The 17-year-old western lowland silverback was fatally shot when a four-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.
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The zoo operators were faced with a hard situation where a 4-year-old boy fell into the enclosure, and left with no other option but to shoot the gorilla before it might potentially harm the injured boy, according to the BBC.
However, Professor Kaplan agreed the child’s life rightfully took precedence over the animal’s.
“The barrier’s adequate”, Maynard said.
The USDA oversees zoos and is investigating.
Harambe was shot after a young boy entered his enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo.
Video footage that witnesses shared show Harambe nearly protecting the young boy, but WLWT-TV noted that it cut out the graphic part where the gorilla dragged the tike.
Stones has been in the zoo business for about 50 years and has worked with Harambe’s family since they first entered the USA, starting with the grandparents.
In the days since, people have taken to social media to voice their outrage about the killing of a member of an endangered species.
Zoo director Thane Maynard said that using tranquilizers on the gorilla would not have knocked the animal out right away, leaving the boy in danger.
“For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media, that was my son that fell into the gorilla exhibit at the zoo”, Gregg wrote. The zoo’s director said they are looking into extra security measures to help keep visitors and animals safe.
Animal lovers turned their anger toward the parents while mourning the death of the gorilla, lighting candles and holding “Rest in Peace” signs at the vigil. Maynard said while the female gorillas responded to the call, Harambe was distracted by the events and did not respond.
However, Miller says tranquilising the gorilla wouldn’t have worked as it would have frightened it and led to a more risky situation for the boy.
“People can shout at the parents and people can shout at the zoo”, Seta said.
However, Maynard said the zoo had also received thousands of messages of sympathy and support, including from other zoos.
“Not everyone shares the same opinion and that’s okay”, he said.
She also expressed condolences to the zoo for the loss of 17-year-old Harambe. “But we all share the love for animals”.
Mr Maynard said the atmosphere following the incident is “very emotional”.
The boy’s family released a statement Sunday that the boy was home and doing fine.
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Jack Hanna, host of “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild”, said the zoo made the right call by shooting the gorilla.
