its animals are safe. Mr. Maynard and his team put in a new, taller, barrier that has wood beams at the top and bottom, as well as netting in between.
The Cincinnati Zoo has made modifications to the public barrier before reopening the exhibit.
“The zoo lost a attractive animal, and one that many people in this area have enjoyed watching for a long time”.
The Cincinnati Zoo and the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas, where Harambe was born, have both set up funds for people to donate money in support of endangered gorilla research, in memory of Harambe.
The mother admonished her son to behave before becoming distracted by other children with her, O’Connor said. An animal protection group is pushing for the examination.
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In a statement the family welcomed the prosecutor’s decision, saying it was “what we expected” and extended thanks “to all of those who have been praying for us”.
